New Delhi: As the death toll in the accident involving the Mumbai - bound Jnaneshwari Express near Jhargram in West Midnapore on Friday touched 141 on Sunday (May 30) the question uppermost in the minds of people is how to end the cycle of violence …

One report suggests that a faction of the Maoist-backed Peoples Committee Against Police Atrocities was responsible for the sabotage that derailed the train. A CBI inquiry has been ordered into the mishap to uncover the whole truth.

The event endangering the lives of innocent civilians is bound to further alienate the Maoist groups, which while sympathising with the poor are behaving no different from terrorists. Human rights activists and Civil Society spokespersons like Arundhati Roy, Dr Binayak Sen, have condemned the unleashing of mindless violence on innocent passengers.

Home minister Chidambaram, besides security experts and retired senior police officials had expressed dismay over the tendency of human rights groups to question the legitimacy of the state using its power to quell violence while they refuse to condemn the deliberate violence by the extremists. They feel that civil society, by its misplaced zeal, had in fact weakened the efforts of the state government in battling Maoists.

However much one might sympathise with the lot of the poor in the Naxalite- affected districts of the country, there can be no support to those misguided elements who seek to pursue even desirable goals through crude violence. Violent revolutions had not solved problems in the past and there are numerous examples of such failed attempts. The failure of Soviet communism, the defeat of terrorists in Sri Lanka and Punjab are examples from recent history.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi's strategy of taking development initiatives to redress wrongs at the grassroot-level while dealing 'decisively and forcefully' with acts of terror has been well orchestrated in her recent letter to the party organ, Congress Sandesh, This seemingly contradicted the tougher posture of Chidambaram, who often 'complained of the 'limited mandate' he has in dealing with extremists. He is equally concerned with the alienation, deprivation and sense of injustice prevailing among the tribals; but then if development activities are to make an impact in those areas, or if the grievances are to be removed, violence and insecurity should be ended as well.

The stepped up activities of the Maoists resulting in more and more deaths subsequent to the articulation of the Sonia Gandhi strategy are not likely to lead to any changes in the plans before the Central government. There is, of late, a growing impression that states like Jharkhand are not playing their roles effectively in checking violence at the local level.

Having opted for a democratic form of government, there can also be no sympathy from any quarters for the Maoist goal of seizing power through an armed struggle in the country by 2050. Democracy may not be a foolproof system to ensure equality, justice and all round prosperity, but the people through their sovereign will had opted for that system after winning independence from the British.

The latest instance of Maoist terror highlights the enormity of the problem and a government invested by the people with the duty of maintaining law and order can not but take serious measures to put down those who seek to disturb the peace. The BJP has already accused the government of lacking in will power to deal with the serious problem.

The Maoists must understand that if they are concerned with the lot of the poor and the oppressed, they must find means other than violence to realize their cause. In the cycle of violence caused by their conflict with the governments, the innocents become the victims. No one gains through mindless violence. They must be willing to talk to the government, if they earnestly hope to help the poor on whose behalf they claim to have taken up the gun.

As Martin Luther King Jr stated long ago hatred cannot drive out hatred. Efforts must be made to strike at the root of hatred by starting a dialogue between the government and the extremists through mutual friends. Men of goodwill and peace activists should strive to bring the conflicting parties to the conference table to eliminate mutual suspicion and promoting understanding. While doing so it must be made clear that extremists have no right to disturb the peace and cause trouble to the lawfully elected government of the people.

Meanwhile the Bengal Christian Council (BCC) has condemned the Maoist attack on Mumbai-bound Express train.

The BCC consists of the CNI, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Salvation Army churches in that region. Several other religious organizations have also come out against the violent attacks.

'Those who take the sword shall perish by the sword.' This scriptural truth remains an eternal principle written into the constitution of this world. Peace activists and Christian groups must play active role in bringing about the awareness in society that violence in any form doesn't pay and will only halt the march towards progress.

Christians need also to pray for a change of heart in the peoples and leaders in the nation so that they come to recognize the need to eschew violence and work towards peace with all possible means. This is a battle against the powers of darkness as well.