New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday disapproved the idea of arming local people to counter the Maoists and sought an explanation from the Chhattisgarh Government for creating an anti-Naxal armed group of special police officers — Koya Commandos. "What is this Koya Commandos? How are they appointed and how are they given training etc? It is very dangerous.., giving them arms to fight," a bench comprising justices B Sudershan Reddy and S S Nijjar said.
The bench directed the state government to file an affidavit on the raising of Koya Commandos and also state under what rule they were being supplied arms and ammunition. It posted the matter for further hearing on April 15.
"The affidavit will tell under which rule the Koya Commandos are appointed and under which rule they are given arms and ammunition? We must know it," the bench said, while making it clear that the affidavit has to be filed by a senior officer.
The special police officers have been given the name Koya Commandos after a tribe in the Dantewada region. It was not for the first time that the apex court has expressed its concern over the creation of armed anti-Naxalite group. In February 2009 also it had questioned how the government could arm common people or those associated with Salwa Judum, a people's movement to combat the Maoists in Chhattisgarh.
The court had said the state should not arm common people and encourage them to fight Naxalites as "it will create a dangerous situation". However, the Chhattisgarh Government has maintained that Salwa Judum was a dying movement and it was not giving any encouragement to it. The court passed the order while hearing a petition against the existence of Salwa Judum in Naxal-infested regions of the state to fight the Maoists.
The petition had been filed by sociologist Nandini Sundar, historian Ramchandra Guha, former bureaucrat E A S Sarma and others seeking a direction to the state government to refrain from allegedly supporting Salwa Judum.
During the hearing, Swami Agnivesh informed the court about last month's incident when he was attacked by a group of people -- allegedly consisting of SPOs and Salwa Judum volunteers — when he was visiting a Naxal region near Dantewada with activists of the Art of Living of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The Chhattisgarh government informed the bench that it has already ordered an inquiry by the district and sessions judge, Bastar, into the incident and the notification in this regard was issued on Tuesday.
Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the state government, however, sought liberty from the court to persuade Chief Minister Raman Singh to order an inquiry by a Chhattisgarh high court judge. PTI
The bench directed the state government to file an affidavit on the raising of Koya Commandos and also state under what rule they were being supplied arms and ammunition. It posted the matter for further hearing on April 15.
"The affidavit will tell under which rule the Koya Commandos are appointed and under which rule they are given arms and ammunition? We must know it," the bench said, while making it clear that the affidavit has to be filed by a senior officer.
The special police officers have been given the name Koya Commandos after a tribe in the Dantewada region. It was not for the first time that the apex court has expressed its concern over the creation of armed anti-Naxalite group. In February 2009 also it had questioned how the government could arm common people or those associated with Salwa Judum, a people's movement to combat the Maoists in Chhattisgarh.
The court had said the state should not arm common people and encourage them to fight Naxalites as "it will create a dangerous situation". However, the Chhattisgarh Government has maintained that Salwa Judum was a dying movement and it was not giving any encouragement to it. The court passed the order while hearing a petition against the existence of Salwa Judum in Naxal-infested regions of the state to fight the Maoists.
The petition had been filed by sociologist Nandini Sundar, historian Ramchandra Guha, former bureaucrat E A S Sarma and others seeking a direction to the state government to refrain from allegedly supporting Salwa Judum.
During the hearing, Swami Agnivesh informed the court about last month's incident when he was attacked by a group of people -- allegedly consisting of SPOs and Salwa Judum volunteers — when he was visiting a Naxal region near Dantewada with activists of the Art of Living of Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. The Chhattisgarh government informed the bench that it has already ordered an inquiry by the district and sessions judge, Bastar, into the incident and the notification in this regard was issued on Tuesday.
Senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for the state government, however, sought liberty from the court to persuade Chief Minister Raman Singh to order an inquiry by a Chhattisgarh high court judge. PTI
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