Strength of extremism
DNA ANALYSIS
NEW DELHI: Yesterday may have marked a dramatic escalation in the fighting capabilities of South Asia’s Maoists, according to Indian sources who confirm that it was the Maoists who brought down the Nepali military helicopter in which 10 soldiers were killed. The Nepali Ministry of Defence had said that the helicopter crashed due to technical snags, dismissing claims by Maoist leader Prachanda that his cadres brought down the copter.
Sources in the Indian establishment told DNA that Rocket Propelled Grenade (RPG) was fired by the Maoists to bring down the Russian-made Mi-17 helicopter. The Nepali ministry of defence had said that its “technical team which reached the site immediately rejected the imaginary claim by the so-called leader of the terrorists that they shot down the helicopter.” Observers here indeed confirm his claim and say that the shooting down of the helicopter may be a critical reason that forced the King to make a national address on Friday appealing for peace.
It is for the first time that any of the leftists movements in South Asia has exhibited such an ability to bring down helicopter or a plane. What the Maoists exhibited by bringing down the helicopter is also a possible warning of future for even India. The Maoists are spreading across the Indian landscape, and their fighting ability is gradually building up in sophistication. It is following the path that the Nepali Maoists have gone: from pressure cooker bombs and country-made rifles to more sophisticated weapons and now the RPGs.
