Sanjeev Nayyar spent 12 days in Bastar in Dec 12. To read about his experiences -http://www.rediff.com/news/
Maoists ambush Congress Leaders Convoy by Lt Gen Prakash Katoch in IDR 27/5/13
The last Saturday (25th May) Maoist ambush of the convoy of Congressmen in Chhattisgarh is being described as a wakeup call in view of forthcoming elections, the term of the present State Government coming to an end in January 2014. The logic portrayed is that the Maoists are re-asserting themselves because of their dwindling numbers. There are some calls to also bring them onto to the discussion table.
There is furore because this time it is the politicians that have been targeted instead of the usual security forces that ironically had many more killed in individual encounters without similar commotion, one example being the Dantewada massacre of April 2010 with 76 CRPF personnel killed.
There is furore because this time it is the politicians that have been targeted instead of the usual security forces that ironically had many more killed in individual encounters without similar commotion, one example being the Dantewada massacre of April 2010 with 76 CRPF personnel killed. Those in the game of drawing political mileage at any opportunity are calling for imposition of President’s rule, as if that is the panacea for dealing with the Maoists insurgency.
Whether targeted killing of politicians will indeed goad the government to get its act together is a matter of conjecture though many in the civvy street feel that had the terrorists actually got inside the Parliament during the 2001 Parliament attack and targeted some politicians, perhaps the government would have geared up better for counter-terrorism including enacting appropriate anti-terror laws and ensured speedy justice.
Despite the Prime Minister repeating over the past six years that the Maoist insurgency is the biggest threat to internal security, we really do not have a cohesive counter policy in place. When Alex Paul Menon, Sukma District Collector was kidnapped and held hostage in April 2012, we were groping around for a hostage rescue policy, which axiomatically has not yet been announced. The systemic Constitutional flaw of dealing with the Maoist insurgency under ‘Law and Order’ being a ‘State Subject’ has not been rectified despite the spread of this menace over 16 States. Why a simple Constitutional amendment for bringing insurgencies and terrorism under the Centre cannot be enacted remains mystery. As a result, the response has been shoddy in simply raising more and more CAPF (Central Armed Police Force) battalions and dishing them out to States. Even in the instant case, the Prime Minister has said he is prepared to give more such security forces.
A major flaw remains in that the politico-socio-economic aspects of the problem remain unaddressed and any amount of ‘Operation Green Hunts’ by themselves amount to peripheral response. Despite much publicity, issues like of land and forest rights (including share of produce and minerals) have not been resolved. Government’s poverty alleviation schemes reach ground levels in miniscule form or not at all because of rampant corruption. Same is the case of development, where despite publicizing large financial allocations, even basic amenities like drinking water, roads, electricity, healthcare, nutrition and education are not being provided albeit much of it is in place on paper. Little wonder that inside the Dandkaranya Forest, the Maoists are only permitting schools to be run by the Ramakrishna Mission. Government’s ‘Food Security Bill’ is considered another avenue for massive scams considering funds to help farmers facing famines are diverted elsewhere and the hapless farmers continue to resort to suicides.
“Europeans believe that Indian leaders in politics and business are so blissfully blinded by the new, sometimes ill-gotten, wealth and deceit that they are living in defiance, insolence and denial to comprehend that the day will come, sooner than later, when the have-nots would hit the streets.”
Tall promises and façade of ameliorating problems of the poor close to elections is unlikely to work in the current age, as transparency of governance or lack of it will continue to be on the rise through information technology, media or even by word of mouth from those who have access to these – to those deprived. The game of suggesting bringing Maoists to the discussion table only because of elections in near future after years of neglect can be seen through, and unlikely to work. Mohan Murti, former Europe Director CII (Confederation of Indian Industries) had this to say post attending a seminar in Europe, “Europeans believe that Indian leaders in politics and business are so blissfully blinded by the new, sometimes ill-gotten, wealth and deceit that they are living in defiance, insolence and denial to comprehend that the day will come, sooner than later, when the have-nots would hit the streets.” In a way, it seems to have already started with the monstrous and grotesque acts of the Maoists. And, when that rot occurs, not one political turncoat will escape being lynched.” Government would do well to take this seriously. The Maoists have already stated last year that they intend to infiltrate into the personal security of political leaders at the States and Centre level and they along with organizations like the PFI (Popular Front of India) have already made their presence felt in urban areas including Delhi and NCR.
The Maoist insurgency must be handled centrally with a 24 x 7 operations room in the Ministry of Home Affairs.
There can be no shortcut but to make a holistic appraisal and evolve a central policy addressing the politico-socio-economic aspects of the problem without neglecting the ‘secessionist’ angle. Military solution is not the key and the Centre of Gravity is and will always remain the population. It is important to launch synergized simultaneous operations on the socio- political-economic, moral and physical planes rallying local population against Maoists organization and activities, destroying insurgents and blending development and education to ensure legitimate government rule. The Maoist insurgency must be handled centrally with a 24 x 7 operations room in the Ministry of Home Affairs. An all party meeting must fine tune the policy and accelerate establishment of the NATGRID and NCTC. Latter is an emergent requirement though the government will need to build safeguards for not misusing it and convince the States considering the allegations of misuse of CBI. The States must simultaneously establish STCTs connected to the NCTC for two way flow of real time intelligence. Unified HQ (UHQ) must be established at State and District levels combining Command and Intelligence functions, integrating CAPF and Police units plus government and civil entities trained, dedicated and resourced to establish security, development and rule of law.
Most importantly, it will be naïve to get carried away by the ‘dwindling numbers’ theory of Maoists being propagated. They have collusive support of China-Pakistan who are arming and supporting them. LeT (proxy arm of ISI) has been attending Maoists meetings. China has provided sophisticated arms and arms manufacturing capabilities to Maoists already. Despite close political, economic and military relations with Myanmar, China has been supplying the United State Wa Army (headquartered in Shan Province and the most potent insurgent organization controlling the drug trade in Myanmar) assault rifles, machine guns, rocket launchers, anti-tank weapons, shoulder fired air defence missiles, armoured troop carrying, but more significantly in February-March this year two Mi-17 medium transport helicopters armed with TY-90 air-to-air missiles with three more to follow. We need to be prepared for more mayhem including abduction and killings of politicians, and perhaps shooting down of aircraft and mini weapons of mass destruction like Uranium IEDs or radiological threats. This is not the time for political mudslinging. It is time for holistic appraisal and synergized action.Published: May 28, 2013 14:03 IST | Updated: May 28, 2013 14:53 IST
Bastar attack aimed at 'punishing' Patel, Karma
APAn unidentified man stands near the crater created on the road after Saturday’s Maoist attack on a Congress motorcade in Bastar, about 345 km south of Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Claiming responsibility for the deadly attack on a Congress convoy, Maoists on Tuesday said their main objective was to “punish” senior party leaders including Nand Kumar Patel and Mahendra Karma for their “anti-people” policies.
The Naxals said they also wanted to avenge atrocities on innocent villagers and tribal women during ‘Salwa Judum’ (anti-Naxal vigilante movement).
In a release to the media, spokesperson of Dandkaranya Vishesh Zonal Committee Gudsa Usendi held both BJP and Congress responsible for “anti-people policies and hence senior politicians were targeted.”
The letter categorically states that Karma, Patel and some others were the “main targets” of the attack.
The Maoists blamed Patel for deploying paramilitary forces in Bastar for conducting anti-Naxal operations when he served as the state home minister. V.C. Shukla, who served as Union Cabinet minister for long time, is also the “enemy of the common man”, the letter said. Mr. Shukla was seriously injured in the attack.
“The purpose was to punish Mahendra Karma who had launched the anti-Naxal armed movement Salwa Judum and some other Congress leaders,” the letter said quoting Usendi.
The letter further states that “during Salwa Judum, hundreds of tribal women were (allegedly) gang-raped and several innocent villagers were killed.”
“Through this attack, we have taken their revenge,” it added.
Naxalites expressed “regret” for killing some “innocent” people including low profile Congress functionaries, drivers and helpers in the attack.
The Maoists also made several demands in the letter, calling for withdrawal of paramilitary forces from Dandakaranya and release of innocent tribals from prisons.
Heavily armed Maoists ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district on Saturday, killing 27 people including Patel, Karma and ex-MLA Uday Mudliyar besides leaving 36 others injured.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/bastar-attack-aimed-at-punishing-patel-karma/article4759237.ece?homepage=true
LET GUNS DO THE TALKING
Tuesday, 28 May 2013 | Chandan Mitra
Maoists have dealt a severe body blow to India's democratic polity and cherished value systems. They have not only brutally killed a national hero like Mahendra Karma and 28 others in Bastar, but have also openly challenged Indian society as a whole.
They want the country to raise the white flag of surrender and genuflect before their diabolical ambition to convert India into a gigantic Gulag where only their diktat runs. Having failed to win popular support except in certain pockets (that too only through terror, extortion, torture and kangaroo courts), they have now unleashed a war on democracy and civil society. The object of their dastardly ambush in the Dharba Valley was not only to eliminate top leaders of the Congress party in Chhattisgarh, particularly Mahendra Karma, but also scare away political activists from an area where they believe only their writ should run. With elections approaching in that State, the Maoists want to create an atmosphere of fear to prevent politicians to approach the electorate and eventually derail the democratic process itself by preventing voters from exercising their franchise. Terrorists of various hues have tried similar tactics in the past. Pakistan-sponsored separatists in Jammu & Kashmir are still pursuing the same objective but the people of the State have firmly rebuffed such attempts. So, no doubt, will the people of Chhattisgarh resoundingly reject the Maoist endeavour.
Some sections of Indian public opinion, however, continue to live in the delusion that it is possible to sit down across the table with a tiger and conduct negotiations so that it agrees to part with its skin. Maoists openly flout their ideological mentor's deranged dictum that power flows only out of the barrel of the gun. But since they will listen to no other logic, it is the gun and gun alone which must do the talking with them. Those who do not believe in democracy; reject the Constitution and seek to overthrow the legally established political order through a violent uprising cannot be extended constitutional courtesies. The scourge they represent must be eliminated through the same surgical and ruthless methods that they employ in the bid to derail Indian society. Just as war is sometimes necessary for peace, undemocratic methods need to be adopted on occasion, if only to re-establish the rule of law and democratic authority.
However, there is little to be said in defence of the laxity demonstrated by our security forces in Naxal-infested areas. Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), repeatedly issued by the authorities are routinely breached, while under-equipped, under-staffed and under-trained forces become sitting ducks for a determined bunch of mass murderers. In Sukma, the district where the macabre death dance happened last Saturday, Maoists had ambushed and killed 74 CRPF jawans barely a year ago. No lessons seem to have been learnt from that incident and several others that happened since.
As most Maoist outrages take place in remote villages tucked away inside dense forests, involving ordinary impoverished villagers or security forces staffed by men from underprivileged sections of society, urban opinion makers continue to live in a make-believe world, convinced their comfortable existence cannot be dented by a rag-tag tribal band of misguided elements. In fact, large numbers of these so-called opinion-makers claim we need to go into the "root cause" of the problem rather than treat it as a law-and-order issue. While there is no denying that people living in large parts of Central India, especially tribals inhabiting its forests live in abject poverty and under-development even 66 years after Independence, the fact is that they are being mobilised by a bunch of anti-national rogues to serve their own diabolical ends. Possessed with a perverted mindset this group of urbanised "leaders" are determined to prevent development reaching these remote parts. They want to keep the tribals in bondage of poverty, illiteracy and isolation forever so they serve as cannon fodder to their mad bloodlust. Therefore, it must be realised that without physically breaking the back of the terrorists through superior force, the Indian state cannot regain control and re-induct local people into the mainstream.
It was with this aim in mind that the Salwa Judum movement was initiated by leaders like Mahendra Karma of the Congress which received full support from the BJP-led State Government. Just when this mass movement was on the verge of emerging as a powerful counter to the Maoists, some depraved intellectuals successfully convinced the Supreme Court to order the movement's dismantling. This set the clock back and resulted in anti-national forces getting emboldened all over again. Meanwhile, in a misplaced bid to co-opt some leaders of the insurrection, and thereby score political points over the BJP, the Congress-led Government at the Centre even inducted a Maoist ideologue masquerading as a barefoot doctor into an official body. Gestures like these, coupled with the respectability given to overground Maoist sympathisers by a section of the media, have gone a long way to legitimise this illegitimate cause.
It's time the gloves come off. A full-scale war has to be launched against the enemies of the people. UAVs have been lying idle for months, while the Government ponders if they should be deployed at all. Equipping and training local forces for commando operations is lagging way behind schedule even as Maoists strike and kill at will. The Government allots vast sums for development activities in Maoist-infested areas but they blow up roads and schools, while officers are too scared to venture into unofficial Red Zones. Good intentions cannot be a substitute for tough action. None of this softie-softie talk and allocation of vast sums will succeed unless the affected areas are sanitised; in other words, till the last Naxalite is picked up and dispatched to places they deserve to be in.
India owes a tribute to Mahendra Karma and thousands of innocent tribal villagers and brave jawans who have laid down their lives for this country. The only fitting tribute a grateful country can offer them is the elimination of every Maoist who has picked up the gun against society, for those who live by the gun must die by the gun. This mission must be carried out with ruthless determination. It's a fight to the finish.