Prachanda, Baburam not in India: Indian minister

December 1, 2004
2 MIN READ
A
A+
A-

Indian State Minister for External Affairs, Rao Indrajeet Singh, has ruled out the possibility of CPN (Maoist) chairman Prachanda and senior leader Dr Babu Ram Bhattrai taking shelter in India.

Talking to media persons at the Bhairahawa Airport in Rupandehi Wednesday, Singh said India viewed the Maoist insurgency as a terrorist activity, claiming that chances of the rebel leaders talking shelter in India were none, reports from Lumbini said.

Singh arrived in Nepal on Monday to attend the 2nd World Buddhist Summit, which began in Lumbini from Tuesday.

“Maoist violence is a common problem of Nepal and India,” he said, adding that India had tightened vigil at the common borders in view of the possibility of Maoist infiltration (into India).

The Indian minister’s statement comes at a time when Nepali authorities are voicing concern over what is assumed as a ‘safe haven’ being provided to top Maoist leaders in India.

Maoist politburo members, Mohan Baidya and Chandra Prakash Gajurel are currently facing detention in India while several other leaders and cadres of the rebel outfit have been arrested and some of them handed over to Nepali authorities in recent times.

Last year, CPN UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal’s meeting with Prachanda and Dr Bhattrai in India had made headlines as the officialdom of both countries reacted with uneasiness.