:: Editorial

Rajdhani attack warning to govt

Oct.19 : Naxalites operating in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district, who have been in the news in recent months, created something of a sensation on Tuesday by storming the Delhi-bound Bhubaneswar Rajdhani in the Jhargram area. But the dramatic development must be placed in perspective. It is not the first time in the country when protesting mobs have obstructed the progress of a passing train and inconvenienced passengers. Considering what they have shown themselves to be capable of in terms of wanton violence or sheer cruelty, the Naxal action at the Banstala Halt station was a mild affair. Any violence that was produced appeared incidental, although the threat of violence obviously hung in the air. There was no particular demand raised that was new, although hundreds of tribal people mobilised by the Maoists were pressed into this particular project. The preparation that went into it was apparent. And still, it is not wholly clear why the Maoists resorted to getting at the train, unless it was only to cock a snook at the state and the railway authorities. In the event, the trackside drama ended relatively peacefully, passengers were not hurt and were allowed to proceed after about six hours. Yet, it may not be wise to minimise the import of what happened, for the episode underlines the apathy and the sorry state of preparation by the authorities to tackle the Naxalite menace in spite of all the noise made at the highest levels in recent weeks.

It is surprising that the state government and the railway authorities had not prepared for the safety of an important train when the Maoists had given a three-day bandh call, and the route of the train falls within the Maoist sphere of influence. Such a mismatch between word and deed is incomprehensible. Especially since railway minister Mamata Banerjee had in the recent past been on the same page as elements of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, a Maoist front outfit, it was expected of her that she would take all the needed precautions to protect trains so that no fingers may point at her. The way it’s turned out, the argument can be made by those interested that the train drama was enacted to show the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government in poor light. After all, Ms Banerjee’s single-point agenda has been to pull down the Left Front government. Of course, the chief minister has done himself no favours by not being alert to possible pressure points that Maoists might seek to exploit. The Union home ministry is not blameless either. While it is true that law and order is a state subject, the Naxalite problem is a national issue. It is larger than the sum of the law and order problems of the Maoist-afflicted states. It was, therefore, incumbent on the ministry under P. Chidambaram’s charge to be in constant coordination with states that have fallen under the shadow of Naxalism, to guide and steer them, to offer friendly advice and every aid, and also to anticipate the moves of UPA allies inimical to the dispensation in Kolkata so that the political and administrative fight against Naxalism is not impeded.