The Continuing Menace of 50 Years Is It a Forgotten Issue?
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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 August 2019 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT 3 LWE REFUSES TO DIE DOWN 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 Andhra Pradesh, who mobilised the tribals. The Naxalism was regarded by the Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, movement was crushed by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal police, but the Singh, as the greatest threat Odisha 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 4 August 2019 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT YEARS OF 9 EXCELLENCE 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 Naxalite 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. August 2019 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT 5 LWE REFUSES TO DIE DOWN 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 Adivasi 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 6 August 2019 DEFENCE AND SECURITY ALERT YEARS OF 9 EXCELLENCE 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.