Chhattisgarh Governor urges media to stop glamourising Maoists
09 February, 2007
Raipur, Feb 9 (ANI): Calling the fight against the Maoist insurgency a societal responsibility, Chhattisgarh Governor E.S.L. Narasimhan on Friday urged the media to not glamourise the menace. Addressing bureaucrats, serving and retired IPS officers, and journalists on the last day of a two-day conference on the Maoist insurgency here, Narasimhan appealed to the press to cooperate with the government to root out Naxalism from the country.
"Whether it is movie or the media, why do we have to glamourise Naxalism or terrorism? By going to the forests and talking to them (Maoists), what exactly do we want to show?," he asked, adding that the media has a great role to play in this regard, as it affects the common people more than what the government says.
He went on to say that the media often shows the Maoists as doing some good work for the people, but what is also required is to highlight the work of the administration, as they were also doing some great work in the Naxal-infested areas.
"This will motivate those who are working for the welfare of the people in the affected areas," he added. Narasimhan also requested the common people to join in the fight against Maoism and all other forms of terrorism, describing it is a curse "affecting all the segments of the society".
Underlining the network of Maoists in all the 14-affected states of the country, the Governor emphasized the need for inter-state security coordination to deal with the problem effectively. He said that inter-intelligence and inter-department co-ordination and a multi-agency approach was required to tackle the menace as it has become a widespread phenomena.
Narasimhan added that the myth created by the Maoists that they are working in the favour of poor and tribes should be eliminated. Responding to a query on whether a separate Ministry for the Naxal-affected states was required, as recommended by the Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR), he said there was no need for any such Ministry.
"There are already many departments and committees looking after this problem. There is absolutely no need for a separate Ministry," he said. The conference, titled 'Maoist Insurgency: Assessment of the Threat and Doctrine and Strategies of Response'-- is being organized by Institute for Conflict Management (ICM), in consultation with and on behalf of the Government of Chhattisgarh.
Its primary objective is to rationalize the assessment of and approach to the Maoist threat in the country, to probe the ideological and military strategy of the left-wing extremists, and examine the doctrines, strategies and patterns of appropriate state response. (ANI)
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Labels: chhattisgarh, CPI(Maoist), News
posted by Bimal 9.2.07,
