chief
Prime VIP
Shillong, May 24: Former Army chief V P Malik called for better coordination between states and the Centre to tackle Maoist violence and said he was against deployment of the Army to control internal law and order problems.
"So far as the law and order situation in the Maoist areas are concerned, there is a need for better coordination between state agencies and the Centre. This has been not up to the mark," Malik told reporters during a visit to the residence of late Captain S C Nongrum who attained martyrdom in the Kargil War.
"Army should not step in at this juncture. Army should be the last resort. It is not the primary role of the Army," he said on the deployment of the Army in Naxal-affected areas.
Underlining that the central para-military forces should be trained effectively to deal with the Maoist problem, Malik said, "The para-military forces have been neglected. Their standard has to be improved. It is only after the recent attacks by Maoists that the government has realised this."
"First, the forces should isolate the people taking arms and then hit them while the development activities in the areas is progressing simultaneously," he said on the possible strategy to deal with the problem.
