Maoist or Not? Babita, a woman from Pithoragarh (Uttaranchal) has said in a briefing held at the Press Club of India in Delhi that the man killed along with top Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajakumar alias Azad in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh on July 1 is her husband Hem Raj Pandey and is a “Delhi-based freelance journalist” by a woman who claims to be his widow. She also added that “My husband wrote for Nai Duniya, Rashtriya Sahara, and Dainik Jagran…he was honest, innocent… he was killed because he was a Leftist…,” AP Police says - “We have checked with the Sahara group as well as Nai Duniya. He was not on their rolls. He was not even a freelancer for them”. It also says that- “He was underground for the past four years.” To add to the complexity, Nai Duniya and Rashtriya Sahara managements have denied any links with Pandey. Several news channels also reported that the Northern Region Bureau of the CPI(Maoist) had claimed Pandey was in fact their zonal commander. This being the background, could anyone shed more light on the matter? If he was a freelance journalist based in Delhi, he must be known to many. If this is not a fact, then what Babita has done is entirely improper and might even be a planted attempt. Either way this matter must get settled in a complete manner, including the veracity of Babita’s statement and the reasons for her falsehood, if at all. The matter is of great relevance today considering the fact that Naxalism and Maoist activities have become the biggest threat to peace and tranquility in India and they have recently done many acts of killing innocent people for no reasons. Dr Nutan Thakur Secretary, IRDS, Lucknow # 94155-34525
