No doubts on Kishenji encounter: PC

Interacting with mediapersons after presenting his ministry’s report card for the month of November,Chidambaram,who completed three years at the helm of the Home Ministry on Wednesday,also said there were “no doubts” that Naxal leader Kishenji was killed in a gunbattle with security forces in West Bengal last week.

“Reports indicate that he was killed in a gunbattle that started on November 22 and concluded on November 23. We have no doubts about the encounter. He was killed in an encounter,” he said.

To a question about allegations by some pro-Naxal voices and an MP that Kishenji was killed in a fake encounter,Chidambaram said the West Bengal government had already ordered a probe by the CID into the death “in accordance with the National Human Rights Commission guidelines” on encounter deaths.

Asked if he had received any report about the incident,he said,“Yes,Director General of Central Reserve Police Force,who visited the place,briefed me personally. He has spoken to the team that was engaging with the Maoists. He has spoken to West Bengal police officers and we have spoken to the senior police officers of West Bengal government and on that basis I have made the statement… We have no doubts about the encounter.”

To a question about the Telengana crisis,Chidambaram said he was still awaiting the response of four political parties — Congress,TDP,MIM and YSR Congress — to the demand for creation of Telengana. Saying that BJP,TRS,CPI,CPM have already conveyed their stand,he added,“We expect that the remaining four political parties,including Congress,will be able to make up their mind,say before end of December to enable me to call an all-party meeting of all Andhra Pradesh parties as early as possible.”

Asked if he had decided on a date of holding the all-party meeting,he said,“I can’t give you a date. But I sincerely hope that it will be possible for me to call an all-party meeting of the eight parties say in December or early January.”

To a question about the recommendation of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly to split the state into four states,Chidambaram said,“We have just received a four-line resolution passed by the UP Assembly. The matter is being examined in the Ministry of Home Affairs.”

Naxalites killed 30 in November

Naxalites killed 30 people in Left Wing Extremism-hit states like Jharkhand,Chhattisgarh,Orissa and West Bengal in November alone,according to the latest Home Ministry figures.

On November 3,armed CPI (Maoist) cadre gunned down Krishna Bhagat. The same day,another group,this one owing allegiance to the Peoples’ Liberation Front of India,which is active in the tribal region of Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh,killed one Gujju Kharia in Gumla. Many political workers,including those belonging to Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal were among those killed by Naxalites.

Of the 30 deaths recorded in November,majority have been attributed to the CPI (Maoist),the group to which Kishenji belonged. Incidentally,the group has vowed to take revenge for the killing of Kishenji.