Pillai publicly objects forest officials attending meetings held by Naxals

HOME secretary GK Pillai is back in action, with yet another explosive statement. He said some of the senior forest officials living in Naxal areas are attending meetings organized by banned Maoist outfits, in addition to not passing over information about happenings there, raising a serious security concern of the North Block.

Only recently, Pillai’s statement about ISI’s direct role in Mumbai attacks on the eve of India-Pakistan foreign minister level talks virtually derailed the process, leading foreign minister SM Krishna repeatedly mentioning about the ill-timing of his statement. But no one including the Pakistani side could afford to say that Pillai’s statement was wrong in content.

Now, addressing the 35 District Forest Officials (DFOs) from various Naxal-hit areas, Pillai said on Saturday that forest officers were not co-operating in providing information about Naxals’ grouping in jungles and collecting arms and ammunition. He further objected about forest officers’ attending meetings organized by banned Maoists groups. He even cited an example in which a forest official in July attended a meeting organised by the extremists at Sunabeda sanctuary in Orissa. What was further objectionable was that the said officer took his official vehicle to attend the meeting.

(In picture: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh with the Forest Service Officers from Naxal affected States, in New Delhi on August 06, 2010).