Maoists have been killing over 500 civilians every year: Chidambaram

NEW DELHI - The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has been killing over 500 civilians every year since 2004 after labelling many of them “police informers”, Home Minister P. Chidambaram said Wednesday.

According to Chidambaram, as long as the “principal left wing extremist organisation was not challenged effectively, it expanded its area of activity, recruited more cadres, kidnapped more persons, extorted more money, acquired or looted more weapons, asserted its dominance in more areas, and targeted the security forces as well as civilians”.

Addressing a meeting of chief ministers of Maoist-affected states chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Chidambaram said the CPI-Maoist, on an average, had killed 500 civilians every year between 2004 and 2008.

“In 2009, 591 civilians were killed, of which 211 were named as police informers. This trend has continued in the first half of 2010 too, with 325 civilians killed, of which 142 were named as police informers,” he said.

He said the central government was concerned that ordinary citizens were labelled as police informers and killed by the CPI-Maoist.

“The CPI-Maoist has no right to set itself up as judge, jury and executioner. In fact, it has no right to carry arms. It is a banned organisation and functions outside the pale of the law.”