Select committee’s report on security bill to tackle 'urban' Naxalism tabled in assembly

Mumbai, Jul 9 (PTI) Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekar Bawankule on Wednesday tabled in the assembly a report by a joint select committee on the special public security bill that seeks to curb Naxalism in urban areas.
    Bawankule, who headed the committee, said they met five times and went through 12,500 suggestions, which came from the public domain.
    The perception that political organisations will be targeted through the bill is wrong, he said.
    “We have brought clarity to the bill, which aims to tackle illegal activities of extreme Left-minded individuals and organisations,” he said.
    The bill includes provisions for an ‘Advisory Board’, which will be headed by the Chief Justice of the high court or a retired chief justice, the minister said.
    Members of the board will be district magistrates or high court government pleaders. The investigating officer will be of the rank of a superintendent of police instead of a police sub-inspector, Bawankule said.
    He said the suggestions of the opposition members in the joint select committee were also accepted.
    The minister said the government wants the bill to be passed as it intends to prevent youth from being influenced by the Naxalite movement.
    The bill was reintroduced in the last winter session of the assembly and was sent to the joint select committee. Fadnavis on Monday had reviewed the draft of the bill, which will be tabled soon, an official had said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)