UN 'condemns' Maoist violence in India

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Christof Heyns has condemned the violence perpetrated by Maoist ultras and other non-state actors in India. After a rigorous 12-day fact-finding visit, Heyns, who will submit a report of his findings to the UN Human Rights Council next year, criticised Maoists for killing innocent civilians. Despite strong measures initiated by the central government to crush the ultras, the Maoist insurgency has gripped nearly one-third of the country in its violent tentacles, spreading into the interiors of 20 of India's 28 states.