Bitta for Army action to wipe out Naxals

Raipur (PTI): All-India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF) President M S Bitta on Wednesday made a pitch for army deployment in Bastar to wipe out rebels from the Naxal-hit region, in wake of the deadly Maoist attack which left 27 people dead. "If the Army can be moved to Golden temple (Amritsar), a place of worship, to finish terrorists then why it can't be deployed in Bastar. Army action is strongly needed to wipe out Naxalites, who are killing innocent people," Bitta told reporters here after visiting the family of slain Congress leader Yogendra Sharma, who was killed in the May 25 attack.

The former youth Congress chief slammed the government both at the Centre and Chhattisgarh, for not taking stringent steps to tackle Naxalism and held the Intelligence responsible for the attack. "Security lapses on the part of state government and intelligence failure is largely responsible for this attack. It is responsible for several terrorist attacks also in the country including assassination of former Prime Minister Rajeev Gandhi," he alleged. Bitta said somebody has to take responsibility of the attack and sought dismissal of guilty officials. "The question is who has committed the mistake.. somebody has to take responsibility. Those officials who are responsible for it should be dismissed and murder case should be registered against them," he demanded. He also suggested setting up of anti-terrorist military court for early disposal of cases related to terrorist activities. Earlier, after visiting Sharma's family here, an emotional Bitta said, "I went to the house of Yogendra Sharma to meet his family members. I could not hold back my tears when his daughter told me that had her father been provided the same kind of security I (Bitta) have, he would have been alive on Wednesday."