Mumbai, January 3: In a bid to counter Naxals, the Maharashtra government is mulling enacting a special Public Security Act like the one in Chhattisgarh, state home minister Eknath Shinde said on Thursday. In 2005, the Chhattisgarh government, led by former Chief Minister and BJP leader Raman Singh, had passed Special Public Security Act, which has been described as "draconian" by human rights activists and civil society groups. Uddhav Thackeray to Muslim Delegation: Maharashtra Government Won't Allow Detention Centres For NRC.

"To tackle Naxalism in the state, we are considering enacting a Public Security Act on the lines of Chhattisgarh. The Chhattisgarh law would be studied. After discussions with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the Public Security Act will be introduced in Maharashtra," Shinde was quoted by Times of India as saying. The home minister made the statement after holding a meeting on security issues in Maharashtra's Naxal-affected areas. Maharashtra Government Expansion: Ajit Pawar, Aaditya Thackeray, Ashok Chavan And 33 Others Take Ministerial Oath at Vidhan Bhavan; Check Full List.

In Naxal-affected Gadchiroli and Chandrapur, Shinde said, a special task force will be formed to carry out pending road and bridge works. The task force will comprise 30 percent security personnel and 70 percent, the minister added. He also said that the state government will draft policy under which employees will get incentives for working in Naxal-affected area. The Maharashtra government's move will surely draw flaks from human rights activists.

"It will only lead to state repression and infringe upon people’s rights. We need to condemn this move and urge the government to take back this decision," Advocate Lara Jesani, member, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, was quoted as saying. Chhattisgarh's Special Public Security Act has a provision that allows police to detain a person for "committing acts that pose an obstacle to the administration of law".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 03, 2020 10:22 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).