Naxalites – People’S War Group – Extortion – Police Killings
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Refugee Review Tribunal AUSTRALIA RRT RESEARCH RESPONSE Research Response Number: IND30770 Country: India Date: 13 October 2006 Keywords: India – Naxalites – People’s War Group – Extortion – Police Killings This response was prepared by the Country Research Section of the Refugee Review Tribunal (RRT) after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the RRT within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Questions 1. Provide material/evidence on the amount Naxalites extort from businesses. 2. Are there any reports of the Police killing 2 Naxalite rebels on the 20 January 2006? 3. Please provide any details/reports of events relating to police protection in extortion cases. 4. Are there reports of the Naxalites targeting people outside of their areas of control? RESPONSE 1. Provide material/evidence on the amount Naxalites extort from businesses. In August this year, the Maoists in Jharkhand state issued an extortion rate card: In August 2006, the CPI-Maoist in Jharkhand distributed to its cadres an extortion ‘rate card’, fixing charges for manual crushers, petrol pump owners, brick-kiln owners and the like. According to the card, INR 8,000 was to be ‘claimed’ annually from manual crushers, INR 15,000 from brick-kiln owners, INR 17,000 from mechanised crushers, INR 25,000 from petrol pump owners and INR 70,000 from coal sidings. Besides this, the rate card also takes into account contractors involved in road and building construction, railway track construction, repair work and auctions. The levy from contractors varies between five and 10 per cent of revenues, depending on the work order and amount. Unofficial figures peg the annual turnover from extortion in the Bihar-Jharkhand region alone at INR 3.2 billion (Cherian, S. ‘South Asia Intelligence Review Weekly Assessments & Briefings, Bihar & Jharkhand: Playground of the Maoists’ 2006, South Asia Intelligence Review, 14 August, http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/sair/Archives/5_5.htm - Accessed 12 October 2006 – Attachment 1). INR3.2 billion is equivalent to 94 million AUD. A report about the People’s War Group (PWG), one of the Naxalite groups, puts the total amount extorted much lower, at AUD 2.9 million: Sources of Income: As per the state sources, extortion remains the main source of PWG funds. An amount of more than Rs 10 crores is collected from contractors, traders, businessmen, professionals like doctors, lawyers, accountants and even government officials, informed sources say. (From HT Archives) (‘Major naxalite outfits’ 2005, Hindustan Times, 9 May, http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/6253_249858,00160003.htm – Accessed 12 October 2006 – Attachment 2) 2. Are there any reports of the Police killing 2 Naxalite rebels on the 20 January 2006? There are several reports of deaths, or encounters, with Naxalite rebels around this time. Reported on the 20 January 2006: Security forces engaged in combing operations in the Gadapati forest under Charmal police station, about 50 km from here, exchanged fire with suspected Maoists for over an hour in the wee hours of Thursday, police said. There were no casualties on either side, they said. District Police Superintendent S Debdutt Singh, who rushed to the spot after receiving information about the encounter, said the security forces fired 115 rounds after spotting about 15 ultras, who also opened fire. Grey hound personnel, CRPF and Orissa State armed police jawans engaged in combing operation in the wee hours had come across a man who started running near Badmal village, he said. As the forces asked him to stop, he disappeared into the forest, pursued by them. When the security personnel turned on their searchlights in the forest, they came across around 15 armed persons. They opened fire at the group, which fired back before gradually retreating into the dense forest, the SP said (‘Security forces, Maoists exchange fire in Sambalpur forest’ Press Trust of India, 20 January http://naxalwatch.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_naxalwatch_archive.html - Accessed 11 October 2006 – Attachment 3). Reported on the 21 January 2006: The anti-Naxalites squad gunned down an ultra and wounded five others in its first major encounter since its deployment in the Dodi Tola forest at Attapalli Taluka of Gadchiroli district. The squad was deployed in the area after the Naxalites killed Border Road Organisation engineer M Ganeshan on January 14, police said on Friday. Acting on a tip-off, the squad was conducting a combing operation in the forest on Thursday at around 1800 hrs and had managed to locate some Naxalites hiding there. The Naxalites started firing at the policemen and in the ensuing gunbattle, one Naxalite was killed and five others sustained injuries. They, however, managed to escape and also took away the body, police said (‘Naxalite killed in encounter in Gadchiroli’ 2006, United News of India, 21 January http://naxalwatch.blogspot.com/2006_01_01_naxalwatch_archive.html - Accessed 11 October 2006 – Attachment 4) There was an exchange of fire between Maoists and police party in the village last night. According to information, a group of seven to eight Maoists were holding a meeting near the village when it noticed the police party passing through the village (‘Maoists warn Congress leaders’ 2006, The Hindu, 21 January, http://www.hindu.com/2006/01/21/stories/2006012113200400.htm - Accessed 11 October 2006 – Attachment 5). On the 31st January the following was reported: In a joint operation, the special party police and Greyhound parties surrounded the Nallamala forests from all sides and launched a massive combing operation for the outlawed CPI- Maoists. For many years Nallamala forests has been a shelter zone for the Maoists. Police intensified the combing operations after an exchange of fire with the Maoists at Upper Ahobilam. With specific information that the Maoists are planning to attack the Chagalamarri police station, Greyhound police personnel launched the search operations. Sources said that the police kept a special vigilance on the movement of the Maoists sympathisers in the forest villages and were zeroing in on the shelter zones of the Maoists. Heavy police security has been posted at the police stations in Srisailam, Velugodu, Kothapalli, Atmakur, Bandi Atmakur, Mahanandi, Rudraram, Shirivella and other police stations adjoining the Nallamala forests following the threat perception. Additional forces were rushed to the Nallamala after Sunday’s exchange of fire. Police were questioning the workers who venture into the forests for timber on a suspicion that they provide food to the Maoists (‘Combing operations in Nallamala for Maoists’ 2006, My Telugu website, 31 January, http://www.my- telugu.com/n/a/arc0-2006.shtml - Accessed 11 October 2006 – Attachment 6). Human Rights Watch reported that local human rights groups in Andhara Pradseh accused the government of “hundreds of faked ‘encounter killings’” (‘Draconian Response to Naxalite Violence’ 2006, Human Rights Watch, 27 April, http://hrw.org/english/docs/2006/04/27/india13279_txt.htm - Accessed 16 August 2006 CISNET India CX159555 – Attachment 7). 3. Please provide any details/reports of events relating to police protection in extortion cases. In September 2006 it was reported that a top Naxalite had been arrested, one of the charges being extortion (Jafri, S. ‘Andhra cops arrest top Naxal leader’ 2006, Rediff.com, 3 September, http://www.rediff.com/news/2006/sep/03naxal.htm - Accessed 12 October 2006 – Attachment 8). In June 2005 it was reported that a person was arrested for extorting money on behalf of a Naxalite party. The accused was identified as a Policeman, and he was subsequently released (‘Constable arrested on extortion charge’ 2005, The Hindu, 27 June, http://www.hindu.com/2005/06/27/stories/2005062708680400.htm - Accessed 12 October 2006 – Attachment 9). In November 2004, the Police in Nirmal registered charges against a Naxalite Committee Secretary in relation to extortion (‘Extortion case against Maoist leader’ 2004, The Hindu, 7 November. http://www.hindu.com/2004/11/07/stories/2004110706340400.htm - Accessed 12 October 2006 – Attachment 10). Not all extortion though is by Naxalite rebels themselves. In June 2005, 8 people were arrested who were pretending to be Naxalite rebels: The spree of extortions, allegedly being resorted to by eight pseudo naxalites, came to an end on Tuesday when the Cyberabad police arrested them while trying to collect money from a political leader at Vanasthalipuram. Two country-made revolvers, an air pistol, a toy gun and Rs. 45,000 in cash were recovered from them, the Cyberabad Police Commissioner, M. Mahender Reddy, told a press conference. The fake naxals, including two women, came to the house of a village sarpanch's son in Prashanthnagar to collect their second instalment of the extortion amount. Already tipped off by the sarpanch, a special police party lay in wait near his house and arrested all members of the gang as soon as they turned up. During interrogation, the police learnt that the leader of the gang, Damodar of Godavarikhani in Karimnagar, masterminded the extortions (‘Eight pseudo naxalites arrested’ 2005, The Hindu, 29 June, http://www.hindu.com/2005/06/29/stories/2005062919410400.htm - Accessed 12 October 2006 – Attachment 11). 4. Are there reports of the Naxalites targeting people outside of their areas of control? The strongholds of the rebels are the forests: In nearly 1,600 violent incidents involving Naxalites last year, 669 people died. There have been spectacular attacks across a big area: a train hold-up last month involving 250 armed fighters, a jailbreak freeing 350 prisoners, a near-miss assassination attempt in 2004 against a leading politician. “Naxalism” now affects some 170 of India's 602 districts—a “red corridor” down a swathe of central India from the border with Nepal in the north to Karnataka in the south and covering more than a quarter of India's land mass.