August 2019 | VOLUME 10 | ISSUE 11 | `150

The First and Only ISO 9001:2015 Certified Defence and Security Magazine in India www.dsalert.org The Only Magazine Available On The Intranet Of Indian Air Force [email protected]

2019

1969 Naxalism the continuing menace of 50 years is it a forgotten issue?

Evolving paradigm; the way forward

THE FIRST CHOICE IN THE DOMAINS OF YEARS OF Defence, Security and World Affairs EXCELLENCE WorldWide 9 contents YEARS OF 9 EXCELLENCE

Need To Address Socio-Economic Factors 04 Prakash Singh

Security Challenges From Naxalism 10 Prof. Shekhar Adhikari

Dormant In Parts Maj Gen (Dr) PK Chakravorty (Retd) 14

Multi-pronged Efforts Needed 19 PAWAN AGRAWAL

Mixed Results Factors Amitabh Thakur 22

Red Corridor Hits Dead End 28 Col Utkarsh S Rathore (Retd)

New Opportunities In A Changing Environment 32 Uma Sudhindra

Rebalancing Economic Inequality And Security 36 Dr. Rajiv Nayan

Is India Prepared? Air Mshl Anil Chopra 40 PVSM, AVSM, VM, VSM (Retd)

On Fertile Ground For Future Growth 48 Ross Mackay

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Need To Address Socio-Economic Factors

Any assessment that the Naxal problem is going to end in the next few years would be completely misplaced. There are periods when the security forces are able to establish their dominance and the Maoists suffer reverses. The movement, however, always resurrects in a new avatar for the simple reason that the basic socio-economic reasons which gave rise to it and continue to sustain it, remain largely unaddressed.

t was in 1967 that there parts of the country. During to the internal security of the were stirrings in a small the last over 50 years, the country. In 2010, the movement village called Naxalbari at the movement had its ups and downs, touched a peak, when a total tri-junction of India, Nepal but the trajectory of violence of 2,213 incidents of Naxal and Bangladesh (then East remained at a fairly high level, violence were reported in which Pakistan). Three persons and, according to an estimate more than a 1,000 people were Ishaped the course of events – prepared by the Ministry of killed. More than 200 districts Charu Mazumdar, the ideologue; Home Affairs, about 12,000 lives were affected, particularly in Kanu Sanyal, the organisational have been lost during the last mastermind and Jangal Santhal, 20 years. A stage came when the states of , who mobilised the tribals. The Naxalism was regarded by the Bihar, , Jharkhand, movement was crushed by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Madhya Pradesh, , West Bengal police, but the Singh, as the greatest threat and West Bengal. sparks flew to different parts of the country. The idea that there should be a revolutionary struggle with bases in the rural areas and that these should be What is worse, in rural areas expanded to encircle the urban of several states, they have formed centres, and a people’s liberation army organised to bring about organisations opposed to the establishment a democratic revolution in the under different names. These groups are country, had caught on. Charu Mazumdar was arrested in exploiting agrarian discontent 1972 and he died soon after, but among the peasantry in their respective the movement spread in ever widening circles to different states

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Government Efforts To undertaken by them brought the Contain It level of violence down. A number It is not that the government of politburo and central committee was wanting in efforts to contain members were accounted for. the movement. The law and The NDA government has been order approach had its most broadly continuing with the same blunt manifestation when P. policy though, in 2017, it came up Chidambaram, then Home Minister with the concept of SAMADHAN of India, sent battalions of Central which implied smart leadership, Armed Police Forces to all the aggressive strategy, motivation and Naxal-affected states in early training, actionable intelligence, 2010. His strategy was summed dashboard KPIs (Key Performance up in three graphic words: Clear, Indicators) and KRAs (Key Result Hold and Develop. It implied Areas), harnessing technology, Prakash Singh that the Naxals should first be action plan for each theatre and no The writer, a recipient of Padma cleared out of their swamps by access to financing. Shri, was formerly Director General, undertaking counter-insurgency BSF, DGP UP and DGP Assam. operations; in the second stage, The former Home Minister of India, Presently, he is Chairman, Indian the civil administration would Rajnath Singh, expressed his Police Foundation. He is author of establish itself in the areas cleared; optimism on 23 April 2019 that and, finally, in the third stage, the Naxal problem will be rooted The Movement in India economic development should be out from the country by 2023. In which has been translated in undertaken in those regions. The this context, it is worth placing French. An abridged version has sheer presence of security forces on record that P Chidambaram as been published in USA. in strength and the operations home minister had also asserted on

Pathalgadi movement in tribal-dominated Jharkhand.

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Pathalgadi movement back to haunt Jharkhand again.

29 July 2010 that, “the centre was Pradesh and one in West Bengal. The Na lok sabha, na vidhan sabha, confident of overcoming the ultra- pressure mounted by the security sub se bada gram sabha (Neither Left problem in the next three years forces also resulted in 480 Maoists parliament nor assembly, the through its existing two-pronged surrenders during the year 2018. highest is gram sabha). These policy – development and police groups are exploiting agrarian action – to deal with the menace in Naxal Threat Continues discontent among the peasantry in the affected areas.” The Naxal threat to the Indian their respective states. State, however, continues. They It is true that the number of violent have infiltrated in certain areas of Meanwhile, concerned over incidents perpetrated by Naxals have the northeast. Besides, they have weakening of the movement, been showing a downward trend. made their presence felt in some the Naxals replaced Muppala There were 833 incidents in 2018 as urban areas, where they have a Lakshmana Rao aka Ganapathy, against 908 in 2017, 1,048 in 2016, sizeable number of intellectual the 71 year old ‘general secretary’ 1,089 in 2015 and 1,091 in 2014. The supporters. What is worse, in rural of the CPI (Maoist), on 5 November number of districts affected by Naxal areas of several states, they have 2018, with his second-in-command, violence, according to a Home Ministry formed organisations opposed to Nambala Keshava Rao aka Basavaraj release on 5 February 2019, has also the establishment under different (63 years). Keshava Rao was heading come down to 90 spread over 11 names. Thus, there is Pathalgadi the military wing of the People’s states. The maximum of 19 districts movement in parts of Jharkhand Liberation Army and is said to be an are in Jharkhand followed by 16 and Chhatisgarh, Sarvahara Jan expert in military strategy. There has districts in Bihar, 15 in Odisha, 14 in Andolan in Maharashtra, Jai been recrudescence of violence ever Chattisgarh, eight in Telangana, six in Yuva Shakti in MP, Majhi since his taking over. A BJP MLA Andhra Pradesh, three each in Kerala, Pargana Mahal in WB. The slogan from Chhattisgarh, Bhima Mandavi, Maharashtra and UP, two in Madhya of the Pathalgadi movement is: and four police personnel were killed

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in an IED explosion in Dantewada Any assessment that the Naxal Our approach to development has when they were returning in a problem is going to end in the next also some basic flaws. An expert bulletproof SUV after electioneering few years would be completely group appointed by the Planning on 9 April 2019. Fifteen policemen misplaced. There are periods Commission (2008), of which of the Quick Response Team of when the security forces are able the author was also a member, C-60, Maharashtra Police counter- to establish their dominance observed as follows: insurgency commando unit, were and the Maoists suffer reverses. blown up when Maoists triggered The movement, however, always “The development paradigm an IED blast in Gadchiroli on 1 May resurrects in a new avatar for the pursued since independence 2019. The Naxals may have suffered simple reason that the basic socio- has aggravated the prevailing reverses, but they nevertheless still economic reasons which gave rise discontent among marginalised have the capacity to launch lethal to it and continue to sustain it, sections of society. This is attacks on the security forces. remain largely unaddressed. because the development paradigm as conceived by the Movement Resurrects Socio-Economic Factors policy-makers has always been The Naxals may be in some kind India is today the fastest growing imposed on these communities, of a tactical retreat. It would, economy in the world but it is said and therefore, it has remained however, be naïve to conclude that that we have moved from British insensitive to their needs and government is in the process of Raj to Billionaire Raj. The country concerns, causing irreparable vanquishing the Naxal movement. has the fourth highest numbers damage to these sections. The benefits of this paradigm Taking a historical overview, the of billionaires after US, China and Germany. However, there are glaring of development have been movement has shown a remarkable inequalities. According to the Oxfam disproportionately cornered capacity to reorganise and re-invent report, The Widening Gaps: India by the dominant sections itself after a period of setback. Inequality Report 2018, the wealthiest at the expense of the poor, Twice before, government was individuals (it pegs the total wealth who have borne most of the lulled into a feeling that they of Indian billionaires at 15 per costs. Development, which is had knocked out the Naxals. It cent of the GDP) have cornered insensitive to the needs of these happened in late 70s when Charu Mazumdar was arrested and died in police custody and there were serious inner party differences. Development which is The movement, however, revived with the formation of the People’s insensitive to the needs of these War Group in 1980. Later, after Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, leader communities has invariably caused of the People’s War, was arrested displacement and reduced them and there were successful counter- insurgency operations, government to a sub-human existence again was under an illusion that they had seen the end of the large share of their wealth through communities, has invariably problem. The movement again “crony capitalism” and inheritance caused displacement and revived – with much greater ferocity while people at the bottom have reduced them to a sub-human and violence – with the merger of been seeing their share reduced existence. In the case of tribes, the People’s War and the Maoist further. Land reforms are not in the in particular, it has ended Communist Centre (MCC), two agenda of any state government. up in destroying their social major components of the movement, The employment scenario is bleak organisation, cultural identity, and formation of the CPI (Maoist) and according to Azim Premji and resource base and generated Party in 2004. The CPI (Maoist) has University’s State of Working India since emerged as the leading Naxal 2018, unemployment among the multiple conflicts, undermining formation wanting to bring about a youth and educated is 16 per cent. their communal solidarity, New Democratic Revolution in India Corruption at higher levels has been which cumulatively makes as part of the world proletarian checked somewhat but continues to them increasingly vulnerable to revolution. be rampant at lower levels. exploitation.”

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Alienated And the process of alienating land from in the area. There are no official Traumatised the tribals, it seemed “as if private figures of the total number of tribals The tribals, who constitute the individuals, derelict revenue officers displaced. However, some unofficial backbone of the movement, including deputy commissioners, studies, particularly by Dr Walter are today a disaffected lot. Two unscrupulous lawyers, ignorant Fernandes, peg this figure at around factors – land alienation and civil courts and even the better-off 60 million for the period from 1947 their displacement – have mainly tribals themselves have all joined to 2004. Tribals constitute only contributed to their disillusionment hands, as it were, to deprive the about 8 per cent of the country’s with the establishment. An expert tribal communities of their land”. population, but they are 40 per group constituted by the Ministry of The tribals, as a result, were feeling cent of the total displaced persons Rural Development of Government “totally exhausted, impoverished by the projects. The rehabilitation of India which studied the problem and traumatised”. and resettlement of these tribals in depth (2004) concluded that land has been inadequate. No wonder, alienation was rampant in all the A large population of tribals has also they harbour grouse against the states and it noted with anguish been displaced from their habitat government. that such alienation was taking because of development projects place “despite the existence of an – irrigation dams, power plants, The tribals are also unhappy over umbrella of protective legislation industrial and mining projects, the implementation of Forest Rights since the 19th century”. The expert declaration of sanctuaries and Act. Fortunately, the Supreme group went on to observe that in national parks, etc. – undertaken Court, on 28 February 2019, stayed

Security Forces Patrol in Chattisgarh.

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Abujmarh, restricted area in Chhattisgarh. its earlier order of eviction by July vacuum in these areas which is of governance – and there being no this year of tribal families in 16 exploited by the armed insurgent indication yet of the aforesaid factors states whose claims to forest land groups. In Chhattisgarh, Abujmarh disappearing in the foreseeable had been rejected. in has been future, the Naxal movement would beyond the pale of administration continue to haunt the Indian State No Governance even 70 years after independence. and pose a formidable challenge to Governance is also a major factor. It is a 4,000 sq km area comprising the law enforcement agencies There are areas which are poorly 260 villages inhabited by tribals, governed, there are areas which are particularly of Maria group. The Need National Policy badly governed, and, there are areas terrain is no doubt difficult, but there Tackling the movement calls for which are not governed at all. The could be no justification for the area a whole of government approach result of bad governance is seen in not having been surveyed and the which is not there. It is also the multiple insurgencies that we absence of any regular revenue or disconcerting that every chief see in different parts of the country, police administration in the region. minister views the problem from particularly in the northeast and No wonder, the Maoists established a his own perspective and there is on our northern borders. According ‘liberated zone’ in Abujmarh. no national policy to deal with a to the expert group (2008), areas in problem which, at its peak, affected Central India where there is unrest As long as these factors continue about one-third of the country’s are “minimally administered” and – extreme inequalities of income, districts. The socio-economic that state intervention, both for unemployment on a large scale, factors, which contributed to development and law and order, neglect of land reforms, rampant the growth and expansion of the had been fairly low. As a result, corruption, significant groups of movement will have to be tackled there is a kind of administrative tribals feeling disaffected, poor state in a sincere and sensitive manner if we are going to see the end of the CPI (Maoist) which, at one time, was Tackling the movement calls for described by Jane’s Global Terrorism a whole of government approach and Insurgency Attack Index, as the fourth most active non-State armed which is not there group of the world.

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