Revision as of 06:33, 28 May 2015

Security personnel casualties (left); IEDs recovered (right). Source The Times of India

Sources

i) Left Wing Extremism in India

By P V Ramana

Observer Research Foundation18 December 2003

"Left-wing Extremism in India", is a chapter in Dipankar Sengupta (ed), Terrorism in South Asia , New Delhi: Author's Press, 2004.

ii) The A to Z of Naxal fight: All about the movement, its goal and its leaders

TheEconomicTimes

ET Bureau Jun 5, 2013

iii) Jharkhand records highest Naxal violence this year

Bharti Jain, TNN Apr 20, 2013

The Times of India

iv) Left-wing extremism has killed 14,869 people since 1980

Bharti Jain, TNN Oct 22, 2013

The Times of India

History

Xinhai Revolution

Also known as the Revolution of 1911, or the Chinese Revolution, that overthrew China's last imperial dynasty, the Qing Dynasty, and established the Republic of China.

Mao Tse Tung

Established the Chinese People's Republic. Maoism, formally known as Mao Zedong Thought, is a political theory derived from his teachings. Maoism sees the agrarian peasantry, rather than the working class, as the key revolutionary force which can fundamentally transform capitalist society towards socialism

Telangana Struggle

By July 1948, 2,500 villages in the south were organised into 'communes' as part of a peasant movement. Simultaneously the famous Andhra Thesis for the first time demanded that 'Indian revolution' follow the Chinese path of protracted people's war.

Andhra Pradesh

Violent Left wing extremism began in Naxalbari, Bengal, but the modern-day Maoist agitation finds its roots in AP, once the epicentre of the movement - at its peak 23 out of the 26 districts were Maoist-affected. Even today, a bulk of its top leaders is from the state. However, Maoist violence has ebbed

Fifth and Ninth

Schedules of the Constitution provide for a limited form of autonomy to tribals with regard to exploiting natural resources on their lands. But this did not happen in practice

Void Created

by the failure of government in tribal areas was exploited by the Maoists initially

Dandakaranya

The 'jungle of punishment' of Ramayana lore is where Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra meet up. The forest is the epicenter of the Maoist movement Dantewada Ambush: On April 6,2010, Maoists killed 76 CRPF men

Bastar

Once India's biggest district, it was later divided into Bastar, Dandewata and Kanker. Today, the greater Bastar region, with about 70% ST population, is a hotbed of Maoists. Bhumkal Rebellion: The tribal uprising against the British in 1910 still inspires the Maoists

Ideology

The objective of the Naxalites is to wage an armed revolution, modeled on the lines of the Chinese Revolution, which they call New Democratic Revolution (NDR), and usher in their own form of government

Historic Eight

monographs authored by Charu Majumdar that outline the ideological principles on which the Naxalite militant communist movement in India was based

Eka Nakshalwadya

Cha Janma, (The birth of a Naxal), a Marathi novel written by Vilas Balkrishna Manohar is a fictional account of a Madia Gond Juru's unwilling journey of life, his metamorphosis from an exploited nameless tribal to a Naxal.

Leaders

Charu Majumdar

The founder of Naxalbari peasant uprising in 1967, who is up there in the ultra-left pantheon along with Lenin, Stalin & Mao. Died in a police lock-up, aged 54, in Kolkata in 1972 CCOMPOSA: The Co-ordination Ccommittee for all Maoist Groupings in South Asia, including Nepal's ruling party

Kondapalli Seetharamaiah

Joined CPI at a young age, he was active in the Telengana rebellion. He formed the People's War Group Kishenji: Mallojula Koteswara Rao, aka Kishenji, was considered the face of the Maoist movement in India. He was killed in Nov 2011 by security forces

Laxman Rao, Mupalla

aka Ganapathy

He was one of the early members of CPI (ML) PWG. Is now the general secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), formed after the merger of PWG and Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) in 2004

People's Liberation Guerilla Army

It was founded in December 2000 as the People's Guerrilla Army by the PWG. Later, It changed its name to PLGA when CPI (Maoist) was formed in 2004

Women

form 40% of cadre, according to CPI (M) in 2010

Left-wing extremists

Groups in India

There are more than 30 Left-wing extremist groups in operation in India. Some of them have consistently followed a violent agenda, rejecting parliamentary politics. Some others have been participating in the democratic processes with considerable success, while some maintain underground cadres, but also participate in parliamentary politics.

The most lethal extreme-left rebel outfit in India is the Communist Party of India--Marxist-Leninist People's War, in short People's War (PW). Prior to the merger between the People's War and the Bihar-based Party Unity (PU), the People's War was known as People's War Group (PWG) 3 . Another is the Maoist Communist Center (MCC). Both these groups follow a violent agenda and have rejected parliamentary politics.

The Communist Party of India--Marxist-Leninist Liberation, in short Liberation, is the most well-known over-ground Naxalite group that has successfully participated in parliamentary politics. The Communist Party of India--Marxist-Leninist Janasakthi, in short Janasakthi, is another Naxalite outfit. It maintains under ground cadres, as well as participates in democratic processes. There are a host of other Naxalite groups in India that are less prominent 4 .

The Government's response

Integrated Action Plan

GoI's ambitious plan to develop 60 Maoist districts; aimed at quick resolution of problems concerning healthcare, drinking water, education and roads. Launched in 2010, but yet to create any solid impact

Greyhound Forces

The AP state police commando force raised in 1986 that's credited with decimating the Maoist movement in the state. Greyhound veterans routinely train anti-Maoist wings of other affected state police forces.

Unlawful Activities

Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) slapped on CPI (Maoist) designating it as a terrorist organization in 2009

Operation Green Hunt

The operation began in November 2009 in five states. However, this term was actually coined by the Chhattisgarh police officials to describe one successful drive against the CPI (M) in the state

YSR

YS Rajasekhar Reddy was seen as the main force that drove out Maoists from AP. The Greyhound squad was the most effective under YSR (2005-06).

Salwa Judum

Was a civilian militia mobilised and deployed as part of anti-insurgency operations in Chhattisgarh, India, aimed at countering Naxalite violence in the region. SC declared militia illegal and unconstitutional and ordered its disbanding

Surrender and Rehabilitation

A critical dimension of the problem of Left-wing extremism is the Government's policy of encouraging surrenders by Naxalites and rehabilitating them. In Andhra Pradesh, a surrendering cadre is given a sum of INR 5,000 at the time of the surrender and subsequently each of them is eligible to receive an amount of INR 500,000 to pursue an avocation of his or her choice and, thus, lead a peaceful life.

Areas of influence

Zones

Certain districts in Naxal-affected areas are "liberated zones", according to union minister Jairam Ramesh

According to a Union Home Ministry report, 53 districts in nine States in India are affected by the menace of Left-wing extremist violence as in 2003 . On an examination of reports in the English language media, evidently, there is an expansion in the presence of the Naxalites in different parts of the country. This is especially true of the PWG and the MCC.

MCC has gained a presence in parts of north Jharkhand, western areas of West Bengal bordering Bihar, and northern Orissa.

The activities of the PWG have been on the rise in Chhattisgarh, and in many areas in southern and northern Orissa, southern West Bengal, and in Andhra Pradesh--in the areas on the fringes of Nallamala forests, and in Palanadu in Guntur and in north coastal regions. Further, media reports indicate that the PWG is gradually entering into parts of Karnataka on the borders with Andhra Pradesh. Not only this, some radical elements, or Naxalites, who are believed to be linked to Andhra Pradesh-based cadres of the PWG, had been arrested while another was killed by the police in Tamil Nadu, in November 2002 . Further, Left-wing extremists have a presence in the lobe-like area in south-southeast Uttar Pradesh, which lies in close physical proximity to areas in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar.

Of all the Left-wing extremist groups, the PWG has the largest presence, in different parts of the country. At the present, the rebels claim that they have established seven guerrilla zones of domination, four in Andhra Pradesh, where the group was originally founded on April 22, 1980, one in Bihar, one in parts of Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border, and the other in the Dandakaranya forest in central India 7 . Further, the PWG has a State Committee to over see its activities in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Haryana and Punjab. The MCC has, in the year 2003, acquired a new presence in Punjab after a little known Naxalite group, the Revolutionary Communist Center of India--RCCI (M), merged with it

Jungalmahal

Maoist-affected region in south-west Bengal, consisting of large parts of 3 districts, West Midnapore , Bankura and Purulia. Home to a sizeable tribal population; moreover, hilly topography makes region ideal for guerilla operations.

Red Corridor

Naxal-affected area covering in AP, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, MP, Orissa, UP and West Bengal. Region is market by poverty, high illiteracy and lack of employment. Primary economic activity in the mineral rich area is agriculture

Activities

Murders

Naxalites have killed political leaders belonging to various levels and have, on occasion, apologized terming the killing a 'mistake'. For instance, the PWG Naxalites had shot dead in cold blood a former Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh State Legislative Assembly, Duddilla Sripada Rao 9 , and a serving Legislator of the same Legislature, who belonged to the tribal community, Ragya Nayak 10 . Subsequently, they had apologized for their mindless act

Abductions

The Naxalites' abduction attempts had on some other occasions brought them 'rich dividends'. Way back in 1987, on December 27, they had boldly abducted a group of Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers in the forest area in East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, and set them free in exchange for their colleagues detained at the Central Prison in Rajahmundry, a few days later.

Extortion

The amounts the Naxalite groups earn through extortion are phenomenal. In Andhra Pradesh alone the PWG, according to one rough estimate, earns seven hundred million rupees annually; the PWG is active in nine States in India. Furthermore, there are 19 Left-wing extremist groups operating in Andhra Pradesh. Another report held that the MCC earns one billion rupees annually in Bihar alone. Extortion appears to be the primary motto of existence for the lesser known Naxalite groups. During the season in which tendu (similar to tobacco) leaf is plucked, all these groups move to the areas where the leaf is grown and plucked and implement strong arm methods to extort money from the contractors.

Violence/ Casualties

Killings 1980-2013

Left-wing extremism has killed 14,869 people since 1980

Bharti Jain, TNN Oct 22, 2013

The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Left-wing extremism, which afflicts several states, has killed a whopping 14,689 people, including 11,742 civilians and 2,947 security personnel, since 1980.

However, the 4,638 fatal casualties on the Naxalites' side were just one-third of the killings carried out by them over the last three decades.

The silver lining, however, is that the trends of Naxal violence are showing a steady decline in killings since 2010. As many as 198 civilians were done to death by Maoists in 2013 (until September 30), far lower than the 300 civilian killings during 2012.

Even the security personnel were better off in 2013, recording 88 fatal casualties as compared to 114 in 2012.

The number of Naxalites neutralized too fell from 74 last year to 52 until end of this September.

Maximum security personnel (317) were killed in 2009, while 2010, with 720 civilian killings, was the worst year for civilians.

Naxalites bore the brunt of counter-killings by the security forces in 1998, losing 296 cadres that year.

A major turnaround in Naxal violence was seen in the year 2001, when security personnel killings increased from a two-digit figure to three-digit figure.

Civilian killings witnessed a major jump in the year 1990 and have fallen from a high of 720 in 2010 to 198 till September 30 this year.

Though the Naxalites carried out a major attack in Darbha Ghati, Chhattisgarh, in May 2013, targeting a Congres convoy and killing at least three top party leaders and two dozen others, there has been a lull in their activities of late.

Officials say such a lull is not unusual during monsoon. However, with the poll scene hotting up in Chhattisgarh, the CPI(Maoist) is reportedly campaigning in the Bastar region asking the local tribals to boycott the election.

The Union home ministry fears landmine attacks, targeting of polling parties and Central para-military personnel as they access polling booths in Naxal-infested interiors, and firing attacks on choppers ahead of and during the first phase of polling in Chhattisgarh scheduled for November 11. All Maoist-hit areas are going to polls during this phase.

2012/ Early 2013

Jharkhand records highest Naxal violence this year

Bharti Jain, TNN Apr 20, 2013

The Times of India

NEW DELHI: Jharkhand not only fared as the state with the highest incidence of Naxal violence in the first quarter of this year, but it also further consolidated its lead over Chhattisgarh with twice the incidents and thrice the deaths reported by the latter.

According to the latest statistics of Red terror compiled by the Union home ministry, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar together account for over 80% of Left-wing extremist violence across the country. Odisha has shown a significant decline in Red terror, while West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh reported nil/negligible violence.

The total number of incidents relating to Naxalism fell to 272 (until March 31, 2013) from 417 in the corresponding period of 2012, and deaths to 89 as compared to 120 in the first quarter of last year. However, the share of Jharkhand in the nationwide Naxal violence is a worrying trend. The state, which has been under the President's rule since January, accounted for over 40% of the countrywide incidents and over 58% of the deaths in the first three months of this year.

Chhattisgarh, which was the worst-hit state in terms of Red terror until Jharkhand overtook it in 2011, recorded 59 incidents and 14 deaths in first quarter of this year — down from 91 incidents and 17 deaths in the corresponding period of last year. The figures for Chhattisgarh are far lower than those in Jharkhand, which reported 118 incidents and 52 deaths between January and March, 2013.

Of the 52 people who died due to Naxal violence in Jharkhand, 37 were civilians (of which 14 were killed after being branded 'police informers') and 25 from the security forces. Though the figures are lower this year as compared to 2012, Chhattisgarh showed higher civilian killings (up from 6 to12).

However, to give the counter-Naxal forces credit, killings of Maoists by the security forces rose to 18 in the first quarter of 2013 from 14 in the corresponding period of last year. Of these, most Naxalite killings were in Chhattisgarh (8); followed by Maharashtra (6) and Jharkhand (3).

Arrests of Naxalites were up from 107 to 120 in Jharkhand, from 52 to 82 ( Andhra Pradesh) and from 83 to 100 (Chhattisgarh). While arms snatching dipped to five in the first three months of 2013 from 26 in the corresponding period of last year, arms recoveries rose from 149 to 167, of which 60 were from Jharkhand alone.

Nationwide police encounters with Naxalites rose to 55 — from 46 last year — till March 31.

1980-2014:death toll

The Times of India

Jan 22 2015

12,062 have been killed in Naxal violence since 1980: RTI

Sandeep Rai

In reply to an RTI query, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) has revealed that a total of 12,062 civilians have been killed in Naxal violence till now since 1980. The detail was given in reply to a question filed under RTI (Right to Information) rules by a Meerut-based activist. Interestingly, when the Naxalite movement began in India, only three states were involved -Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and West Bengal. But by 2014, eight states had got dragged into it.

While in 1980, 70 people had died in the violence, in 2010 the number was a far higher 720.The reply also mentions that 3,078 security personnel were injured in Naxal-related violence in the last 34 years. MHA, however, did not disclose the actual number of security personnel dead in the same period.

Lokesh Khurana, who had filed the RTI query on December 4, 2014, had asked for information on 10 points. “I had asked information on various points that included the number of citizens killed in the last 34 years, number of security personnel killed, administrative efforts made to restrain Naxalites, reasons for the rise and spread of the Naxalite movement, the annual expenditure incurred on security measures and operations in Naxalite-affected areas. The ministry only gave the details on the number of civilian deaths and security personnel injured.”

2015: Kerala HC

The Times of India

Sudha Nambudiri

May 22, 2015

Person can’t be taken into custody just because he is a Maoist, Kerala HC rules

Justice AM Muhammed Mushtaq said that a Maoist can be arrested and put behind the bars only if he or she indulges in unlawful or anti-national activities..

In a significant development, the Kerala high court made it clear that a Maoist cannot be taken into police custody just because of his political leanings.

Justice A M Muhammed Mushtaq, in his order on Friday, said that a Maoist can be arrested and put behind bars only if he or she indulges in unlawful or anti-national activities.

"Being a Maoist is no crime, though the political ideology of Maoists would not synchronise with our constitutional polity. It is a basic human right to think in terms of human aspirations," Justice Mushtaq said in his order.

The court was hearing a petition filed by Shyam Balakrishnan of Wayanad stating that he was arrested and harassed by the Thunderbolt team -- a special police unit - for alleged Maoist links. The court ordered a compensation of Rs one lakh for the petitioner and also asked to state to pay litigation costs of Rs 10, 000.

The court said that the state police had violated the liberty of the petitioner by taking him into custody without verifying whether the petitioner had been involved in any offence. The order cited various Supreme Court precedents on the matter. In State Of Kerala vs Raneef, the SC observed, "In the present case there is no evidence as yet to prove that the PFI (Popular Front of India) is a terrorist organization, and hence the respondent cannot be penalized merely for belonging to the PFI. Moreover, even assuming that the PFI is an illegal organization, we have yet to consider whether all members of the organization can be automatically held to be guilty.

Balakrishnan, incidentally the son a former HC judge, had submitted that the police took him into custody and conducted an illegal search in his house. He termed the police action as infringement of fundamental rights and sought a directive to the state government to initiate disciplinary action against the DySP of Mananthavadi and sub-inspector of Vellamunda police station.

However, the court declined to issue such a directive. "If the individual or organisation abhors and resorts to physical violence, law agency can prevent or take action against individuals or organisations," the order said. The court added that the petitioner could approach the police complaint authority for action against the cops.

In its submission, the state government said that it had taken steps to prevent illegal activities of the Maoist group who were active in the forest area within Vellamunda police station limits.

Welcoming the order, human rights activists Jaison C Cooper and Thushar Nirmal Sarathy, who were arrested under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and were in jail for 47 days, said that it will help raise awareness among citizens on human rights. "However, there have been several judgments by the Supreme Court and high courts on these lines, yet the violations have continued. Ideally, in this case, the compensation should have been collected from the police personnel who violated the law rather than from the public exchequer," Jaison warned.

Thushar said that the police force in the country and the state have been indulging in human rights violations in the name of such links. "While there is no cause for rejoicing, we can always hope for something better."

Noted activist and president of Anweshi, K Ajitha also welcomed the order, and said that just because a person finds a political ideology interesting or agrees with certain principles of Maoist ideology, he or she cannot be termed a criminal. "There are a lot of people in society who might agree with the stand taken by the Naxals or Maoists as they might find that it was done for the weaker sections or for the larger good," she said.

Continued Appeal

In spite of their violent activities, their dogmatic, declared antipathy towards religion, rejection of parliamentary politics and an avowed commitment to armed struggle, the Naxalites enjoy sympathy and support among sections of the people probably because they are seen as 'performing' the duties that should originally have been carried out by the 'welfare state'. In that sense, they apparently have replaced the state, and for the people they, thus, become the 'deliverers', where as the state is seen as having neglected and had, in a way, been partially responsible for their continued deprivation.

Naxalite-Politician Nexus

On the other hand, the Naxalites have established linkages with political leaders. On conditions of anonymity, one senior police official accepted the fact in an interview with this author, but declined to name some such leaders. These leaders could belong to various levels. The Naxalites and the political leaders take advantage of another and hence maintain linkages.

External Linkages

The Naxalites have fraternal ties among themselves in India and with other groups in some other parts of the world. Broadly, these could be classified as internal, regional and extra-regional. The internal ties are more in terms of defining regions of activities, where by through a range of informal understandings the various Naxalite groups have divided the 'turf' among themselves

The Maoist insurgents of Nepal, who have been waging a 'people's war' since 1996 and whose chief demand is turning the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal into a Republic, have been making a relentless effort to bring closer the PWG and the MCC.

NDA: Integrated Action Plan (IAP)

India Today

Districts affected by naxal violence in India, India Today

Naxal violence: 2009-2014, India Today

NDA's new anti-Naxal doctrine promises to deal with violence more effectively

Rahul Tripathi

October 16, 2014

The Narendra Modi Government has formulated a new anti-Naxal policy that will place greater weight on achieving "short-term goals" in the fight against left-wing extremism, marking a sharp departure from the UPA government's approach to the red corridor.

The NDA's anti-Naxal doctrine, accessed by India Today contrasts with the long-term anti-Naxal strategy championed by influential sections of the previous UPA government which advocated solutions through land reforms and by implementing the Panchayat (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA).

Home Minister Rajnath Singh's new policy focuses on the 23 worst-hit districts among the 88 left-wing extremism-affected areas. The Government is hoping to attract its best talent to serve in these troubled areas, with the policy offering new incentives for officials."The state governments will post the most competent District Collectors, SPs and sub-divisional officers and Station House Officers for fixed terms of three years," the policy states. "As an incentive, they will be assured of a posting of their choice and given extra allowances, exposure visits abroad and central deputation." Under the UPA, the anti-Naxal policy was largely focused on four states- Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Odisha-comprising 50 districts.

Another key change being made by the NDA Government is on implementing the Integrated Action Plan (IAP), a major anti-Naxal initiative that was being run by the Planning Commission. The new plan does away with the earlier district-wise approach to development, instead focusing on lower-level blocks to implement schemes. This is aimed at reversing a trend wherein large swathes of worst-affected zones remained undeveloped.

Reaching out to the adivasis

Singh told India Today that the plan will do more to bring adivasis into the mainstream. He has outlined a strategy of giving more recognition to adivasi icons, for instance, by naming airports and roads after them and celebrating their anniversaries.

Adivasi outreach will be a central theme in the policy, he said, through increased monetary support from state governments for celebrating adivasi festivals and the setting up of dedicated museums and cultural centres. The policy will also open up recruitment in central police forces for tribals, declaring that "tribal youths who meet the eligibility criteria should not be barred from being recruited in the general category provided they meet the other prescribed benchmarks". Under the UPA regime, many cases of recruitment of tribal youth in central forces were rejected on various grounds."It is a balanced approach where on the one hand our effort is to bring the adivasi into the mainstream and on the other, to strictly deal with those who indulge in violence," Singh said.

The new development plan will identify three to four locations in each of the worst-affected districts, proposing setting up of development hubs. There are plans to speed up construction of roads in affected areas by boosting a dedicated security cover for critical stretches. The plan will also expedite the creation of an engineering wing in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the lead counterinsurgency force in these areas.

Under the UPA regime's road-requirement plan, only 3,200 km out of 5,477 km were completed in the first phase, while in the second phase, construction was hampered by a paucity of funds, according to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways and the Planning Commission. The cost of building 5,600 km of roads and 48 bridges under the second phase was estimated at Rs.9,500 crore. The NDA plans to sanction this amount.

The new doctrine also envisages the setting up of a core group of ministers at the central level as an oversight mechanism. The group will have Singh as the chairperson, with Finance, Tribal, Rural Development, Panchayati Raj and Environment and Forest Ministers as members. Chief Ministers of 10 left-wing extremism affected states will be special invitees.

But if the NDA's new anti-Naxal plan is to succeed, many challenges have to be overcome first. Security personnel in affected areas say police stations remain ill-equipped. Even the most basic intelligence, such as dossiers on Maoist cadres active in a particular area, is not made available in many stations. In some districts, the police-to-population ratio is below the desired level. The police forces are also not adequately trained.