JOIN USPC admits to failure in Dantewada operation
The enquiry report by the one-man committee would be ready by April 25 and it would fix responsibility for the massacre across various levels of administration and central authority.
Replying to a debate in the Rajya Sabha on the Dantewada incident in which 76 security personnel were killed early this month, Chidambaram said the preliminary inquiry showed that the incident was a result of “terrible failure of command and control.”
The minister had asked the Ram Mohan Committee to “fix responsibility” right from the assistant commandant up to the Union home minister.
Chidambaram also ruled out use of Army and Air Force in the Naxal-affected areas and claimed that his party and the entire UPA were behind him and would support the anti-Naxal operations. He, however, emphasised that the government could engage a special force as a supplementary to the central para military forces to tackle the menace.
The use of aircraft could be considered for surveillance, logistics and evacuation. “There is no proposal to use Army or Air Force against the Naxals,” he said.
Responding to Leader of Opposition Arun Jaitley’s remarks that the home minister did not have support from his own party members, he said “our party and the UPA are totally united in the fight against the Naxals. You will not succeed in trying to divide my party”.
Jaitley was referring to Congress MP K Keshava Rao supporting senior party leader Digvijay Singh’s disapproval of the handling of Naxal issue by Chidambaram.
The home minister insisted that his anti-Naxal policy was in sync with the AICC 2006 resolution which said it had to be addressed as a serious law and order problem with an underlying socio-economic process.
Rao maintained that the Dantewada incident was just a symptom and there was a need to look at the disease (lack of development).
Without naming Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, CPM MP Sitaram Yechury alleged that a Cabinet member had not participated in any of the meetings called by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee government to discuss the Naxal issue.