The urban presence and activities of Naxalites of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) [CPI (Maoist], or Maoists, in short, is fast picking pace. On May 13, police arrested 10 Maoists in Pune, though they actually belonged to West Bengal. Nine of them were working as casual labourers while their leader was using the cover of a labour contractor. Four pistols and Naxalite literature running into 300 pages were recovered from their possession.

The Nepalese Army’s proposal on integration addresses both the Maoists’ insistence on integration of the ex-combatants and the non-Maoists’ anxiety that the army could face a professional crisis and politicisation.

The sense of a liberated zone is apparent as one enters Chitrakonda, with three storey tombs painted in red with the comrades’ name and a hammer and sickle dotting the arid landscape.

Abduction is a Maoist tactic to arm-twist the government and secure the release of imprisoned comrades as well as make some tactical gains by placing demands that could be projected as pro-people.

The Maoists are trying to cash in on major issues like Telangana to expand their mass base in Andhra from where hail their top leadership.

There are no shortcuts to overcoming the grave Naxal threat to our democratic way of life. Broadening the mandate by handing over the problem to the army is neither fair nor efficacious.

Air presence is a critical factor in counterinsurgency operations as it provides a high level of dominance and control over the situation.

From the security point of view, it might not be prudent to carve out states from Maoist affected regions without adequately preparing the administrative and security apparatus.