Naxalites launching campaign to defame, finish Selva Judum: MHA

New Delhi, Jul 16 (UNI) Asserting that a systematic campaign has been launched to defame peoples resistance movement like Selva Judum by naxalites, the Centre today said the government was not encouraging 'vigilantism' as charged by some reports.

''Naxalites perceive peoples resistance movement like Selva Judum as the biggest challenge for them and have decided to create an environment to finish them and what better way than to defame such movements,'' Home Secretary Madhukar Gupta told mediapersons after reviewing the naxalite situation in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

Reacting to media reports about Human Rights Watch criticising the Selva Judum and the government for human rights violations in Chhattisgarh, Mr Gupta asserted that both the Central and Chhattisgarh governments were not encouraging 'vigilantism' and anyone indulging in criminal activities like rape and murder would be liable and culpable for action even if the person is from the Selva Judum or naxalite.

The Home Secretary pointed out several factual slip-ups in the HRW report and said it has claimed that it was not correct that the government was hiring children as Special Police Officers.

The SPOs in Chhattisgarh, Jammum and Kashmir and Jharkhand are being appointed under the Police Act and various procedures are being followed for this purpose. But, the report tried to justify the naxalites employing children for destructive purposes by claiming that even the government was employing children as SPOs.

Moreover, the report stated that Selva Judum camps, indulging in human rights violations, was also inaccurate because there was no selva Judum camp, as people who fled their villages in fear of naxalites have taken shelter in camps, he said.

''The people in the state are suffering in the hands of naxalites. We need to be careful so that unknowingly or unwillingly we should not further the cause of naxalites,'' he said.

Besides, Selva Judum is not the only peoples resistance movement against naxalites as even in Maharashtra also a 'Nagrik Suraksha Samiti' is working against them.

UNI AJ ATI RAI2012