MAOISTS TRADE BULLETS WITH DANCE AND SONGS FOR A CHANGE. (TAPE NO 5227)

NATURAL WITH HINDI SPEECH

DURATION: 2.43

SOURCE: ANI

TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS: NONE

Maoists trade bullets with dance and songs for a change in India's eastern Gaya.

Maoist rebels in India's eastern Gaya sang and danced to mark the fifth anniversary of the inception of Communist Party of India-Maoist formed with a merger of the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) and the People's War Group on September 21, 2004.

SHOWS:

GAYA, BIHAR, INDIA (SEPTEMBER 21, 2009) (ANI-ACCESS ALL)

1. MAOISTS PRACTISING WAR TACTICS AMIDST MUSIC

2. VARIOUS OF MAOISTS DANCING WITH GUN IN HANDS

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) PARAMJEET, MAOIST COMMANDER, SAYING: "Our party was divided in two parts. The other party worked separately for some time but later the two groups merged. We are celebrating the merger because we all are brothers."

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Hindi) MANOJ, MAOIST, SAYING: "It's a day of happiness. On September 21, 2004 two parties became one. We are dancing to celebrate it. ...We think after joining hands we have become powerful and we achieve our target wherever we go."

5. MAOISTS STANDING

6. MAOISTS DANCING

7. VARIOUS OF MAOISTS FIRING IN THE AIR TO MARK THE CELEBRATION

STORY: For once Maoist rebels at Gaya in India's eastern Bihar traded bullets with dance steps and singing songs. Maoists danced to the tune of Bihar folk songs.

The occasion was special. It was the fifth birth anniversary of the banned outfit of Communist Party of India-Maoist.

The group was formed with the merger of the Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) and the People's War Group on September 21, 2004. And since then the group has been carrying out their operations in rural Bihar with renewed strength.

But on Monday (September 21), it was a time to take a break from extortion, killings, hit-and-run attacks, kidnappings and dismantling government infrastructure.

It was a day of celebration.

"Our party was divided in two parts. The other party worked separately for some time but later the two groups merged. We are celebrating the merger because we all are brothers," said Paramjeet, Maoist Commander, said.

Before the merger, both groups were engaged in bloody fights killing many leaders on both sides. By becoming single outfit, the group has emerged as one of the strongest Maoist groups in the country.

"It's a day of happiness. On September 21, 2004 two parties became one. We are dancing to celebrate it. ...We think after joining hands we have become powerful and we achieve our target wherever we go," said Manoj, a Maoist.

There are about 22,000 Maoist combatants across India, who claim they are fighting for the rights of the poor and landless.

The Maoists force poor people to join their ranks and train them in carrying out hit-and-run attacks. The rebels often attack government establishments and extort money from businessmen and government officials to run their network.

Maoists have formally been labeled as a terrorist group by India's federal government which gives security forces more enforcement powers. However, some experts say the ban has not had much impact so far in the battle against thousands of Maoists.

The rebels have spread to more than 180 of the country's 630 districts from just 56 in 2001, according to independent data.

Equipped with automatic weapons, mines and explosives, the Maoists carry out attack and cripple economic activity. Last year they carried out around 1,000 attacks, mostly in remote jungles and villages.