Maoists guarantee safety of Indian trains

The Maoists who allegedly were behind last week’s train crash in India are so adamant about their innocence that they’re now making security guarantees for all trains passing through their territory, the BBC reports:

Comrade Akaash told the BBC that they were "appealing" to the railways to run trains through rebel strongholds even during the night. 

"We are promising total security to all trains. We will not allow anyone to attack any train anywhere in the country and those trying to do it will face stern punishment," he said. 

It’s a powerfully worded statement that ultimately says very little. If, as the rebel leadership claims, the Maoists had no involvement in the attack, then their command over the tactical landscape would appear to be eroding at the hands of rogue elements or even a third party. That would render any Maoist security guarantee absolutely worthless. 

If, on the other hand, the Maoists are simply lying about their non-involvement — there’s good incentive to treat anything they say with skepticism from the start, and the Indian government is reportedly in posession of phone taps that prove the rebels’ responsibility — then the Maoists’ security guarantee offers the group strong political cover for very little cost. There will be no "rogue elements" within the organization to punish, and enforcing the security promise will be as simple as exercising restraint or attacking other targets for a while.