Naxalism in India

Jai Hind everyone, This is Rohit and in this blog we will be discussing about a hot topic related to our national security.

In 2006, then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh named Maoist insurgency as “the single biggest internal-security challenge” the country has ever faced. He would repeat the same warning in the succeeding four years.

Let's  Begin, Red Corridor

Introduction 

Left-wing extremism has been a major threat to India since the 1960s. Many of these militant groups, for many years, had held the mineral-rich lands under their influence. Both the states and Central government, through a series of measures, had significantly improved their presence in the Naxal-infested regions. Currently, these militant groups are only operating in a few isolated regions. However, they still pose a substantial threat to India’s national security.

Rise of Naxalism 

Naxalism emerged out of a peasant revolt in 1967 in the village of Naxalbari, West Bengal. A small farmer was about to cultivate his land when goons on orders of the landlords attacked him. Agitated by the same, other farmers began an assault on the goons to claim their area back.Naxalbari uprising led by Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal, and Jangal Santhal. Their origin can be traced to the Communist Party of India (Marxist) split in 1967, leading to the creation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist).

At that time, India still deployed in its rural parts the land tenancy system introduced by the British government. This system left the farmers with no land. Their oppression and exploitation at the hands of landlords was a common aspect of this system. It is safe to say that some rural areas still incorporate components of this system in their respective agricultural activities. 

The contribution of communist ideologies in the growth of the Naxalite movement turned out to be a significant factor for its strong prevalence. So it becomes essential to understand how communism came into being and influenced a rebellion that gradually spread across the country. 

Communism and Naxalism

Naxalites are the far-left communists. They support Maoism, a belief by Mao Zedong, who believed that peasants should lead the communist revolution and not the industrial workers. Naxalism spread to other states from West Bengal in later years. Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Bihar and Orissa have been its main targets. 

Map 1. Current spread of CPI-Maoist

Naxalism in the North-East

Naxalism in north-eastern states go back to the late 1960s when a few Naxalite groups ran away from West Bengal to Assam due to the fear of prosecution. One such group was that of the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist), led by Kanu Sanyal. It took refuge in Goalpara. 

But before it could expand itself, Kanu Sanyal vanished to escape the police. Another group from the same party, led by Bhaskar Nandy arrived around the same time. He took the responsibility to enlarge the party in Assam and Tripura. But due to the already present regional groups, it could not survive and thus, dissolved in 1972 and split into different factions. 

What are the causes of Naxalism?

Forest mismanagement was one of the main causes of the spread of Naxalism. It originated during the time of British administration when new laws were passed to ensure the monopolisation of the forest resources. Following the globalisation in the 1990s, the situation worsened when the government increased the exploitation of the forest resources. This led the traditional forest dwellers to fight for their aspirations against the government through violence.

Haphazard tribal policy implementation, marginalisation, and displacement of the tribal communities worsened the situation of Naxalism.The increase in the interregional and intraregional differences and inequalities led to people choosing Naxalism. Naxal-groups mostly consist of the poor and the deprived like the anglers, small farmers, daily labourers, etc. The government policies have failed to address this issue.

Lack of industrialisation, poor infrastructure growth and unemployment in rural areas led to disparity among the people living in these areas. This has led to an anti-government mindset among the locals in the isolated villages.

The poor implementation of the land reforms has not yielded the necessary results. India’s agrarian set up is characterised by the absence of proper surveys and other details. Due to this reason, it has greatly damaged the rural economy and anti-government sentiments were high among those who were deprived and exploited by the local landowners.

Forest cover in India is the main area of operation for these groups. The government is facing difficulties while dealing with the insurgents due to the lack of accessibility to these areas.

The unemployed youth in India is one of the major supporters of the Naxalism movement. This group mostly consists of medical and engineering graduates. The universities have become one of the major breeding grounds for radical ideologies.

Funding for the Naxalites

Naxalites require large amounts of money to ensure the smooth functioning of their activities. Such activities mainly include promoting their ideology, recruiting more people and obtaining weapons and ammunition. They generate fundings for the same from various sources-

Members of Naxalite groups are supposed to pay fees for the membership. They resort to threatening the rest of the people to make donations. Refusal to do so leads to the seizure of their properties and other sources of income. Not only people but even corporations are also not spared from their wrath. Naxalites extort taxes from them as well. 

They often indulge in the procurement and sale of drugs. Jharkhand has become a brewing centre for opium plantations over the past few decades. Taking advantage of the same, Naxalites forcing villagers to cultivate opium and sell it for earning money is not uncommon. Cannabis plantations in Orissa is another way of acquiring revenue. 

Many people across India are highly ideologically motivated and sympathize with Maoist politics. Out of that mentality and their support, they pay large sums to Naxalite groups.

Apart from the above, there have been speculations regarding Naxalites having connections with various criminal networks and seeking help from other insurgency groups to sustain themselves.

Ties to the other groups

In the 2000s, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) provided the Naxalites with training and other logistical support. LTTE received refuge from them in return for weapons and other explosives. 

The Indian government blasted the United Liberated Front of Assam (ULFA) for reportedly sneaking drugs and black money through the borders for acquiring weapons from ISI.

Naxalites have also been involved with the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists (CPN-Maoists) to obtain weapons from China.

Naxalites gained moral support in the past from the Coordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA) that provides a platform for discussion to Maoists in the sub-continent. They have also gained assistance from other Naxalite groups in the Philippines, Turkey, Germany, France, Italy etc.

Recommended measures by experts

Experts believe that local police in areas under the Naxalites need appropriate training to combat Naxalism. Joginder Singh, the former CBI director, stated that the government should tackle Naxalism in ways similar to the ones used to control terrorism. 

The former police officer K. Subramaniam said that the police training methods need a reformation to deal with such sensitive social issues.

In 2006, the Planning commission led by D. Bandhopadhyay suggested that land distribution should take place in the manner acceptable to tribals. He also called for a suitable rehabilitation policy.

In a session conducted by the Observer Research Foundation in 2017, famous historian Dr. Dilip Simeon stated the only way to achieve justice for the victims is truth. It is necessary to realise that the government has not yet fully acknowledged the injustice that Naxalites are subjecting people to.

Professor of sociology Dr. Nandini Sundar suggested the initiation of talks between the government and the Naxalites through a third-party mediator. She cited the example of how the Columbian government had appointed committees at the rural level to understand violence in rural areas.

The Administrative Reforms Commission recommends that the government should devise more solutions for cutting off the funds to Naxalites. It will prevent it from further growth. 

How Naxalism Sustain for decades 

The principles of guerrilla warfare

The Communist Party of India (Maoist), a banned organisation, formed an armed wing known as the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) in 2000. 

It adopted the tactics of guerrilla warfare to fulfill its violent activities.

Guerrilla warfare is a non-uniform military action mostly carried out against the traditional armed forces. Guerrilla soldiers use strategies, for example, deception, entrapment, intelligence, sabotage and undercover activities etc. to overthrow their rivals. 

These strategies are usually effective against authoritative regimes. Soldiers attack the other side through long and low-intensity encounters. 

One of the main principles of Guerrilla warfare involves the usage of a small attacking mobile force against a large, inflexible one. Guerrilla soldiers, to a great extent, organise smaller units of attack. Support from the common man is one of the reasons behind their victories.

Steps taken by Government 

Broadly, there are 4 key elements in the Union government’s approach to dealing with the Maoists/Naxalites. These are Security, Public Perception Management, Development, and rehabilitation.

But let’s dive deeper into the policy guidelines used by the government and analyze them under different sub-headings.

👉Intelligence and Networking- The government has set up Multi-Agency Centre (MAC) at the Central level and State Multi-Agency Centre (SMAC) at the state level. These centres have proved to be highly effective in Maoist hotbeds like Jagdalpur and Gaya. Other noteworthy stops include strengthening of State-Intelligence Bureaus(SIBs) in the LWE affected areas. 

👉Deployment of Central Paramilitary Forces– The creation of Central Armed Police Forces(CAPF) to carry out counterinsurgency strategies has been a significant factor to improve the condition. More than 70,000 CAPFs have been deployed in the Naxal-affected states. In addition, the Centre has helped states to raise 14 Specialized Commando Battalion (CoBRA) that are equipped and trained in guerrilla and jungle warfare techniques and deployed to the worst-affected districts.

👉SAMADHAN- The NDA government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, launched ‘SAMADHAN’ in May 2017. The acronym stands for the following: 

S – Smart Leadership,

A – Aggressive Strategy,

M – Motivation and Training,

A – Actionable Intelligence,

D -Dashboard Based KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), and KRAs (Key Result Areas), 

H- Harnessing Technology, 

A – Action plan for each theatre and 

N- No access to Financing.

This policy aims to hit at critical junctures in the Maoist links.

👉Infrastructure Schemes- This scheme provides funds for better mobility, weaponry, vehicles and other critical infrastructure. Under the scheme, some 250 fortified police stations were opened in the LWE affected states. In December 2016, the Union government approved road-connectivity projects in 44 of the worst affected districts allocating a sum of INR 14025 crores.

👉Ban on the CPI(Maoist) and the UAPA Act, 2009- The Central Government in 2009 put a countrywide ban on the CPI(Maoist). Apart from this, the government enacted the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 2009 to put a check on the activities of the Naxalites and providing police and paramilitary forces autonomy and increased powers.

👉Police modernisation scheme

Police modernisation scheme seeks to train the policemen and enhance their capabilities to tackle harmful elements of society. It also helps to reduce the dependence on the army in case of immediate danger.

👉Special infrastructure scheme

The special infrastructure scheme provides easy access to finance for improvements in defence facilities in Naxal-affected areas. The Ministry of Finance allotted Rs.3000 crores to it for the past three years.

Other schemes and some projects include Bharat Nirman, National Rural Health Mission, LWE Mobile Tower Project, LWE Road Connectivity Project, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan to give support to all that are harmed in any way by Naxalites.

These were few of the indicators which define the government’s approach in the naxal affected states. Due to the varied demography and nature of the Maoist and Naxals, ‘One tactic fits all’ would turn out to be a disaster. This is the reason why the government is moving ahead with not just the ‘Law and Order Approach’ but also the ‘Development and Rehabilitation Approach’ which has proved to be equally effective.

Conclusion

Initially, Naxalism started as a rebellion to achieve justice for peasants. But slowly it turned into an opportunity for Naxals to fulfil their selfish demands. They engaged in several illegal activities over the years, causing democratic instability. Although there has been a reduction in its growth, its end is still a distant dream.  

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