From the COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MAOIST)

It would appear that India is using the US usual tactic of trying to decapitate political groups by capturing or assassinating the leaders of these groups. It was a major focus in the fight against the Senderos of Peru (Communist Party of Peru) They have tried this in Colombia against the FARC. So far it is hard to tell if this will pay off for them in India. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) Is large and has several factional leaders. It may be harder for them to decapitate this group. They seem to be trying it anyway. -- សតិវ អតុ

From:
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/MAOIST_REVOLUTION:


Comrades and Friends,
Maoist Revolution received these two statements today regarding the arrest of Comrade Azad, Politburo member and spokesperson of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). We are releasing these though we would like our Indian Comrades to confirm that that these two statements here below are authentic.
Comradely!

COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MAOIST)

18 March 2010

PRODUCE COMRADE AZAD (CHERKURI RAJKUMAR), POLITBURO MEMBER ANDSPOKESPERSON OF THE CPI (MAOIST) BEFORE THE COURT IMMEDIATELY,WHO WAS ABDUCTED BY POLICE AND INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES!OBSERVE 48-HOUR BANDH ON 22-23 MARCH 2010IN SIX STATES IN PROTEST OF KILLINGS OF PARTY LEADERS IN FAKE ENCOUNTERS,EXTRA-JUDICIAL DETENSIONS AND BRUTAL TORTURES!!

Notorious AP SIB once again killed two senior party leaders - Comrade Shakamuri Apparao and ComradeKondal Reddy in two separate fake encounters on March 12, 2010. Comrade Apparao was abducted a few daysback and Comrade Kondal Reddy was abducted on March 11th night from different places and the lawless killers ofSIB shot them dead and concocted stories of encounter were released as usual. On the same day, Politburo memberand spokesperson of our party - CPI (Maoist), Comrade Azad, whose real name is Cherukuri Rajkumar, was alsoabducted by these licensed killers. Comrade Azad was supposed to meet Comrade Apparao on that day and bothwere supposed to visit Dandakaranya Guerilla Zone. But we lost contact with him since then. Home minister P.Chidambaram and his police and intelligence officials might have definitely abducted him in a planned way. WhileComrades Apparao and Kondal Reddy were killed in cold blood in two separate fake encounters, Comrade Azad'sarrest has not been declared till now. We are afraid that police officials are torturing him in secret chambers and aconspiracy is underway to eliminate him physically. Particularly, AP SIB had killed so many Central Committeemembers of our Party in the past. Comrades Shyam, Mahesh, Murali, Chandramouli, Prasad along with severalstate and district level leaders were killed brutally by it after capturing them alive. And to create confusions amongthe rank and file of our party and entire revolutionary masses, today police and intelligence officials have them selfissued a press communique to the media in the name of Comrade Azad, our Party spokesperson, in whichcontradictory statement over abduction and killing of Comrades Apparao and Kondal Reddy. This is not new forAPSIB as it had issued fake statements and fake letters several times so that it could mask its worst crimes andconspiracies. Through this fake statement, APSIB wants to create confusion that Comrade Azad is not in its illegalcustody and he himself has issued a press statement on fake encounters of March 12th from elsewhere. It itselfreveals that a deep and well-knitted conspiracy is going on to assassinate Comrade Azad.Comrade Azad alias Cherukuri Rajkumar is one of the senior-most leaders of our Party. He was a brilliantstudent of Regional Engineering College, Warangal, where he studied MTech in late 1970s. He led Andhra PradeshRadical Students Union after Emergency period. Later he went to underground and has been looking after politicaland organizational responsibilities of the Party in various places for more than 30 years. And when the central andstate governments have declared their suppressive war against poorest people of India, they have been particularlytargeting party leadership. Comrades Apparao and Kondal Reddy were killed as a part of genocidal operation greenhunt and conspiracy going on to eliminate Comrade Azad is also a part of the same. We appeal to all democrats,intellectuals, human rights activists, writers, artists, workers and peasants; to all democratic organizations of ourcountry; and to all progressive, democratic and human rights organizations abroad to protest and to condemn theillegal and inhuman killings of communist revolutionaries being carried out by the government of India; and todemand to produce Comrade Azad before court of law immediately.Our Party has already given call for 48-hour bandh in six states, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha, three districts in Maharashtra (Gadchiroli, Gondia andChandrapur) and one district - Balaghat in Madhya Pradesh in protest of genocidal operation green hunt andkillings of Maoist leaders. On this occasion, we warn the government that if Comrade Azad would not be producedbefore the court, our program of bandhs and protests will be continued. If any damage done to his life, the Peopleand the People's Liberation Guerilla Army throughout the country will react seriously. And Sonia-Manmohan-Chidambaram would be responsible for this.
PratapGudsa Usendi, Pratap,Spokesperson, Spokesperson,Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee Central Regional Bureau,CPI(Maoist) CPI(Maoist)
------------ ---
19 March 2010

Condemn the Illegal Abduction and Detention of Azad, the Spokesperson of CPI(Maoist) by the Andhra Pradesh Police! Ensure the safety of Azad's life and his immediate
production in a court of law!


The Central Committee of the CPI(Maoist) informed the revolutionary poet Varavara Rao that Azad, senior leader, Polit Bureau member and the spokesperson of the CPI(Maoist) has remained untraceable from 12th March 2010 onwards. There is a strong possibility that Azad has been kept in illegal custody by the Andhra Pradesh police since then. Given the history of the AP police and its special anti-Naxal force Greyhounds and intelligence wing of the AP police in gross human rights violations, whereby it has repeatedly resorted to fake encounters and custodial killings, there are grounds to believe that his life is in grave danger. Last week itself, as the media has reported, two senior leaders of the CPI(Maoist), Sakhamuri Apparao and Kondal Reddy, who were arrested by AP police from Maharashtra, were abducted, subjected to brutal torture and killed in cold blood. Thereafter the dead bodies were taken two separate districts of Andhra Pradesh, the police claiming that they were killed in `encounters' . Such illegal acts of repression have been regularly committed by the AP police in the name of countering Naxalism, and Azad might also meet a similar fate.

We demand that Azad be produced before a court of law as per the legal requirements, if there are any cases pending against him, or should be immediately released. The Union Home Minister P Chidambaram must not allow Andhra Pradesh police or any others to kill the CPI(Maoist) spokesperson Azad, and produce him in a court of law. We demand that the Central Government immediately halt its war on people named Operation Green Hunt, and initiate a dialogue with the concerned organisations.