Centre to SC: Maoists striking despite our sincere efforts

NEW DELHI: Drawing flak for its policy on Maoists, the Centre on Tuesday told the Supreme Court that despite its sincere efforts to solve the problems confronting tribals, the rebels are not shunning violence and carrying on attacks as they did on Monday in West Bengal.

"The home minister (P Chidambaram) has made a public statement that government is ready to talk to them (Maoists) provided they eschew violence. And the answer we have got on Monday from West Bengal," Attorney General GE Vahanvati told a bench comprising justices B Sudershan Reddy and SS Nijjar.

Vahanvati made the statement after advocate Prashant Bhushan spoke about the alleged human rights violation by state agencies in their fight against Naxals in Chhattisgarh.

In the backdrop of the killing of 24 paramilitary personnel at a camp at Silda in West Midnapore district, Vahanvati said he was sharing the view of Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium that nobody want to go (to fight Naxals) with a death band on forehead.

"We do not want to perpetuate a situation like a civil war," he said before a bench which was hearing the petitions relating to the Chhattisgarh tribals, who had allegedly gone missing after the filing of petition seeking CBI probe into killing of about 10 people during the anti-Naxal operations.

The bench pacified him saying, "We are not on anything like war but for solving the problem".

Subramanium said "the fight against Naxals are not based on any political line and both the Centre and the Chhattisgarh government are equally concerned about the human rights".