Maoists no better than the Pakistan army: Government

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday pointed out that the Naxalites were no better than the Pakistani army regulars who had mutilated the body of an Indian soldier as the Naxals booby-trapped the dead bodies of five out of the nine CRPF men killed in an encounter in Jharkhand on Monday.

The authorities have pressed in bomb-disposal squads to try and defuse the pressure bombs put beneath the bodies of three CRPF men after the bombs fitted on the bodies of two other men went off on Tuesday, killing three villagers who had been roped in to retrieve the bodies.

"The explosion has left the two bodies badly mutilated. Hence, a bomb disposal squad is trying to defuse the bombs fitted on the three other bodies of CRPF men to avoid mutilation. The aim of fitting pressure IEDs by the Naxals on the dead bodies is to cause more fatalities...it is hardly different from the treatment meted out by the Pakistanis to the Indian Army personnel on the border," a home ministry official said.

The death toll in the Latehar incident has gone up to 13, including nine CRPF men, one policeman of Jaguar wing of Jharkhand Police and three villagers. Though the operation has been criticised for its lack of planning and inaccurate assessment of the Naxal strength, the Centre is defending the action saying the operation is part of a "decisive battle".