Chidambaram has been doing a fine job as Home Minister; One setback should not demoralise him

By O.J.George

The latest news report refers to a letter sent to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh by Union Home Minister P.Chidambaram owning up the full responsibility for the massacre of CRPF jawans at Dantewada in Chhattisgarh the other day.

He has also saluted the jawans who had laid down their lives for the security of the nation.

Chidambaram has taken moral responsibility as CRPF comes under the Home Ministry. The operation in Dantewada against Maoists was a joint one. The State government and the CRPF had done the job together.

In fact, the state government’s intelligence agencies should be more privy to the nitty gritty of logistics of the Naxal-infected areas.

CRPF jawans who are drafted from different parts of the country may not be aware of the pitfalls lurking at every point. They do their duty and follow orders.

Someone might have tripped the Maoists about the operational details or there might have been someone within the ranks of those who are aware of the exercise at least indirectly supportive of the Maoists.

Anyway, an inquiry is on to pinpoint the failure. There should be no ground for finding fault with Chidambaram, who otherwise has been doing a fantastic job as Home Minister.

Let us strengthen his hands to undertake projects that would result in a clean job of wiping out the menace of Maoists, who should not be under rated.