There are some tragedies in which it is not easy to make out what is most shocking. The extremist attack on a boat full of elite anti-insurgent forces is remarkable not only in the damage and deaths it caused but also in the weapons that were used. The attack was impeccably planned, catching the Greyhound force from Andhra Pradesh and a few policemen from Orissa in the Balimela reservoir surrounded by heights, when the posse was returning after a combing operation in remote stretches of Orissa’s Malkangiri district. Policemen are the Maoists’ favourite targets, but this is the first attack on water in which, allegedly, the rebels used rocket launchers, light machine guns and grenades. The prime minister had said that these extremists are the greatest threat to internal security; their easy access to a variety of weapons emphasizes the scale of the threat. The Maoists in Malkangiri and its neighbouring districts were observing “anti-repression week” and security had been sharpened up to prevent attacks. The Andhra Pradesh commandos have been specially trained to counter extremists, and the combined operation with Orissa near the Andhra-Orissa border was an example of cooperation among the states to tackle a shared danger.

That the heightened awareness did not stop the extremists is serious cause for worry. Riding on the back of their claim that they are fighting against the exploitation of and injustices towards poor rural people in remote villages, especially tribal groups, Maoists have spread over large tracts of forests and hills in central and eastern India. The only creed they have is that of violence: it is amply clear that they can only cause bloodshed and terror, and have no positive action in mind. In their depredations against the State, they endanger the very people they claim to fight for. It is easy — and right — to say that the situation must be firmly treated as a law and order problem. At the same time, the attraction they hold, at least initially, for the poor living in underdeveloped areas must be countered with positive and clear-cut policies and action. But there is more to be done. As the latest attack demonstrates, the easy flow of weapons and funds needs to be cut. That, probably, cannot be done without a ruthless weeding out of weak links in the administration. It is a big land, with big administrative systems. The price for peace and order would also be big.