Authorities in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh say two international aid agencies are helping Maoist insurgents in the area, BBC online reports Friday.
A senior police official said Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF = Læger uden Grænser)) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) were “facilitating” treatment of rebels. Both NGOs have denied the allegations.
The rebels are believed to be active in more than two-thirds of the country. They say they are fighting for the rights of the rural poor.
Chhattisgarh police official SRP Kolluri said two rebels arrested with medicines worth 6.000 US dollar from a local pharmacy had said they were being treated by “people from MSF and ICRC”.
MSF has been working in Chhattisgarh since 2006. MSF’s India head Martin Sloot said the NGO offers medical support to people who have limited access to healthcare, with support from the Chhattisgarh government.
– MSF is a neutral, independent medi-cal organisation we are not supporting any of the actors involved in the conflict, he said.
ICRC’s communications officer, Surinder Oberoi, said the allegation was “baseless”.
A government offensive against the rebels began last October involving 50.000 troops across five states – West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and Chhattisgarh.
