Digvijay backs ruling on vigilantes

Digvijay Singh today once again called the Centre’s counter-Maoist policy to question, saying there was no need to ask for a review of the Supreme Court order that said the Salwa Judum vigilante force was unconstitutional and tribal youths appointed as special police officers should be disarmed.

“I think there is no need for a review petition,” the Congress leader said when asked why the government was seeking a judicial review of the apex court’s July 6 order.

At a book-release event, Singh was asked to explain his and the Congress’s policies during a question-and-answer session.

The person who asked the question was Nandini Sundar, one of the petitioners on whose plea the court ruled that the Salwa Judum is an illegal outfit.

Immediately after the Supreme Court order, the home ministry said it was in consultation with security forces to seek a judicial review of the order.

Singh today said: “The issue of Left-wing extremism cannot be settled militarily.… The army has been trained to killed identified enemies of the country; law and order is an issue for the police of each state. We should discourage the army from being employed for internal security tasks.”