Protest against the murder of Comrade Azad and Hem Pandey , Operation Green Hunt and Indian Expansionism at the Indian High Commission in Aldwych – London on Sunday 15th August between 11 am – 1 pm

CALLED BY ALLIANCE FOR PEOPLE’S RIGHTS IN SOUTH ASIA

afprisa@googlemail.com

Representing Indian Workers Association (GB)

Progressive Nepalese Society UK

Britain-South Asia Solidarity Forum

Do you know?

According to the Indian government, they have deployed 150,000 troops in India’s central and eastern states. Independent witnesses say the numbers are closer to 250,000. This is more than the number of US troops in Afghanistan. This is war on the Indian people. •Recent statistics show 37% of the country’s people suffer from chronic malnutrition and 50% are undernourished. •A nearly third of India is under army occupation with no democratic freedoms? All over India arrests, detentions, disappearances have increased to alarming levels since the people began resisting the corporate take over of India?•On July 1, the Indian Maoist revolutionary Azad, a Polit Bureau member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and the spokesperson of its Central Committee along with a Delhi-based journalist Hem Chandra Pandey were killed by the Andhra state police. •During the last few days at least 29 innocent Kashmiris have been killed.

Azad – Cherukuri Raj kumar

This is a picture posted on face book by a friend

Government should announce a ceasefire date: Vara Vara Rao

NISHIT DHOLABHAI

New Delhi, Aug. 7: Maoist sympathiser Vara Vara Rao today said the rebels wanted the Centre to announce a “mutual ceasefire” date so that talks could be held.

“We demand an immediate announcement of a ceasefire and ask the government to call back security forces. The government should announce a ceasefire date,” Rao told a news conference today.

The poet said the Maoists felt there should be a “simultaneous and mutual ceasefire” as in Andhra Pradesh in 2004, instead of Chidambaram’s proposal for a 72-hour ceasefire by the rebels only.In 2004, the Maoists had announced a ceasefire in the morning and the Andhra government had followed suit the same evening.

Rao said the Maoists wanted peace talks so that a “people’s development model” could be worked out.Asked why the Maoists wanted a ceasefire now, Rao said they wanted it because the people and civil society groups wanted them to start negotiations.Union home ministry sources have, till last evening, insisted that the government wanted the Maoists to “abjure violence” for 72 hours before peace talks can begin.A section in the government feels that once the CPI (Maoist) leadership is cornered, the outfit would come forward for talks.

Efforts to start talks gained momentum after a conference on the Maoist issue by civil society groups in New Delhi on August 3.Given that there is a section in the ruling Congress which wants talks, the nudge from the NGOs may mount pressure on home minister P. Chidambaram to sit for negotiations.The idea for negotiations originated after a peace march by social activist Swami Agnivesh, professor Yashpal and others from Raipur to Dantewada in May.Chidambaram later wrote to Agnivesh about the government’s readiness to hold talks.