Re: Troubled Tribal: Sid Harth
chhotemianinshallah
Friday, July 24, 2009 9:42:21 AM (IST)
Soon, You can Mail Complaints to the Police
Bangalore, Jul 24 (DHNS): The State government is mooting a system
where police complaints can be lodged by e-mail from any location in
Karnataka.
Home Minister V S Acharya informed the legislative council that a
system of registering complaints via e-mail will soon be implemented
as part of the e-governance measures taken to streamline security in
the State.
Earlier, Pratapchandra Shetty and Naseer Ahmed (both Cong) raised
concerns about the State police turning down complainants, and not
registering complaints. In response, Acharya said that the public
could inform higher authorities of negligence, as every station had
boards with the numbers of senior officials on it. He added that he
himself was making several calls to police stations under aliases to
ensure that the officials register the complaints.
Acharya also informed the council of a series of other measures which
were implemented to strengthen security. He spoke of a dedicated
intelligence wing where intelligence personnel are groomed.
“Personnel, from constables to higher level officers, will be groomed
for intelligence and promoted one level higher,” he said.
Marine stations
In response to a query from Prakash Rathod (Cong), Acharya said the
State had already received two light speedboats, out of a total 15, to
beef up coastal security. He also said that five marine police
stations had been set up between the ports of Karwar and Mangalore.
Other police reforms undertaken by the state include the formation of
anti-terrorist squads and an anti-naxal force in areas identified as
terror prone. Acharya further added that the finance department had
approved the appointment of 9000 personnel in lower ranks to fill
vacancies.
...and I am Sid Harth
chhotemianinshallah
Monday, June 29, 2009 9:59:46 AM (IST)
Karkala: Naxals’ Grouse against Vikramarjuna Hegde
Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (SP)
Karkala, Jun 29: The naxals have not confined their activities just to
fighting against the atrocities against and exploitation of the
downtrodden. They are also interested in the issues relating to
spirits and demigods, if the pamphlets they had strewn around in Andar
village in the recent past is any indication.
Out of the four types of pamphlets found at Andar, one was reserved
for launching a scathing attack against the BJP district general
secretary Tingala Vikramarjuna Hegde. Hegde belongs to the lineage
that ruled the Tingalemakki kingdom. As per customs, the leaders of
Tingale family used to get enthroned in the presence of a demigod
named Vaddamaraya. The seat of Vaddamaraya is located about 10 kms
away from Tingale house at the foot of the Western Ghats.
About four years ago, after the 'Darshana Patri' on whom the spirit of
Vaddamaraya was invoked, permitted Tingale household to shift the seat
of Vaddamaraya to the 'Chavadi' of the family, Tingale Hegde family
conducted several religious ceremonies there. Naxal problems and
distance from the family abode were the reasons for the said shifting.
The naxals appear to have become apprehensive that the Malekudiyas,
who reside in the forest region of the area, might tilt towards
Tingale family, as they strongly believe in the demigod Vaddamaraya.
The pamphlets allege that Tingale Vikramarjuna Hegde has been
exploiting people in the name of the Daivas (demigod) and making money
under the pretext of conducting religious ceremonies. It may be
recalled that the naxals had also in the past, released pamphlets
against Vikramarjuna Hegde, asking him to distribute excess land he
holds, among the poor people.
,,,and I am Sid Harth
chhotemianinshallah
Friday, June 26, 2009 6:42:59 PM (IST)
Karkala: Naxal Literature makes Appearance at Andar Village
Daijiworld Media Network - Karkala (SP)
Karkala, Jun 26: In the early hours on Thursday, June 25, a gang
comprising of two men and two women arrived at Andar in the taluk and
returned after being there for nearly two hours. The gang had come at
about 2 am.
On Thursday morning, people found hoisted banners and pasted pamphlets
in the town. The anti-naxal force policemen rushed to the spot on
Thursday morning and removed them. It may be recalled, that the naxals
had put up banners in Andar on May 10 last year, urging people to
boycott the assembly elections. On July 30 the same year, they had
distributed pamphlets, justifying their action in killing Suresh
Shetty from Nadpal village.
The naxals this time, have given vent to their anger against the male
employers who treat women workers as bonded labourers. They have also
spewed venom at the owners of cashew factories. The naxal graffiti had
also appeared on some walls in Mallar, Mala village in the taluk two
weeks ago.
chhotemianinshallah
Orissa CM Naveen Patnaik faults central Government for Naxal Menace
Tuesday, September 15, 2009 Email StoryFeedbackPrint Story
Report by Sujata Panda, Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik
told the mediapersons that Union government never heeds state's
request to tackle Maoists. He said our requests for more Central force
to tackle Naxalites and other reasons were never met by the Union
government.
The state government had been making frequent demands before the
Centre for more CPMF and others for a long period. The Chief Minister
pointed out that due to lack of adequate central force, the Naxalites
had stalled developmental activities like construction of roads and
bridges wherever they were active.
chhotemianinshallah
NAXALS in ORISSA: A Movement or a Menace
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 Email StoryFeedbackPrint Story
The recent Naxal uprisings and attacks in Orissa has created shocks
everywhere in the state. This has also attracted the attention of all
including the politicians and decision makers, academicians and
general public.
The question here comes is whether this naxalism is a movement or a
menace. One school of thought believes that anyone creating terror and
killing innocent people has to stop no matter what is the grievance
they do have. The other school believes that when state uses force to
crush down any genuine political or economic demand there leaves no
opportunity other than armed struggle. So these competing schools of
thought have remained in conflict from the very beginning of naxalite
movement from the late 1960s.
If one looks at the genuine demand that the naxals stand for, one
would not deny the fact that this is a struggle against the state
apathy and oppression. The Orissan socio-political system can be
divided into three broad categories like the tribal system, the
village system, then the urban system. The government in the name of
development wants to transform the tribal system into an urban system.
A look at the ground reality would lead anyone to believe that- this
is not possible. The tribals do not have the land rights and private
ownership of anything. It's a jungle dependent system where as the
villages are a land scare system and land dependent system and the
urban system is capital intensive. At this backdrop to change a jungle
based economy to a capital based economy is just not possible.
Other than this the educated and politically connected people from the
coastal region have gone to the tribal areas to do business by taking
contracts of development projects and have cheated the innocent tribal
people. It has resulted in land alienation and tribal indebtedness
leading to large-scale seasonal migration to neighboring states. To
this, the naxals see as a state mistake and the state has shown no
desire or political will to undo this mistake. The administration, the
police and the political structure all have been unresponsive and
brutally oppressive. The naxals do not want a separate independent
country or even they do not demand autonomous status. They need
political share and land rights for the tribals. So the naxal movement
at this backdrop can be called as a movement to draw attention of the
power structure.
chhotemianinshallah
Orissa’s Lalgarh: Un-divided Koraput
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Reported by Manoj Kumar Das; Koraput: Several agitated tribals in
Orissa’s Koraput district have resorted to forcible eviction methods
of private companies from the forest land, in the disguise of
restoration of land to tribals, the so-called ‘real’ owners. The
forest land, however, had been sold off by the non-tribals owners to
private companies.
Protesting the ownership of private companies on the forest land,
members of Chasi Mulia Adivasi Sangh (CMAS), a newly created and a
‘pro-tribal group’, has forcibly occupied 300 acres of the land in
Bandhugaon Block of the district. They also fell down several teak
trees planted by the private company. The step has once again
displayed how this Maoist-backed group is gaining popularity and
establishing its hold among tribals day-by-day. These lands were
previously compelling the non-tribals to leave their houses and vacate
this area for tribals, has taken a quantum leap with the latest
occupation of land.
Also, earlier, the members of the CMAS were involved in acquiring
lands from the non-tribals and distributing it among tribals, which
according to the group are the ‘real’ owners. This time the members of
the CMAS have began to target private companies that purchased the
lands to set up industries here. In the latest incident, the 300-acres
of land, which was under a Govt. plantation programme and was sold off
to the STM Company, has been taken over from its owners and
distributed among tribals and non-tribals. The forcible eviction or
occupying of the land in this area has created a sense of unease and
fear among the multi-national companies who intend to invest in
poverty-stricken Orissa and set up industries here.
Meanwhile, the government is trying to restore the tribals by
providing them their land as per law. Nearly 500 acres of land has
been restored and the process is further on. But the tribals say it’s
a tedious process and irritated by its slowness and thus resorting to
extreme measures like occupying lands by force.
Orissa has just got its own Lalgarh. Naxal-backed tribals in Koraput
district forcibly reoccupied lands that non-tribals, local
businessmen, Pvt. companies and other outsiders had cheated them of
many years ago. About 200 tribals, with red bandana-like pieces of
cloth on their heads and wrists, marched into the rain-soaked
agricultural fields in Koraput’s Narayanpatna block and started
tilling them. This alarmed over the growing incidence of violence.
Another group of 150 tribals, armed with swords, spears and other
sharp-edged weapons stood guard. The area of land occupied by the
tribals could not be ascertained. Koraput is the heart of Naxal
territory in Orissa. The district administration is practically non-
existent in some parts of this remote district and how local villagers
now take their complaints and grievances to the Maoists.
People in backward regions lack economic opportunities. They are
deprived of fruits of developmental efforts. People in socio-
economically depressed regions often carry a deep sense of frustration
and discrimination against their better off neighbours. Poor and
disaffected people are often easily manipulated by anti-social
elements and powerful vested interests. These pockets of poverty breed
serious socio-economic problems. There is corroborating evidence that
the problems of terrorism, Naxalism, increased incidence of crime, law
and order and social strife in many pockets are attributed to social
and economic depression of such regions.
bademiyansubhanallah
Centre may stop land acquisition in Naxal-hit areas
Posted by Indian Vanguard on September 16, 2009
( Sep 15 2009 )
New Delhi, Sep 15: The Central government is considering an amendment
to the Land Acquisition Act to stop state government’s from acquiring
land for private projects in the country’s 90 districts worst hit by
Naxal violence. Violent backlashes in Singur, Nandigram and Lal Garh
areas of West Bengal since 2007 over land acquisition by the state
government for private sector projects apparently led to the change in
government thinking.
Earlier, Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee, whose Trinamool Congress
spearheaded the anti-land acquisition movements in West Bengal and is
a constituent of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
government, made a similar demand.
An expert group, headed by Chief Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar, made it
clear that land in the Naxal-affected areas could be acquired by the
government only for public welfare and national security. “The
proposals need to be further revised to minimise displacement of
people and secure the rights of the displaced,” the group said in its
report.
The group said the government should not acquire land even for
cooperatives and registered societies, besides corporate entities.
Land could be acquired only for national security and public welfare
projects implemented by the government.
Following the group’s recommendations, six state governments — hit by
Naxal violence — submitted proposals worth Rs 16,252 crore (Rs 162.5
billion) for the Centre’s approval.
Planning Commission secretary Sudha Pillai told IANS on Monday that
this money would not be raised separately. It would be made available
by relocating the states’ budget allocations. The development projects
in the Naxal-affected areas will begin by September end.
Pillai said the money would be spent in five areas —road connectivity,
health, education, electricity and development. On land acquisition,
Pillai said there are already restrictions on direct acquisition by
private entities in the tribal-dominated areas marked under Schedule
IV of the Constitution.
Although most of Naxal-affected districts are tribal-dominated areas,
the present law does not restrict the government from acquiring land
for private investment.
The 33 districts identified for special development include one from
Andhra , six from Bihar, seven from Chhattisgarh, 10 from Jharkhand,
one from Madhya Pradesh, two from Maharashtra, five from Orissa and
one from Uttar Pradesh. (IANS)
bademiyansubhanallah
<< Stop harassing innocent tribals: CPI (ML) LiberationLALGRAH &
MISCONCEPTIONS OF SOME MISGUIDED INTELLECTUALS
Posted by Indian Vanguard on September 16, 2009
by Ajay
[From People's March, vol. 10, #10, Oct. 2009]
There are many well meaning individuals who are genuinely confused on
the issues that the Maoist movement in general has thrown up and this
has more particularly been raised by the intellectuals of West Bengal
in the light of the Lalgarh mass upsurge. Some of these intellectuals
are well meaning progressives, but others, claim not only to be Left,
but also of the M-L camp. Here we take some arguments presented mostly
from the two Bengali journals Aneek and Shramjeevi (of Santosh Rana).
Here, in India, the mis-conceptions mostly centre around the issue of
revolutionary violence. Our intellectuals actually rarely see violence
in their own lives and so are, quite naturally, horrified by violence.
Yet, this is surprising as India is probably one of the most violent
societies in the world, with violence on a scale not probably seen
even in any backward country. Of course we are here not talking of the
type of butcheries unleashed by the US on a country like Iraq,
Afghanistan and elsewhere, nor its massacres (peace-time) perpetuated
in countries of Latin America, Indonesia, etc. What we are talking of
is everyday violence that the poor of this country have to face over
and above the violence associated with acute poverty and a sub-human
existence (India is on a par with countries of Sub Saharan Africa).
What we are speaking of is the additional violence on women and dalits
that no other society of the world face (genocide of Muslims in India
is part of what they face in other parts of the world whether in
Palestine, Afghanistan, Chechnya or even in west China). The
continuous so-called "dowry killings" of women is a phenomena not seen
in any other country of the world; the lynching of dalits and the
inhumanity and subtle violence of the hierarchical caste system is a
phenomena too not seen in other parts of the world.
Though our intellectuals may not face this violence it is important
that they are sensitized to the varied forms of oppression and
exploitation that the masses face. Not just excruciating poverty, but
the varied forms of humiliation, oppression and intolerable dis-
crimination, is something that our intellectuals should feel even if
they do not experience it. There is necessity to first and foremost
put one"s heart in the right place (i.e. feel for the suffering of the
masses) and then see all intellectual exercises in this framework.
Democracy, violence, peace, et al are only words thrown around by one
and all (including the rulers) but to what purpose. The single purpose
can only be justice, humanity and equality for the vast masses of the
population -- and then everything would be seen with in this framework.
Or else we get lost in the wilderness of words.
In today"s world, where inhuman levels of violence are being
perpetrated it is the imper-ialists and the reactionaries throughout
the world who raise it on a big scale. It is they who are therefore on
a major campaign promoting Gandhism; but for most aware intellectuals
around the world it is not a major issue. What is at issue are
questions of justice, equality, real democracy, etc. Besides, most of
the Left know the important role that violence has played historically
in bringing out change and how terribly violent the capitalist /
imperialist system has been since its inception -- e.g. the systematic
decimation of the entire local population of the Americas with the
very birth of capitalism, the two World Wars, the butcheries around
the world since WWII, etc. But, anyhow as it is being raised as a
major issue here, it needs to be discussed once again.
So, we will start with the major misconceptions being presented and
will particularly link it to the Lalgarh issue.
Misconception 1: The spiraling violence between the state and the
Maoists is getting out of control and in this battle between two
violent forces the peace-loving tribals and poor are the main victims.
Both sides should immediately stop (conflict resolution) their
violence and allow the adivasis and others to live in peace.
Answer 1: In this presentation there are two misnomers. First, the
police/para-military are sought to be presented as some independent
force unleashing violence only on the dictates of the government. This
is not the full truth; the government and state machinery are acting
only on behalf of the ruling classes -- i.e. the powerful local semi-
feudal elements, big business (both comprador and TNCs) and the
imperialists, particularly the US. It is these forces that are seeking
the grabbing of the land for its wealth and the exploitation of labour
for it super-profits. For them the immediate interests are twofold:
(i) the loot of the massive mineral wealth of the country, located
mostly in areas where Maoists are operating, for which they are also
seeking to desperately push through the Land Acquisition and
Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, and (ii) the increasing
exploitation of the labour of the people, and in this period of deep
economic crisis the imperialists and their lackeys want to increase
their exploitation in order to cushion the impact of the crisis on
their profits. They also have a long-term interest in protecting their
capitalist/ imperialist system, which is particularly threatened when
the movement is led by Maoists.
So at the local level we see the gangs of the semi-feudal interests,
power-brokers, local mafia -- all hand-in-glove with the local police.
At the broader level you have the forces of the Indian state, and
internationally the imperialists are directly involved in counter-
insurgency training and intelligence gathering (Mossad).
Anyhow the issue is the nature of the security forces who act as the
tool of the classes that run this system. They do not need to use this
tool if the masses silently bear the exploitation and the increased
burden they seek to put on them. It is only when their discontent
beaks out into the open that they call on their instruments of
violence. So, if these intellectuals desire this kind of "peace" it is
also what the powers-that-be require to continue their rapacious loot
of the wealth of the country and its people.
The second misnomer is pitting the mass movement against the Maoists,
as though the masses are victims not of just state violence but also
of Maoist violence. Without the masses the Maoists are zero. The very
purpose of the Maoists, as mentioned in their programme, is to set up
a truly democratic system where the people are themselves empowered
through their own organs of power. The CPI (Maoists) does not conduct
the revolution on its own; it is the masses who carry out the
revolution, where the leadership is provided by the proletarian Party.
This is of course the ABC of Marxism, which most "Leftists" know but
are somehow silent on. Besides, the masses have faced inhuman living
conditions for centuries and these have only deteriorated in this
period of LPG (globalization) and they have also seen that all the
parliamentary parties (including the CPM) are nothing but power
brokers for the moneybags, making fortunes in the process. They see
that, unlike the parliamentary leaders, the leaders of the Maoist give
up the comforts of a middle-class existence and live amongst them,
share their weal and woe and are even willing to sacrifice (and have
sacrificed) their lives for the people"s interests. As in Lalgarh,
quite naturally the masses turn to them as their true leaders. The
Maoists are part and parcel of the local masses and the majority of
the recruits are from them. This, all are aware of.
So, this attempt to draw a wedge between the masses and the Maoists
and to put it as though the masses are suffering due to Maoist
violence is patently false. By equating Maoist counter-violence with
state violence, they act to indirectly legitimise the state violence.
For the forces of reaction any assertion of the will of the masses is
ground for provocation. Any attempt to touch even a rupee of their
profits or wealth, is ground for provocation of these demons. So, what
are these intellectuals talking about when they say Maoists are
provoking the state? The democratic space to organize the masses in
the Jangalmahal area cannot be achieved unless the rule of the CPM
hoodlums is eliminated from the area. Of course while conducting any
class struggle/war there are tactics when to advance and when to
retreat, no doubt these would have been taken into consideration by
the Maoists in their battles at Jangalmahal.
If these intellectuals are really serious about peace, they need to
say how they can get not just peace, but peace with justice. Merely
appealing to the government and the parliamentary parties to take up
socioeconomic issues and expect any real change is wishful-thinking.
We all know where the money on these schemes mainly goes. Besides,
these parties have their class interests, they are tied through
numerous visible/invisible threads to these powerful classes and they
must serve their interests or else they will be kicked out. The
present budget, the Economic Survey, the new Bills, the massive
subsidies to big business (over Rs.3 lakh crores is given as
concessions to big business) and imperialists, the spiraling
expenditure on the armed forces and para-military, etc, etc, has set
the course of their "growth" pattern; while crumbs may be thrown to
the aam admi to diffuse their discontent (most of which is anyhow
swallowed by power-brokers at various levels of authority -- Anuj
Pandey style). So, where can the masses get justice and improve their
inhuman existence, which, in fact, is going from bad to worse?
The issue is not violence v/s nonviolence but justice v/s injustice.
Bourgeois moralists say that the means cannot justify the end; we say
that the goals must be clear and just -- i.e. improving people"s
livelihood and genuinely empowering them -- and to achieve this, all
necessary means are justified.
Misconception 2: Aneek magazine and Shramjeevi both say that the
Maoists are not democratic and have no sense of democracy. Aneek says
they have alienated all the other political forces in the area (like
the Majhi Marwha and Jharkhandi parties) and are not even tolerating
the rank and file CPM, demanding they resign. Santosh Rana in the
Shramjeevi magazine raises the same question but goes even further
saying two points: (i) Even if five people have a different view they
must be allowed to speak otherwise it will lead to a different type of
terror. And he equates this 'terror' with CPM-style terror. (ii)
Upholding the existing Panchayat system and seeking to democratize it,
saying that it should be controlled by the Gram Sansad and that the
demand should be raised for more economic and administrative powers,
like to forest revenue, stone and sand, along with control over the
police. He maintains that the Maoists are for only one Party rule and
will not tolerate any others. Some have gone even to the extent of
equating the counter-violence of the masses and Maoists against the
CPM armed goons and police informers with the terror of the CPM.
Answer 2: We are not here to condone any acts of behavior by the
Maoists that maybe undemocratic/ sectarian in dealing with other non-
Maoist and genuinely progressive forces, no matter what their
limitations. These may invariably exist, though they should be
avoided, in building up any united front activities. Yet, class
struggle at the ground level is complex and not as linear as the
intellectuals expect it to go. Yet, in the Maoist appeals to the
intellectuals or even in the Open Letter to Santosh Rana the approach
is definitely democratic and patient (not impetuous as it often can
be). Even when it is clear that Santosh Rana was aligning with
dangerous, counter-revolutionary forces the tone was explanatory and
asking that he come out of his errors.
Having said this, let us take the issue of democracy as this word has
been much vulgarized by not only the imperialists and their henchmen
but also the NGOs who oppose communist party organizational norms in
the name of democracy. So let us explain the issue. We shall first
look at the term first from the political angle and then from the
organizational angle.
First, to take the issue of democracy in the political sense. Here
democratic forces mean all anti-imperialist, anti-feudal forces. So,
any democratic front must include all such forces and not just those
following the Party"s view-point. This is the ideal; but, at the
ground reality the ideal rarely exists. What exists is, at the one end
you get the revolutionary forces and at the other the reactionary
forces, while in between there may be various shades of progressive
forces, which have to be assessed, from time to time, on their
attitude towards the ongoing anti-imperialist, anti-feudal class
struggle. One allies with all those who overall play a positive
attitude in the class struggle at any given time. But, as the class
struggle intensifies, the line of demarcation becomes sharper between
the real democrats and those vacillating; so, often at such times,
many forces that were progressive in the earlier phase of the class
struggle, desert the movement at a later phase; some may become
neutral, others may even begin to oppose it. Generally, as Mao said,
one has to isolate and expose the die-hards and try and win over the
rest to an anti-imperialist, anti-feudal front.
Now what are the forces that the Aneek and Shramjivi expect unity
with? First, they call for unity with the BJMM, the traditional
organization of adivasis in the area. These are led by the traditional
leaders of the adivasis, who have been oppressors of their own people,
and in this period of globalization have become stooges of the rulers.
Except for the fortnight or so in Nov.2008 when the movement against
police atrocities began, they have stood in vehement opposition to the
movement and as agents of the CPM (clear from the article in People's
Democracy, official organ of the CPM, dated Dec.14, 2008 by Prasant).
This was also clear in their conscious role in hounding the Maoists,
opposing the mass movement and acting as tools of the police/CPM,
clearing the roadblocks put up by the masses.
Next, is the large number of Jharkhandi groups. It is not only
important what they profess, but their attitude to the on-going class
struggle must be assessed. In the open letter to Santosh Rana from CPI
(Maoist) it was pointed out that some of those groups were acting
together with the CPM"s vigilante forces. As far as the others are
concerned they would be assessed by their attitude and role in the
ongoing class struggle.
Now, let us turn to the other aspect, on the question of democracy in
organizational matters. Serious class struggle necessitates not only
democratic functioning but also a high level of discipline. The
discipline should not be imposed but through self-realization. And
real democracy can only be realized if it is democratic centralism
where no matter what may be our personal view we are willing to accept
the decision of the majority. NGOs are vehemently opposed to
democratic centralism and compare it with some sort of fascist
methods. Though leaders can often abuse the powers they have (whatever
the structures), what the NGOs promote is anarchism below and
unquestioned authority of the leader (normally the funder) whose
decisions are final. In fact in all other organizations, those who
control the funds, controls the organization and all decision-making.
Here too, normally there is a show of democracy, with everyone being
allowed to present their views, but these are rarely considered by the
final authority. So, also is the anarchism of Santosh Rana, when he
says "Even if five people have a different view they must be allowed
to speak otherwise it will lead to a different type of terror. And he
equates this 'terror' with CPM-style terror." Very true they must be
allowed to speak, but how must these five acts -- according to their
own wishes, or that of the majority? This is not clear, but he goes to
the extent of calling this, a form of terror. What in fact he is
demanding is nothing but bourgeois individualism and anarchic
functioning and any form of disciple is being equated with terror.
What a communist opposes and despises is the vulgar and crude
individualism promoted in this bourgeois society (which has been taken
to extreme levels in this globalization period); what we promote is
the development of the individuality of all comrades, which can best
be realized in a cooperative atmosphere where comrades assist and help
each other.
Aneek asks whether the Maoists can give a democratic character to the
movement; and in the five questions to the Maoists at the end it says
'the pressure tactics on all other political forces proves that the
Maoists lack the sense of democracy". The essence of democracy in the
sphere of organization, would be here on how and to what extent we are
able to mobilize the oppressed masses and raise them to levels of
leadership. For the bulk of the masses deprived of all humanity and
rights for decades the essence of democracy starts with their self-
respect and the assertion of their rights -- not cowed down by the
dictates of any leader or authority (except that of the collective).
This assertion of the downtrodden, which is the essence of democracy,
comes with their education, awareness, realization of their own
abilities and rights, a comradely atmosphere in the mass organization
and the Party, a democratic relationship between the rank-and-file and
the leadership, etc, etc. Such will be the main aspect of democracy in
the organizational sphere. Over and above this, one must be patient
with those forces who have a positive approach to the ongoing class
struggle, but have different views from that of the Maoists. But for
Aneek to make the latter the central point of the very movement
appears to be misguided.
Of course, Santosh Rana has come a long way from the revolutionary
programme. In the Shramjeevi article he talks not about changing the
system but seeking to improve its functioning. He puts in bold that
'it should be remembered that none other than the elected bodies,
based on universal franchise can take over the political authority".
So, here he talks of democratizing and strengthening the existing
panchayat system. And he has presented many concrete proposals for
this. Rana must realize that all organs of the state, no matter which,
must necessarily serve the class interests of that state. With such a
constitutionalist approach it is no wonder that Rana has come out with
all fury against the Maoists whose agenda is not strengthening these
organs of ruling class authority (the panchayats too get dominated by
the semi-feudal type authority witnessed in society and that is
further strengthened by their links to the government and their
schemes/ contracts) but smashing it and replacing it with the power of
the peasant committee slowly developing into the Revolutionary
People"s Committees. Santosh Rana has to re-think where he stands vis-
à-vis the revolutionary programme for genuine democratic change.
Misconception 3: The Maoists have hijacked a beautiful spontaneous
mass movement and their role is destroying it and is counter
productive.
Answer 3: The reality is that with the Maoist counter-offensive the
mass movement has continued and grown. All the dooms-day forecasts of
the intellectuals have proved wrong. This fact needs to be recognized
by them and the reasons for their wrong assessments need to be
analyzed. Of course in the face of massive state terror there may be
ups and downs in a movement, but in this case we have seen growth
despite the onslaught. Also the forms of struggle often have to
change. But here, the judicious mix of armed actions and mass
mobilization (with traditional weapons) has been an excellent example
on how to counter the worst forms of state terror. Though it may be
true that the movement was a spontaneous outburst against state
terror, the fact that the Maoists have been working in this region for
over a decade cannot be ignored, and that they had no role to play in
the uprising.
Aneek goes as negative as to state: Before the outset of this adivasi
revolt there was no significant mass movement led by the Maoists, even
after many years of work. Maoist Party had initially a peasant
organization but after armed activities the peasant organization died.
This pitting the armed activities against mass organizational
activities has become a traditional method of opposing the
intensification of the class struggle. The reality is that any
peacefully struggle, even a small trade union struggle, is faced with
onslaught of goons of the malik and then the police. Anyone who has
worked among the masses knows this. Due to the inability to face this
violence of the state and non-state forces, we find, of late, all mass
mobilization even of the legal trade union type, failing and the
masses going into passivity. It is only when the masses and their
leadership are equipped to crush the goons (may be of the factory
owner, the semi-feudal landed elements, the government or any party)
and then the police, that the class struggle can sustain and victories
be achieved. It is only then that the masses will get confidence in
their organized strength. So, to counter pose the two is not only
absurd it displays a deep ignorance of the ground reality of our
country, expecting some democratic rights, like say in Europe.
Particularly, since the past decade, it has been very clear the state
is not tolerating any mass mobilization, let alone those led by the
Maoists -- except those that are consciously manipulated to let off
people"s anger. Can Aneek and others who also talk in the same vein,
give even one recent example of a peaceful mass mobilization which was
effective and gave the desired results? And with each passing day,
with the deepening of the crisis, such peaceful forms of struggle are
going to get more and more irrelevant. Whether it is the displacement
issue, the attacks on labour, the issues of the peasantry, the land
struggles of the landless and poor peasants, the issues for water, the
issueof wages, the issue of permanency, the issues against caste
oppression and dalit lynching, etc, etc -- except for maybe some
exception, where have there been any successful peaceful agitation on
any of these burning issues of the masses!!! Why has the offense of
capital not been beaten back?
The so-called democratic space is tolerated so long as the movements
are no threat -- like, standard processions at Jantar Mantar, rallies
to parliament (within limits), etc, etc. Such struggles may be
necessary but, more important, is the ability to intensify the class
struggle to beat back the offensive on the masses. It must have
practical results not just be nominal or ceremonial. Such mass
mobilization is only useful if it is a process of gaining strength
which will culminate in more affective battles -- not if they are
repeated in a routine way year-in-and year-out.
This reality is obvious to any who are sensitive to the plight of the
poor and oppressed and do not have their visions blinkered by
revisionist (supposedly Marxist) theory. In its desperation to draw a
dichotomy between the mass movement and the Maoist Party, Aneek seeks
to turn even the reality on its head by ignoring the impact of the
Maoists would have had through hard and consistent work in the area
for over a decade, in the face of the worst repression by the armed
gangs of the CPM and the police. To deny this reality on the imagined
basis that the Maoists had no success, till now, is naïve, as it is by
only painstaking work on a step-by-step basis that quantitative growth
lead to a qualitative leap in the movement. After all, one does not
get a tree to bloom and yield fruits overnight after planting the
seed. The initial sapling needs much care only then it will grow into
a sturdy tree. Lalgarh, no doubt, seems to be developing into a sturdy
tree as its roots appear deeply imbedded in the hearts of the masses.
Misconception 4: In attacking and killing the CPM the Maoists have
become like the CPM themselves. They should allow democratic space for
all to function.
Answer 4: The CPM has ruled West Bengal, particularly its rural areas,
with a brutality not witnessed by even many other ruling class
parties. Its Harmad vahini has a notoriety of not only raping and
killing at random but terrorizing any who dare even question (let
alone oppose) the CPM power brokers at all levels. They have used this
brutality not only against the Maoists, not only against the
parliamentary opposition, but also against its very own left partners.
Its social fascist fangs were clearly displayed at Singur and
Nandigram. And in these decades of CPM rule, while the Party bosses
and their henchmen have made fortunes, the lives of the people
continue to be as miserable as ever. The CPM offices in the localities
have become the fountain head of its terror regime. It is nothing but
white terror at its worst. Without smashing this authority any real
work in rural West Bengal is unthinkable. The semi-feudal type
authority of these new elite when smashed only will facilitate the
growth of a real democratic authority of the peasants and landless
labourers of rural West Bengal. Besides, at the local level the CPM
and its main cadre force act as the eyes and ears of the state giving
information to the police on Maoist activities.
In this scenario what is to be done? How does one build an effective
mass movement? The smallest form of independent organization will be
smashed in the bud by these goons. They do not permit any democratic
space. So, if some democratic space is to be made, this is
inconceivable without armed actions on its goon force (armed to the
teeth) and their CPM bosses. It is only by smashing this authority
that the new democratic
authority of the peasant organization can come into being and grow. In
rural India the semi-feudal type autocratic atmosphere allows for
little democratic space. This democratic space can only be created by
destroying this authority, not by adjusting with it in the name of
democracy.
In Jangalmahal too it was seen that with the entry of the security
forces the CPM bosses sought to make a comeback. In this area the CPM
leadership is the main enemy of the people. The mass anger too is
directed at them. But the CPM bosses and their armed gangs function
through their cadre base in the region. If this social-fascist
authority is to be uprooted thoroughly the kingpins have to be crushed
and the poisonous weeds they sprout in the area uprooted. Only then
the place will become safe for the people to mobilize and operate in.
It is indeed creditable that Maoists and the people could continue
their campaign against this terror force even after the entry of the
huge security forces. The CPM looters were dreaming of a come-back.
Aneek and Rana say these attacks on the CPM are no different as to
what the CPM was doing; this too they say is nothing but terror.
Unfortunately these two do not see the class content of the actions of
the two forces -- one being that of the ruling elite, the other of the
oppressed masses who try them in people"s courts. Without a class
approach it is natural to fall into the above trap. Besides, many of
these M-L forces have been hob-knobbing with the CPM and taking
favours; this tends to blunt their class stand. True, as they say,
both are creating terror -- the CPM white terror, the Maoists red
terror. The Maoists" terror and panic is only in the minds of the CPM
and state forces; for the people they can for the first time in
decades get a breath of freedom. True peace can be achieved only if
the security forces withdraw and the people establish their own
democratic organs of power in village after village, free from the
terror of the CPM hoodlums.
Conclusion
These then are some of the main points being raised. We hope this has
helped clarify some of the misconceptions of comrades on the path of
the Maoists in general and that of the Lalgarh movement in particular.
In fact, the Lalgarh experiment has many lessons for the revolu-
tionaries. It is important that this movement sustains and grows both
in depth and extent. It is a hope once again for the people of West
Bengal who were put into three-and-a-half decades of slumber by the
CPM revisionist domination over the state. This had lulled the Bengali
population, with its great revolutionary traditions, putting them into
a stupor, of which the Aneek/Rana views are a continued reflection.
Lalgarh has once again awakened the revolutionary hope of the people
of that state, shown up the CPM revisionists for what they really are
-- social fascists, and inspired the youth to once again take to the
Naxalbari path.
bademiyansubhanallah
India is “losing battle Maoist”
Posted by Indian Vanguard on September 16, 2009
The Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said his country is losing
the battle against Maoist rebels.M. Singh told a meeting of chiefs of
police of different states that the rebel violence is increasing the
appeal of the Maoists has been growing.
The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of the poor.They
operate in a wide band of territory in central India, and parts have
virtually replaced the local government. More than 6,000 people were
killed during their 20-year fight for a communist state.
‘Going Up’
“I always felt that in many respects, left-wing extremism is probably
the most serious threat to internal security of our country is
facing,” Mr Singh told a conference of leaders Police in the Indian
capital, Delhi.
“We have discussed over the last five years and I must say frankly
that we did not get as successful as we would like to contain this
threat.”The Prime Minister said that despite all efforts by the
government, Maoist violence in areas affected by the rising.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that the Maoists had increased use
among a large part of Indian society, including tribal communities,
the rural poor as well as sections of the intelligentsia and youth. M.
Singh said that a more sensitive approach was needed to deal with the
Maoists.
“Dealing with extremism on the left requires a nuanced strategy – a
holistic approach. It can not be treated as a matter of law and
order.” The rebels operate in 182 districts of India, mainly in the
states of Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya
Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal.
In some regions, they have virtually replaced the local government and
are able to mount spectacular attacks on government facilities. The
rebels say they are fighting for the rights of poor peasants and
landless workers.
bademiyansubhanallah
Maoists target only corrupt people: Jharkhand Governor K
Sankaranarayanan
Posted by Indian Vanguard on September 15, 2009
RANCHI: The Governor had recently said that Maoists target only
corrupt people. Reacting to that, Sinha said by issuing such
statements, Sankaranarayanan has branded all martyrs and political
leaders killed by Maoists as corrupt. "It is unfortunate that a person
of Governor’s stature could issue such a deplorable statement. He must
give an explanation and abstain from glorifying the outlaws," Sinha
said at a press conference here on Monday.
He further stated that such statements would only encourage Maoists
and hamper police morale on the other. "No policeman would dare
sacrifice his life once he realises that the government will brand him
as corrupt if killed by Maoists," said Sinha.
The former Union finance minister even accused Congress of patronising
corrupt officials to divert NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act) funds for election expenses. "At a recent meeting with district
officials, the government agreed that around Rs 1,000 crore under the
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was surrendered. It is
shameful and the governor should be held responsible for this," he
said.
Citing example of a road being constructed at Morda village under Gola
block of Ramgarh district, Sinha said though Rs 5 lakh was released to
build a pebbled road, not a single inch of work has been done yet.
Once a complaint was lodged, it was investigated by the junior
engineer, who readily gave a clean chit to the contractor. "This
happens only when a contractor acts in connivance with government
officials. But the government has not taken any action yet," Sinha
said.
Speaking about the discrepancies in the BPL list, Sinha said new names
must be included in the BPL list. "I was told that there is a
restriction from the Union government against adding new names. But
the situation in Jharkhand is different in wake of the drought," he
said, threatening to launch an agitation from October 11 if the
Governor does not ensure inclusion of new names within 15 days. TOI
bademiyansubhanallah
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Communist Party of India (Maoist)
Documents, Statements, and Interviews of Leaders
Documents Which are Banned in India
BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET has no formal or direct connection with the
Communist Party of India (Maoist), or with any other party for that
matter. But we object to the suppression of the views and ideas put
forward by the CPI(Maoist) by the undemocratic central and state
governments of India. For this reason we are making copies of many CPI
(Maoist) documents available on this site, documents which the
reactionary authorities in India wish to suppress and keep from the
people.
Notes: Many of the documents below are available in several
different formats. The items which are described as “pamphlet format”
seem to have been laid out so that they can be printed and folded
together as pamphlets.
•CPI(Maoist) Comments on Nepal:
◦ (Posted: Aug. 15, 2009) “Open Letter to Unified Communist Party of
Nepal (Maoist) from the Communist Party of India (Maoist)”. This is
the revised and finalized version of this important 24-page document,
dated July 20, 2009. PDF format (539 KB); MS Word format (156 KB)
◦“The political crisis in Nepal is the result of Indo-US conspiracy!
Oppose the attempts by Indian expansionists to meddle in the internal
affairs of Nepal! People’s democracy can be established in Nepal only
by smashing the old state!!”, press release by Azad for the CPI
(Maoist) Central Committee, May 5, 2009. PDF format (228 KB); MS
Word format (36 KB)
◦“Interview with Comrade Azad, spokesperson of the CC, CPI(Maoist) on
the present developments in Nepal”, from the CPI(Maoist) Information
Bulletin, #2, May 10, 2008. PDF format (419 KB); MS Word format
(78 KB)
◦“CPI(Maoist) Statement on Nepal Election”, a press release by Azad
for the CPI(Maoist) Central Committee, April 24, 2008. PDF format
(110 KB); MS Word format (34 KB)
◦“Paper Presented by the Communist Party of India (Maoist) on the
Occasion of the International Meeting of Maoist Parties &
Organisations Held From December 26, 2006”, The Worker, No. 11, July
2007, pp. 39-47, published by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).
HTML format; PDF format (269 KB); MS Word format (69 KB)
◦“A New Nepal Can Emerge Only by Smashing the Reactionary State!
Depositing Arms of the PLA under UN Supervision Would Lead to the
Disarming of the Masses!!”, a press release by Azad for the CPI
(Maoist) Central Committee, Nov. 13, 2006. PDF format (79 KB); MS
Word format (36 KB)
◦“Joint Press Release of CPN(Maoist) & CPI(Maoist)”, on recent debates
between the two parties and against the Israeli attack on Lebanon.
Signed by Azad for the CPI(Maoist) and Satya for the CPN(Maoist), Aug.
8, 2006. PDF format (88 KB); MS Word format (31 KB)
◦“There is Need for Caution With Present Tactics”, an interview with
CPI(Maoist) spokesman Azad by People’s March, end of June, 2006. PDF
format (295 KB); MS Word format (94 KB)
◦“Message from the CC(P), CPI(Maoist) On the Occasion of the 10th
Anniversary of the Initiation of People’s War in Nepal”, a press
release from Feb. 10, 2006. HTML format
•2009:
◦“CPI(Maoist) Message to the People of Lalgarh: We Hail Your Glorious
Struggle! Your Mass Upsurge Inspires Millions to Spread the Red Flame
of Lalgarh to Every Corner of the Country!!”, July 15, 2009. PDF
format (126 KB); MS Word format (32 KB)
◦“Extracts of Interviews with Comrade Bimal, Politburo Member of the
CPI(Maoist)”, taken from newspapers, May and June 2009. PDF format
(162 KB); MS Word format (38 KB)
◦“We Will Spread this Fire”, Comrade Manoj, a prominent CPI(Maoist)
leader in Lalgarh, tells his story to The Times of India, June 21,
2009. PDF format (146 KB); MS Word format (32 KB)
◦“Our Aim is to Break CPM Shackles”, an interview with Comrade Bikash,
the Zonal Committee Secretary of the CPI(Maoist) for West Midnapore,
Bankura and Purulia districts. The Hindustan Times, June 18, 2009.
PDF format (139 KB); MS Word format (30 KB)
◦“Hail the heroic martyrdom of our beloved comrades Patel Sudhakar
Reddy [Vikas] and Venkatayya! Let us pledge to fulfill their dreams
with redoubled determination!!”, a Party letter in June, 2009. PDF
format (81 KB); MS Word format (42 KB)
◦“Post-Election Situation — Our Tasks”, a circular from the
Politbureau of the CPI(Maoist) dated June 12, 2009. PDF format (260
KB); MS Word format (119 KB)
◦“Condemn the savage bombing of Afghan civilians by Obama’s mercenary
army! Isolate and defeat the hegemonic designs of American imperialism
in South and Central Asia!”, press release by Azad for the CPI(Maoist)
Central Committee, May 8, 2009. PDF format (211 KB); MS Word
format (36 KB)
◦“Crores on Propaganda Shows Rulers Desperate: Azad, CPI(Maoist)”, an
interview with CPI(Maoist) spokesman Azad which appeared in The Times
of India on May 2, 2009. PDF format (56 KB); MS Word format (34
KB)
◦“Red salutes to the fighting masses who boycotted the sham elections
confronting the state’s wide-spread violence and repression!”, press
statement by Gudsa Usendi, spokesperson for the Dandakaranya Special
Zonal Committee, CPI(Maoist), April 28, 2009. PDF format (218 KB);
MS Word format (48 KB)
◦“We Want a Sustainable Development Path and Inclusive Growth
Trajectory that Won’t Divest the Poor from the Fruits of their Labor”,
an interview with Comrade Bimal, Politburo member of the CPI(Maoist)
by The Times of India, which appeared on April 27, 2009. PDF format
(213 KB); MS Word format (42 KB)
◦“Condemn the genocide of the Tamil people by the Sinhala chauvinist,
neo-Nazi fascist rulers of Sri Lanka! Let us unite to fight against
UPA government’s support to Rajapakse’s genocidal war on Tamil
nation!!”, press statement by Azad for the Central Committee of the CPI
(Maoist), April 24, 2009. PDF format (210 KB); MS Word format (37
KB)
◦“Parliament is an instrument of oppression and terror in the hands of
the reactionary ruling classes, Boycott the parliamentary election!
Advance the people’s war to establish organs of genuine people’s
revolutionary-democratic power!!”, press statement by Azad for the
Central Committee of the CPI(Maoist), April 2, 2009. PDF format (256
KB); MS Word format (40 KB)
◦“Parliamentary Democracy is an Illusion for the Masses! Revolution is
Their Reality!”, statement by Azad for the Central Committee of the CPI
(Maoist) — March 12, 2009. PDF format (391 KB); MS Word format (50
KB)
◦“Mahanakal Attack — A fitting reply to the ongoing police repression,
illegal arrests and fake encounters”, press statement by Sujatha
Nuroti, Secretary of the North Bastar Divisional Committee, of the CPI
(Maoist), Feb. 25, 2009. PDF format (193 KB); MS Word format (31
KB)
◦“Condemn Brutal Massacre of 17 Adivasis in Fake Encounter near
Singaaram in South Bastar! Observe Black Day and Bandh on 26 January
in Protest against the repressive, blood-thirsty regime of Raman
Singh!”, press statement by Gudsa Usendi, spokesperson, Dandakaranya
Special Zonal Committee, CPI(Maoist), Jan. 14, 2009. PDF format (194
KB); MS Word format (38 KB)
◦“Condemn the brutal aggression of Gaza by the Israeli Zionist
terrorists backed by the biggest international terrorist, US
imperialism!”, press statement by Azad for the Central Committee of
the CPI(Maoist), Jan. 9, 2009. PDF format (133 KB); MS Word format
(32 KB)
•2008:
◦ (Posted: Sept. 11, 2009) “Present Political Situation — Our
Tasks”, a resolution of the Political Bureau of the CPI(Maoist) dated
Dec. 20, 2008. (This 20-page document was published in Kolkata on Jan.
26, 2009.) PDF format (73 KB); MS Word format (76 KB)
◦“The ever-deepening crisis in the global economy points once again to
the urgent need to overthrow the rapacious capitalist system and usher
in socialism!”, press statement by Azad for the Central Committee of
the CPI(Maoist), Nov. 17, 2008. PDF format (227 KB); MS Word
format (33 KB)
◦“Barack Obama's Presidency cannot refurbish the image of American
imperialism! Oppressed nations and people of the world should unite to
defeat U.S. imperialism!!”, press statement by Azad for the Central
Committee of the CPI(Maoist), Nov. 15, 2008. PDF format (202 KB);
MS Word format (35 KB)
◦“Saffron Terrorism — The Most Dangerous Enemy of the Entire Indian
People”, a press release on Nov. 11, 2008 by Azad for the CPI(Maoist)
condemning Hindu and Hindu-led government terrorism directed against
Muslims. PDF format (142 KB); MS Word format (34 KB)
◦“Boycott the upcoming Assembly elections in the six states! Fight
back state terror and state-sponsored terror, the reactionary anti-
people policies of the Congress and its UPA allies, Hindu fascist
terror of the neo-Nazi BJP-RSS-Bajrang Dal-BJD, and the social-fascist
offensive of the so-called Left Front led by the CPI(M)!! Advance the
people’s war in the country and establish people’s revolutionary
power!!”, press statement by Azad for the Central Committee of the CPI
(Maoist), Nov. 5, 2008. PDF format (219 KB); MS Word format (63
KB)
◦“Joint Declaration Between the CPI(Maoist) and the Revolutionary
People’s Front [of Manipur] on 22nd October 2008” PDF format (206
KB); MS Word format (48 KB)
◦“Condemn the gruesome killing of innocent people in the New Delhi
bomb blasts! Resist the moves of the rulers to enact draconian acts to
suppress the people!”, press statement by Azad for the Central
Committee of the CPI(Maoist), Sept. 19, 2008. PDF format (182 KB);
MS Word format (61 KB)
◦“Condemn the continuing brutal attacks on the Christian community by
the saffron terrorists aided by the state! All secular and democratic
forces! Unite to fight back VHP-Bajrang Dal-RSS-BJP fascist neo-Nazi
gangs who are bent upon ethnic cleansing!!”, press statement by Azad
for the Central Committee of the CPI(Maoist), Sept. 19, 2008. PDF
format (180 KB); MS Word format (62 KB)
◦“Condemn the Brutal Murder of Com. Tutul by Bangladesh RAB”, press
statement by Azad for the Central Committee of the CPI(Maoist), August
28, 2008. PDF format (154 KB); MS Word format (33 KB)
◦Press statement on Kashmir self-determination: “Azad Kashmir is the
birth right of every Kashmiri! Arrests and massacres cannot crush the
right to national self-determination! People of India! Rise up in
support of the just and democratic struggle of the people of Kashmir!!
Fight back the brutal onslaught of the Indian fascist stte!!”, press
statement by Azad for the Central Committee of the CPI(Maoist), August
27, 2008. PDF format (155 KB); MS Word format (32 KB)
◦“Re-imposition of ban on SIMI [Student Islamic Movement of India] is
reiteration of UPA government’s intention to continue its brutal war
on Muslims! Secular and democratic forces of India! Let us unite to
fight back the assaults by the reactionary ruling classes on the
fundamental rights of the people!!”, press statement by Azad for the
Central Committee of the CPI(Maoist), August 17, 2008. PDF format
(255 KB); MS Word format (33 KB)
◦“Hail the historic attack by the PLGA warriors in Andhra-Orissa
Border on the anti-people blood-thirsty Greyhound forces that had
unleashed a reign of terror in Andhra Pradesh! Our PLGA and
revolutionary masses will punish the Congress leaders and the police
officials if they indulge in attacks on innocent people and
revolutionary sympathizers in the name of retaliation!!”, press
statement issued jointly by Azad for the Central Committee, and
Basavaraj, spokesperson for the Central Military Commission of the CPI
(Maoist), July 1, 2008. PDF format (181 KB); MS Word format (40
KB)
◦“CPI(Maoist) condoles the demise of renowned social worker & friend
of Adivasis Baba Amte”, press release by Kosa, Secretary of the
Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, CPI(Maoist), Feb. 13, 2008.
PDF format (111 KB); MS Word format (28 KB)
•2007:
◦“Hail the Martyrdom of central committee member of CPI(Maoist) and
beloved leader of the Indian people comrade Ajayda!”, a press release
by Ganapathy on Aug. 25, 2007. HTML format.
◦“Scrap the Indo-US Nuclear Deal! Oppose UPA’s Traitorous Policy of
Mortgaging Our Country’s Interests to the US Imperialists”, a press
release by Azad for the CPI(Maoist) on Aug. 16, 2007. HTML format.
◦“Interview with Com. Ganapathy”, from The Worker, #11, July 2007,
published by the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). HTML format;
PDF format (255 KB)
◦“Press Release on Gujarat Encounter Killings”, by Azad for the CPI
(Maoist) on May 8, 2007. PDF format (192 KB); MS Word format (35
KB)
◦“Carry Forward the Heroic Anti-Imperialist Traditions of 1857!!”, a
press release by Azad for the CPI(Maoist) on May 5, 2007. PDF format
(49 KB); MS Word format (32 KB)
•Unity Congress/9th Congress (Jan.-Feb. 2007):
◦“Call of the Unity Congress — 9th Congress of the CPI(Maoist)”, Feb.
1, 2007. PDF format (112 KB); MS Word format (38 KB)
◦“Resolution on Farmers’ Suicides” PDF format (139 KB); MS Word
format (29 KB)
◦“Resolution Against Hindu Fascism” PDF format (107 KB); MS Word
format (31 KB)
◦“Resolution on Prisoners’ Struggles” PDF format (157 KB); MS Word
format (34 KB)
◦“Resolution on State Violence Against Women” PDF format (105 KB);
MS Word format (31 KB)
◦“Resolution on Nationality Struggles” PDF format (103 KB); MS
Word format (29 KB)
◦“Resolution on the Killings of Dalits in Khairlanji” PDF format
(103 KB); MS Word format (29 KB)
◦“Resolution on Peoples’ Struggles the World Over” PDF format (143
KB); MS Word format (29 KB)
◦“CPI(Maoist) Completes its Much-Awaited Historic Unity Congress-9th
Congress: A Turning Point in Indian Revolution”, statement by General
Secretary Ganapathi, Feb. 19, 2007. PDF format (101 KB); MS Word
format (38 KB)
•2006:
◦“Salwa Judum: A ‘New Front’ of ‘Hidden War’, the Inside Story”, by
the CPI(Maoist) Chhattisgarh State Committee, Nov. 30, 2006.
MS Word format (311 KB) Pamphlet format (PDF: 486 KB)
◦ (Posted: Aug. 26, 2009) “Maoists in India: A Rejoinder”, by Azad,
spokesperson for the CPI(Maoist), Economic and Political Weekly, Oct.
14, 2006. This important 10-page article responds to a special issue
of the E&PW which distorted the CPI(Maoist) position on many issues.
In it Azad discusses the Maoist model of economic development, the
violence of the oppressed against the violence of the state, “identity
politics” on the caste and tribal questions, and the path to
revolution in India. PDF format (188 KB); MS Word format (92 KB).
◦“South Asia Is Indeed Becoming a Storm Centre of World Revolution”,
an interview with Comrade Ganapathy, General Secretary of the CPI
(Maoist), from The Worker, #10, May 2006, published by the Communist
Party of Nepal (Maoist). PDF format (157 KB); MS Word format (73
KB).
◦“Condemn the brutal state-sponsored Salwa Judum terror campaign
against the Maoists and the revolutionary masses of Chattisgarh! Our
retaliation is only against the police-paramilitary-Congress-BJP
gangster combine that is perpetrating gory massacres of innocent
adivasis!!”, a press release by Ganapathy, General Secretary of the CPI
(Maoist), circa March 2006. PDF format (228 KB); MS Word format
(41 KB).
◦“Communist Party of India (Maoist) Strongly Condemns the Imposition
of Emergency in Philippines”, a press statement on March 1, 2006.
HTML format.
◦“Racist cartoons against Prophet Mohammed are a deliberate conspiracy
of the imperialists to denigrate the Muslim community!”, a press
release by Azad for the Central Committee of the CPI(Maoist), Feb. 26,
2006. HTML format.
•2005:
◦“On The Heroic Raid on Girdhi Armoury of Home Guards”, a press
statement by the Special Area Military Commission, CPI(Maoist), Dec.
20, 2005. HTML format.
◦“Declaring CPI(Maoist) as ‘terrorist’ by the US imperialists is
direct intervention in the internal affairs of India!”, a press
release by Prashant for the Central Committee (P) of the CPI(Maoist),
April 30, 2005. HTML format.
•Founding Documents (Sept. 2004):
◦“Party Programme”, by the Central Committee (Provisional) of the CPI
(Maoist), Sept. 21, 2004.
Pamphlet format (PDF: 70 KB) MS Word format (108 KB)
◦“Political Resolution”, by the Central Committee (P) of the CPI
(Maoist), Sept. 21, 2004.
Pamphlet format (PDF: 152 KB)
◦“Hold High the Bright Red Banner of Marxism-Leninism-Maoism”, by the
Central Committee (P) of the CPI(Maoist), Sept. 21, 2004.
Pamphlet format (PDF: 85 KB)
◦“Strategy & Tactics of the Indian Revolution”, by the Central
Committee (P) of the CPI(Maoist), Sept. 21, 2004.
Pamphlet format (PDF: 297 KB)
◦“Constitution of the CPI(Maoist)”. Not dated, but from the founding
of the Party.
MS Word format (79 KB)
◦“Joint Press Statement Upon the Merger of MCCI and CPI-ML(People’s
War) and the Founding of the Communist Party of India (Maoist)”, Oct.
14, 2004.
HTML format
◦“Joint Interview of the General Secretaries of the Erstwhile CPI(ML)
(PW) & the MCCI on the Occasion of the Merger of the Two Parties and
the Formation of the Communist Party of India (Maoist)”, Nov. 7, 2004.
People’s March, Supplement Nov.-Dec. 2004.
MS Word format (130 KB)
•Dates Uncertain:
◦“Our Work in Urban Areas” — We believe that this is a genuine
document originally created by the CPI-ML (People’s War) group,
probably from late 2001 or early 2002, which we think was then adopted
(possibly with modifications) by the CPI(Maoist) at the time of its
formation in 2004, or soon afterwards. However, this version was taken
from a ruling class’ web site, and therefore we can not be 100%
certain that it is a genuine and fully correct CPI(Maoist) document.
PDF format (348 KB); MS Word format (239 KB)
•Documents of the CPI-ML (People’s War) Group:
◦“Introduction to the Policy Programme of Janathana Sarkar”, June 1,
2004. On the setting up of People’s Governments. MS Word format (83
KB)
Additional documents will be posted later. If you know of other
CPI(Maoist) documents which should be posted here please contact us.
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http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/CPIMaoistToLalgarh.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Interviews/Bimal-InterviewExtracts-0906.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Misc/WeWillSpreadThisFire-090621.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Interviews/Bikash-090618.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Circulars/PartyLetterOnMartyrdomOfVikas.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Circulars/Post-electionSituation-PB-circular.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/CondemnAfghanistanBombing-090508.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Interviews/Elections2009Interview.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/DandakaranyaSZC-090428.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Interviews/Bimal-090427.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/AgainstSriLankanGenocide-090424.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/AgainstSriLankanGenocide-090424.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/Elections2009.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/MahanakalAttack-090225.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/MassacreOfAdivasis-090114.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/CondemnZionists-090109.pdf
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http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/GlobalEconomicCrisis-081117.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/ObamaPresidency-081115.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/SaffronTerrorism2008.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/BoycottAssemblyElections-081105.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/CPIM-RPF2008.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/NewDelhiBombings-080919.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/AttacksOnChristians-080919.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/BangladeshMurder-080828.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/KashmirSelfDetermination-080827.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/BanOnSIMI-080817.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/PLGA-Attack-080701.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/BabaAmte-080213.pdf
bademiyansubhanallah
Press Release: August 25, 2007
Communist Party of India (Maoist)Central Committee
Hail the Martyrdom of central committee member of CPI(Maoist)
and beloved leader of the Indian people comrade Ajayda!
COMRADE Ajayda, the beloved and respected senior leader of CPI
(Maoist), passed away suddenly on 15th August 2007 due to severe
attack of cerebral malaria. Comrade Ajayda was attacked by malaria in
the first week of August after his return from one of the Guerrilla
Zones where he had gone to attend an important meeting. It was
suspected to be viral fever first but since it was malaria his
condition worsened and even the best efforts of doctors could not save
his life. In fact, due to the existing unjust social system and the
pro-imperialist policies of the reactionary Indian ruling classes
diseases like malaria devour millions upon millions of people every
year and comrade Ajayda has also become one of such victims.
With the martyrdom of Comrade Ajayda CPI(Maoist) has lost one of
its elderly leaders who played a significant role in three decades of
Indian revolution and in the formation of the new Party. CC, CPI
(Maoist), on behalf of the entire Party, Central Military Commission
(CMC) and the entire PLGA, all the organs of revolutionary people’s
democratic power, all the revolutionary and democratic mass
organisations, and all the revolutionary sympathisers and
revolutionary masses of our country bows its head humbly and pays its
red homage to our beloved leader comrade Ajayda. It shares its grief
with heavy heart with the rank and file of the Party, the West Bengal
State Committee in particular, the entire revolutionary camp, and his
family members and friends and expresses its deep, heart-felt
revolutionary condolences to all of them.
Comrade Ajayda was a veteran leader of our Party with almost
four decades of revolutionary life. He was inspired by communist
politics during his student days in 1960s in West Bengal. He was one
among the thousands of young pioneers of the new generation who
originated from the ideological and political struggle in the
international arena by the CPC under the leadership of Mao against the
modern revisionism of CPSU and the great Cultural Revolution that
shook the entire world. He was a product of the bitter ideological-
political struggle against the revisionist and neo-revisionist
leadership of CPI and CPI(Marxist). When working as a government
employee he was inspired very much by the great Naxalbari
revolutionary armed uprising and the leadership of comrade Charu
Mazumdar and joined the CPI(ML) in the end of 1960s. He was arrested
in 1972 and spent over five years in different prisons of Kolkata in
inhuman conditions during the fascist President Rule and black days of
the ‘Emergency’ period.
He was one of founding members of CPI(ML)-Party Unity and one of
the first State Committee members of the CPI(ML). He was also one of
the leaders of heroic peasant armed struggles of Nadia district of
West Bengal. As a CCM and a senior leader of CPI(ML)-PU, he played a
significant role in achieving the unity between the PU and PW and
latter on unity between MCCI and PW. He was a founding CCM of Unified
CPI(ML)[PW] formed in August 1998 and also the CPI(Maoist).
Since the beginning of the revolutionary movement of West Bengal
in the late sixties, he stood firmly and steadfastly at the time of
barbarous repression, in the midst of heavy losses, and in the period
of long setback of the revolutionary movement in the entire country.
He firmly upheld the Party line in the long period of setback, splits
and hardships. He boldly faced the cruel enemy. Comrade Ajayda firmly
upheld the red bright banner of MLM and bitterly opposed revisionism
of all hues that reared its ugly head in the international arena and
in the communist movement of our country. Throughout his long
revolutionary life he never compromised on principles, and fought
spiritedly not only against the reactionary Indian ruling classes and
the monster of imperialism, but also against revisionism in all its
varied forms.
Neither his lean physique, ill health nor growing age [63] ever
dampened his spirits or made him shirk from his revolutionary
responsibilities. He boldly fought against deviations from the Party
line during the internal crisis in PU in 1987 and on other occasions.
He served as the head of Party’s education department—SCOPE—for about
two years after the 2001 Party Congress of erstwhile CPI(ML)[PW]. He
played a notable role in studying agrarian relations in the
countryside and could mingle easily with the cadres and masses.
Comrade Ajayda served in the publication department for a long time
and contributed to the Party magazines both in erstwhile PU, unified
PW and the new Party. He wrote proficiently both in English and
Bengali. He had great ideological-political depth rooted in long
period of diligent study of theory of MLM combined with practical
experience.
Throughout his revolutionary life comrade Ajayda upheld
communist values and ideals. He was known for his simplicity,
commitment and gentle nature. He remained a bachelor all his life
driven by the idealistic notion prevalent in the early period of the
revolutionary upsurge that marriage would come in the way of
revolutionary activity.
The martyrdom of comrade Ajayda is a great loss to the Indian
revolution. The CC calls upon the entire Party cadre, PLGA fighters
and the revolutionary masses to face this situation boldly and carry
forward the cause for which comrade Ajayda had laid down his life with
unflinching determination. The CC vows to persist in the great task of
building PLA and establishing base areas and intensifying and
expanding the people’s war throughout the country to complete the
liberation of our country from the clutches of imperialism, CBB and
feudalism and establish a new classless society.
Ganapathy
General Secretary,
CPI(Maoist)
[From People’s March, Vol. 8, No. 10, October 2007.]
bademiyansubhanallah
Press Release: August 16, 2007
Scrap the Indo-US Nuclear Deal!
Oppose UPA’s Traitorous Policy of Mortgaging
Our Country’s Interests to the US Imperialists!
THE so-called Indo-US Civil Nuclear Energy Deal or the 123
Agreement, hailed as a historic pact by the comprador Congress party,
is actually a total sell-out of the country’s interests and
sovereignty to the US imperialists. The CC, CPI(Maoist), considers
this Agreement as anti-national and anti-people and condemns this
abject surrender by the comprador Congress-led UPA government to US
imperialist pressure. It warns that the Nuclear Deal will lead to
perpetual dependence of our country on US imperialism.
The deal is shrouded in utmost secrecy and the entire country is
kept in the dark for almost two weeks since its signing by the two
sides on July 22. Finally, with the consent of the US, the traitorous
UPA regime released the text of the Agreement on 3rd August. Public
consent was sought to be manufactured through lies and distorted
information by the Prime Minister and other Congress leaders and
government officials. Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Atomic Energy
Commission (AEC), canvassed for support even before the text of the
Agreement was released. The actual content of the Agreement and the
Clauses that compromise India’s sovereignty were hidden behind a
barrage of official lies and deliberate distortions. The undemocratic
and conspiratorial nature of the Agreement is that it is dictated by
Washington and not even placed before the Parliament.
Based on the notorious Henry Hyde Act of the US Congress, the
123 agreement restricts the right to nuclear testing by India. The US
President will have discretionary powers to terminate the civil
nuclear cooperation if India conducts a nuclear test. The real essence
of the 123 agreements can be captured from the remarks made by US
Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns, who negotiated the Agreement
on behalf of the US, that the U.S. had “preserved intact” the
President’s right under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to ask for
return of nuclear fuel or nuclear technologies transferred by American
firms if India conducted a nuclear test. He categorically stated that
the Agreement was fully in accordance with the Hyde Act. A Clause of
the 123 Agreement makes it obligatory for India to facilitate the
entry of experts “when execution of an agreement or contract pursuant
to this agreement” requires this.
Moreover, the civilian nuclear agreement between India and the
U.S would threaten regional stability and widen the gulf between India
and Pakistan. By facilitating India to produce significant quantities
of fissile material and nuclear weapons with US blessings, the Nuclear
Deal will ignite an arms race in South Asia with serious implications
for the strategic stability of the region. India would become the
regional satrap for American imperialism and will be used by the
latter for furthering American hegemony over South Asia. The dalals in
Delhi had shamelessly agreed to place the interests of our country and
people at the feet of the US imperialists and the US multinational
companies in exchange for a few concessions and crumbs. The
expansionist Indian ruling classes, with their eyes on the
neighbouring countries, have stooped like slaves before the US
imperialists in order to play the role of regional chieftains.
It is the US MNCs like GE and Westinghouse which will derive
huge profits from the energy contracts and hence these vultures played
a key role in pushing the Deal onto India’s back. Thus at one stroke,
the American imperialists would curtail India’s sovereignty as well as
squeeze it of its wealth. The nuclear deal makes our country fully
dependent on the US for nuclear fuel supplies and by giving the U.S.
the right to terminate the agreement “on one year’s written notice”;
India will be pushed deep into the vice-like grip of the US
imperialists. It will have no other alternative than to dance to
American imperialist tune and will become a victim of US blackmail.
The Agreement is a grave insult to more than a billion people of our
country. The entire country should stand up unitedly to boldly oppose
this despicable act of the comprador UPA government led by the
Congress which mortgages our country’s sovereignty to US imperialism,
places the country completely at the mercy and whims of the US,
undermines indigenous development, and transforms India into a willing
pawn of US imperialism. The so-called Left parties, which have been
crying hoarse that the 123 Agreement is a surrender to US by the
Manmohan Singh Government, are shamelessly continuing to support the
very same government and thus are acting as accomplices. They should
immediately withdraw their support to the UPA government or else they
will go down in history as no less responsible for this abject
surrender of the country’s interests to US imperialism.
Azad,
Spokesperson,
Central Committee,
bademiyansubhanallah
Guest Columns
Interview with Com. Ganapathy
[Comrade Ganapathy is the General Secretary of the newly formed
Communist Party of India (Maoist) after the unity between the
erstwhile CPI(ML)(PW) and MCCI and he was also General Secretary
during the period of CPI(ML)(PWG) and thereafter CPI(ML)(PW) which was
formed after the merger of erstwhile CPI(ML)(PWG) and CPI(ML)(Party
Unity). This interview was prepared by CPI(Maoist) by collecting the
questions sent by various news papers and media including the BBC and
the reply given by Com. Ganaathy. Hoping that it will help many many
readers of various parts of the world who strive very hard to get
information of the revolutionary activities of the world in general
and that of South Asia in particular which is considered as the storm
centre of the world revolution, this interview has been published here
by selecting some of them. —Editor]
Q. What are the major decisions of the Unity Congress will there be
any change in your overall plans and tactics now?
The general direction of the Congress is to intensify the people’s war
and to take the war to all fronts. Concretely it decided to take the
guerrilla war to a higher level of mobile war in the areas where
guerrilla war is in an advanced stage and to expand the areas of armed
struggle to as many states as possible. The destruction of the enemy
forces has come into the immediate agenda in these areas without which
it is very difficult to consolidate our gains or to advance further.
Likewise, there is an immediate need to transform a vast area into the
war zone so that there is enough room for maneuverability for our
guerrilla forces, and in expansion the element so secrecy is very
important; keeping in view the massive deployment of the central
forces and special police forces of the states the Congress had drawn
up plans to adopt various creative forms to cause serious damage to
the enemy forces. The police and central forces will be taught how
dangerous it is to enter our areas. We decided to strengthen the Party
and the PLGA, mobilize the masses actively to resist the enemy forces,
and to transform these areas into our strong bases by destroying the
enemy’s power in all forms. And all this will be achieved by wide
mobilization of the masses into the war. As it is, hundreds of people,
and at times even more than a thousand, are involved in the attacks
against the enemy as you can see from the recent counter offensive
operations as in Rani Bodili, Riga, CISF camp in Bokaro district, and
so on in the past one month itself.
With the experience we gained in AP in the midst of ever-increasing
and continuous state repression and state-sponsored repression, it is
all the more important that our forces are not exposed wherever they
are working. But at the same time we shall be in the forefront of
every people’s movement. The Congress has decided to take up struggles
against the SEZs [Special Economic Zones] which are nothing but neo-
colonial enclaves on Indian territory. They are not just snatching
fertile farmlands of the peasants but are transforming the entire
country into special zones for the unhindered ruthless exploitation
and control by imperialists and the comprador big business houses. The
congress gave the call to go deep into these struggles. We have no
illusions on the cruel, fascist nature of the Indian state, and hence
there is utmost need for maintaining secret methods of work as well as
to be prepared for every kind of sacrifice.
Q: Finally, how do you I sum up the achievements of your Unity
Congress and its significance?
Ans: Our Unity Congress is an event of great historic significance in
the history of the revolutionary movement of India. It not only marks
the near-completion of the process of unification of the Maoist forces
in the country but also the consolidation of the Party and the
political line for the Indian revolution. The reaffirmation and
enrichment of the revolutionary political line established by our
founder leaders—comrades CM and KC—is the biggest achievement of
significance is the establishment of a unified centralized leadership
for the Indian revolution.
After a long time in the history of the revolutionary communist
movement in India since the 1970s, a single directing centre has come
into existence, with the merger of the MCCI and CPI (ML) [PW] in
September 2004 and this center has become further consolidated and
firmly established in the unity congress with the approval of the
entire Party.
Q: There have been serious losses in Andhra Pradesh in recent times.
What are the reasons? Has your movement become weakened overall? How
do you plan to overcome these losses and regain the initiative?
Ans: I agree that the losses in the state of Andhra Pradesh are quite
serious. They certainly have a considerable impact on the
revolutionary movement in the country as a whole. AP, particularly the
region on North Telangana, has been an important centre of
revolutionary movement for a long period and a great inspiration to
the revolutionary masses of our country. But we have to keep in mind
that so far as the question of establishing base areas goes, it has
been the more backward areas falling in central and eastern India that
were selected by the Party, with the immediate task of liberating
these vast areas. Hence the focus of our movement had gradually
shifted to Dandakaranya and Bihar-Jharkhand.
You must have known that AP was made into a model state, an
experimental state where the imperialists, particularly the World
Bank, and the Indian ruling classes had concentrated to implement
their multi-pronged LIC strategy against the revolutionary movement,
with its focus on brutal suppression and reform. No other state
affected by the Naxalite movement has such a massive police commando
force as in AP, nowhere do you find such extensive intelligence
network, infrastructure, funds training in counter insurgency warfare,
and unlimited powers to the police. No other state had witnessed such
a bloodbath as AP had for the past four decades and particularly from
the mid-1980s. There are hardly any political prisoners in AP jails
since the policy had always been to bump off the revolutionaries—where
they are members of the central committee or sympathizers—after they
are arrested. Fake encounter killings had been the tradition right
from the time of Vengal Rao during the struggle of Srikakulam almost
40 years ago. Thousands of crores have been spent on so-called reforms
with the aim of weaning away a section of the people from the
revolutionary movement. It is a fact that a small but articulate and
influential section in the countryside has been won over through these
reforms. In a word, we can say that the Party and the revolutionary
movement in AP bore the brunt of all the counter-insurgency measures
initiated by the reactionary ruling classes in the initial stages.
Today these are being implemented in several other states. We are
making an in-depth study of enemy’s counter-revolutionary tactics,
plans and methods and taking lessons from these. The movement in AP,
at the cost of huge sacrifices of thousands of comrades has given us
invaluable experiences on how to counter and defeat enemy’s tactics
and plans. With these, the party is now more equipped to defeat the
enemy’s tactics in other states.
Setbacks and losses are not unnatural in protracted people’s war.
Revolution proceeds along a zig zag course and not along a straight
line. The movement in AP has seen many ups and downs. But always it
rose up like the proverbial Phoenix. No doubt, at the present
juncture, we are facing a tough situation in AP and the enemy has the
upper-hand from the tactical point of view. We had lost a good part of
the state leadership and cadre but the most promising aspect is that
the people are still with our party. The support base of the Party has
not eroded much although they meet us secretly, ask to solve their
problems, and they work without getting exposed to the brutal state.
For them our Party is the only hope. People are pained at every loss
suffered by the revolutionaries. You can gauge the mass support from
the turn out at the funeral meetings of out martyrs. In spite of the
threats and restrictions imposed by the police goons, more than 20,000
people had turned up at the funeral of comrade Chandramouli (BK) and
Karuna in the former’s native village of Vadkapur in Karimnagar
district. The pent-up anger and hatred of the people for the
reactionary rulers and their police—Grey Hounds—SIB goons will grow
into a movement of such great proportions that it will wash away the
exploiters and oppressors and all the muck accumulated in society for
long. No force on earth can stop this high tide of revolution whatever
losses and setbacks we might be facing today in AP; that is why while
boasting that Maoists in the state had become completely weakened and
that AP will serve as a model on how to deal with the Maoist movement,
the fascist YSR government has initiated several measures with a long
term plan such as a hundred percent increase in the strength of the
Grey Hounds commando force, acquitting helicopters for anti-Naxal
operations, sanctioning of Rs. 2000 crores of central aid to deal with
the Naxal movement, and so on.
The present historical epoch is an epoch of great turmoil with
tumultuous changes taking place worldwide. Even the mist powerful
militarized imperialist power like the US is finding it impossible to
suppress the national liberation struggle in a small country such as
Iraq or Afghanistan. In India the ruthless exploitation and oppression
of the people by the ruling classes in collaboration with imperialism
has created an explosive situation. Utilizing the excellent
international and domestic situation prevailing today we are confident
we will be able to come out of the temporary setback in AP.
And what is more important, we made advances in many other states in
spite of the losses we had suffered in AP. The situation is now
qualitatively different from that of the earlier periods in that we
are now able to advance the movement in a number of states even if we
suffer losses and setbacks in one or two states. Way back they could
suppress a Naxalbari, a Srikakulam, a Birbhum, a Mushahari, a Kansksa
or Sonapur but today the revolutionary movement has become further
strengthened, has spread to large tracts of the backward countryside,
has well-knit party structures, Army and vast mass base. It is
advancing through centralized planning and direction. Hence it is not
an easy thing for the state to suppress the movement as in the past
although it might achieve an upper hand in one place. The congress had
chalked out a concrete plan to overcome the setback in AP by
transforming the unfavorable factors into favorable ones. Overall
there is great future for the Party and revolution.
Q: Recently your PLGA had inflicted one of the biggest blows to the
police force and the salwa judum by killing a huge number of police
and SPOs in Bodili in Chattisgarh. Do you foresee more such attacks in
near future? And do you believe the salwa judum can be stopped through
such actions?
Ans: The daring tactical counteroffensive operation carried out by the
PLGA led by our Party, the CPI (Maoist), on March 16 on a police base
camp in Ranibodli in Bijapur police district in Chattisgarh in which
68 policemen including Special Police Officers (SPOs) were wiped out
is an inevitable consequence of the brutal reign of terror unleashed
by the state and central governments in the name of salwa judum. You
must know the actual ground situation in Dandakaranya to understand
why such a massive operation had to be planned.
For almost two years since June 2005, the BJP government in
Chattisgarh and the Congress-led UPA government in the Centre had
sponsored a counterrevolutionary terrorist campaign of mass murder,
torture, and arrests of thousands of the adivasi peasantry, gang rapes
and murder of hundreds of women, destruction of thousands of houses,
food grains, and all property of the adivasis, killing or taking away
thousands of cattle, forceful evacuation of tens of thousands of
people from almost eight hundred villages and issuing threats and
intimidation to anyone suspected of being a member of revolutionary
mass organization or sympathetic to the Maoists in Dandakaranya,
particularly in Dantewara, Bastar, Kaner, Bijapur and Narayanpur
districts. Over 5000 youth were inducted into a state mercenary armed
force, paid monthly salaries, and pitted against the native adivasis
who are fighting for land, livelihood and liberation under the
leadership of the CPI (Maoist). The Naga and Mizo Battalions were
specially brought in along with a huge CRPF and other special police
forces to Chattisgarh who had been committing the most barbaric and
inhuman acts against the adivasi population.
All these cruel at acts against an entire population are meant to
establish peace of the graveyard and clear the way for the unhindered
loot [by] rapacious hawks like Tatas, Ruias, Essars, Mittals, Jindals
and imperialist MNCs. Over one lakh rupees worth of MOUs were signed
by the Chattisgarh government with these corporate comprador big
business houses to drain the rich mineral and forest wealth of the
state. At the behest of these day-light robbers, adhivashi dalals like
opposition leader of the Congress, Mahendra Karma, Home Minister
Ramvichar Betham of the BJP and others have been leading this counter-
revolutionary war against the adivasi population.
A huge central force is deployed which is now more than 13 battalions,
recruited 10 additional battalions of state forces and inducted even
minors of 14 years of age into their mercenary police force. KPS Gill,
notorious for the mass murders of youth in Punjab, was specially
appointed as advisor to the Chief Minister. A carpet security system
is initiated with police camps in close proximity in order to strike
among the people.
We, on behalf of the CC, CPI (Maoist), once again warn the state and
central governments that our Bhurmkal Sena and PLGA and people will
carry out attacks on a much bigger scale if the murder campaign in the
name of salwa judum is not disbanded immediately. We declare that the
sole responsibility for such needless loss of lives of hundreds of
policemen and SPOs lies squarely on the shoulders of the state and
central governments. Large-scale armed retaliation by the adivasis led
by our Party is inevitable if the atrocities on the adivasi people
continue in the name of salwa judum. Like George Bush who can only
think in terms of using more brute force to control the fire of
national liberation in Iraq, the Indian ruling classes too can only
think of sucking in more and more repressive forces in order to
suppress the people’s war and grab the mineral wealth of Dandakaranya.
However, they will only end up in further escalating the civil war in
Dandakaranya.
We do share the grief of the families of the dead policemen and SPOs
but we are being compelled to wipe out the police and mercenary gangs
who are obeying the orders of the ruling classes and their imperialist
mentors to suppress the revolutionary movement for looting the wealth
in the state. We appeal to the jawans of the central forces,
particularly the Naga and Mizo battalions, to disobey the orders of
the rulers and to withdraw from Chattisgarh. We appeal to the SPOs who
are being pitted against the adivasi people to quit the mercenary
force as they are fighting an unjust war against their own brothers
and sisters in the interests of the reactionary rulers. We call upon
the democratic organizations and individuals and the vast masses of
the country to condemn state terrorism on the adivasi people of
Dandakaranya, to demand immediate disbandment of salwa judum and the
mercenary SPO force, to fight for the withdrawal of the notorious
central forces from the region, set up a judicial enquiry into the
killing of over 500 adivasis by the police-salwa judum mercenary
combine.
Q: History shows, the middle class wants status quo. Indian middle
class is growing more powerful. How do you plan to co-opt them?
Ans: It is true that the Indian middle class has grown in number. At
the same time, a sizable chunk of the middle class is facing acute
crisis due to soaring prices, unemployment, growing insecurity of
life, steep increases in family expenditure due to high cost of
education, health, transport etc., which have become privatized to a
great extent and had gone beyond the reach of a significant section of
the middle class. In short, despite the numerical growth of the middle
class it is at a receiving end. Hence we see that the growing
frustration in large sections of the middle class is forcing them into
streets for their demands as witnessed in strikes and other forms of
struggles by teachers, government employees, students, and even
shopkeepers who are affected by the shopping malls and FDI in retail
sector. Another important factor has to be noted—most of yesterday’s
luxury consumer goods have become today’s daily necessities. And the
list of necessities is growing by the day with the large-scale
proliferation of consumer goods and the promotion of consumerism by
the market-place. Hence frustration is growing among members of this
class as they are unable to procure these goods since much of their
incomes have to be spent on the basic necessities such as food,
clothing and shelter.
Middle class is terribly affected by such issues as price-rise,
insecurity, corruption, unemployment for their children, high cost of
education and health-care, threats from real estate mafia etc. Keeping
these in mind our party has drawn up plans to mobilize the middle
class into struggles on such issues.
Q: Why armed struggle is a must? (Isn’t it a fact that violence pushes
a large chunk of people away from the Party?)
Ans: The question of armed struggle or non-violence struggle is not
based on the subjective whims and wishes of any individual or Party.
It is independent of one’s will. It is a law borne out by all
historical experience. It is a fact of history that nowhere in the
world, nowhere in the historical development of the class society, had
the reactionary ruling classes given up power without resorting to
violent suppression of the mass protests, without violent resistance
aimed at clinging on to power until they are thrown out by force. Of
course, one can cite instances of regime changes occurring through
peaceful movements, through massive protests, but all of these were
mere regime changes—not systemic changes. A section of the ruling
classes might give up power to another section of the same class
without the need for a violent upheaval but the same is not the case
when one ruling class is replaced by another with diametrically
opposing class interests.
However, we find that even these regime changes are not infrequently
marked by violent clashes as witnessed in several parts of Africa,
Asia and Latin America. We will indeed be the happiest people to bring
about systematic change without the need for armed struggle.
When we began the struggle it was basically a peaceful movement on the
various issues of the people such as land, livelihood and liberation
from feudal and imperialist exploitation and oppression. It needs
hardly any genius to grasp the fact that no feudal lord would give up
his land or power just because the masses demand it as their
democratic right. The landlord would use all means at his disposal to
suppress the mass resistance by brute force. He would get the local
police and special forces, the central Para-military forces and, if
needed, the army. We had seen this whenever we had initiated the anti-
feudal struggle. In Jagtyal during the late 1970s, social boycott of
the landlords imposed by the peasantry had forced them to flee the
villages our revolutionary movement had spread to over a hundred
villages which shook the powers that be. What happened next to this
non-violent struggle should be an eye-opener to all those who harbor
illusions or biased against armed struggle. After few weeks landlords
came back with the mercenary forces and unleashed large-scale violence
and cruel repressive measures such as arrests, torture of peasants,
destruction of their property, declaration of the area as disturbed,
clamping down on the civil rights of the people, and so on. It was at
that juncture that the Party was compelled to take up arms and not out
of any romantic notion. The same is the case with anti-imperialist
struggles and nationality movements, who would want to give up their
precious lives and undergo harsh, rigorous lives tortures and
hardships when the demands of the masses such as land, national self-
determination and liberation from imperialist exploitation and
oppression are achieved through peaceful means? All movements began as
peaceful movements but had to take the form of armed struggle due to
the moves of the reactionary ruling classes. The case of Iraq is a
classic illustration of how an entire population has been compelled to
take up arms due to the unbridled violence unleashed by the
imperialists for satisfying their insatiate greed for oil. The same is
the case with Palestine, Kashmir or elsewhere.
The second part of your question is a big myth. Nowhere had the masses
been repelled from the Party on account of armed struggle. Rather it
is the lack of effective resistance that is acting as a discouragement
wherever the state had bared its fangs. Without destroying and
defeating the armed forces of repression it is impossible to rally the
people or give them confidence. In fact, it is not our guerrilla
squads alone that are putting up resistance. The people are playing a
great role in heroically resisting and actively supporting the PLGA in
its armed resistance to the police forces. Well, that’s the ground
reality notwithstanding what the intellectuals analyzing events from
their ivory towers might think and theorize.
Q: Why there can not be protest in a non-violent way?
Ans: You must rather put the question the other way round. You must
ask the reactionary ruling classes—the big landlords, the big business
houses, the imperialist MNCs, the powerful Indian state and its armed
forces, the state police and the bureaucracy—if at all they would
listen, as to why they do not allow protest in a peaceful way. Why do
they beat up, arrest, torture, and kill people who dare to go on
strike? Why do they terminate the services of workers and employees
for going on strike? Why do they send their mercenary police forces,
the CRPF and the army to open fire upon people staging peaceful
marches, dharnas and meetings without any provocation, why do they
allow the khaki gangs to rape women, destroy property, enact fake
encounters in violation of all provisions of the Indian Constitution,
and for all these crimes against humanity, are let scot-free? Why do
they create a Kalinagar, a Nandigram, an Arwal, an Indravellim and
scores of such barbaric acts? Why peaceful protests of people in
Kashmir against disappearances are not just ignored but even attacked
with such ferocity? Why do they continue to enforce the savage Armed
Forces Special Powers Act in Maniput when it is actually the Indian
army and the police forces that are committing atrocities upon the
people as the case of the rape of Manorame classically illustrates?
Can you ever forget the savage beatings of the protestors by these
khaki clad or olive green goods breaking their skulls, and not sparing
them even after they fall down seriously injured?
No ruling classes anywhere in the world had allowed the people to
achieve their basic demands of land and liberation from oppression in
a peaceful way; even the so-called democratic states allow it only to
the extent they do not pose a threat to the status quo, to their
exploitation and amassing of super profits. Ahimsa (non-Violence) and
Karma (fate) are the ideological bases and the dubious catch words of
the exploiting classes to perpetuate their violence and hegemony over
the vast masses.
To begin with, none would or could go directly to violent ways to
solve their problems. It is only after their peaceful marches,
rallies, dharnas, hunger-strikes, general strikes etc., go unheeded or
sought to be crushed that they are forced to resort to violent
methods. This is an incontrovertible fact whether it is the anti-
feudal armed agrarian struggle led by the revolutionaries, nationality
movements of the North East, Kashmir or the anti-imperialist
struggles. You only have to take a glance at the origin of the armed
movements anywhere in the world, not just India, to appreciate this
universal truth. To put it shortly, forms of struggle adopted by the
people always depend upon the moves of the ruling classes and not vice
versa. And you should also bear in mind that even today we use both
violent and non-violent forms of struggle and not just violent forms.
Q: Is your violence for self-defence or to grab state power?
Ans: Strictly speaking you cannot separate the two. In the long-term
perspective, or ultimately our goal is to seize state power without
which it is impossible to liberate the people of our country from the
clutches of imperialism, feudalism and the big comprador bourgeoisie
i.e. change the existing unjust socio-economic system. But in the
process of preparing the people for the ultimate goal of establishing
their own power, the ruling classes are resorting to savage repression
on the party, the masses and the revolutionary movement as a whole.
Hence in the course of mobilizing the masses into movements we are
compelled to take up arms for self-defence even at an early stage. And
for a relatively long time our war will have this nature and all our
tactical counter offensive operations and campaigns should be seen as
part of the war of self-defence at this stage.
Q: Why can’t you fight [in] elections and go [to] the Parliament and
raise issues in a democratic way?
Ans: It is indeed a logical question which anyone who sees only the
outer shell of so-called parliamentary democracy would ask. What is
important is the kernel, the essence, the content and not just the
form. When you strip off the outer garment of democracy you find the
rotten, stinking corpse inside. That is why Lenin described Parliament
as a pig-sty and a mere talking shop. Why are we calling it a talking
shop?
Firstly, the real problems of the people can never be addressed by the
Parliament and Assemblies, not to speak of solving them. The
Parliamentary institutions are not meant for that. They have no real
power. They may pass some resolutions that seem to do good for the
people but these have to be implemented through the Executive which
has the real power. We know the fate of the Lank Ceiling Acts,
legislation on untouchability, dowry, etc which are only showpieces.
It is the executive which carries out everything. In periods such as
Emergency during Indira Gandhi’s regime, when the Parliament itself
was subverted, the real power of the Executive had come openly to the
fore. But, the man on the street knows how it is the revenue official,
policeman, and the local magistrate who decide his life. However good
a legislation act might seem to be, it is money power, muscle power
and nepotism that decide every aspect of his life.
Secondly, Parliamentary institutions are meant to defend the status
quo, not to change the system. They do, of course make some cosmetic
changes now and then to maintain their credibility among the masses.
Most important of all it is the imperialists comprador big business
houses, big landlords, contractors and the mafia which control the
Parliament. Those who enter the Parliament are the representatives or
mere puppets in the hands of these powerful lobbies. Even a good
intentioned parliamentarian cannot go beyond the rules drawn up by
these bigwigs. If you see the business transacted in the parliament,
you would find that more than 90% of it is just trash, with no bearing
on the real problems of the country.
That the system of elections is a big farce needs no elaboration as it
is known even to a school child. Do you call it democracy to purchase
votes with liquor and money, whip up caste, religious, and ethnic
sentiments? And even after the election, purchasing the legislators as
you purchase any other item in the market place? If Narendra Modi, the
butcher of thousands of Muslims in Gujrat can win elections and get
reelected as the chief minister. If criminals, dacoits, and most
notoriously corrupt politicians can get elected; and if votes can be
obtained at gun-point and through booth capturing and rigging then do
you really think that there is any meaning in this so-called
democracy?
That is why our party has complete clarity on the nature of
legislative system unlike some other parties that swear to be
revolutionary in parliamentary politics in practice. We are firm in
our belief that it is only through struggle that people can solve
their problems and the parliamentary institutions can do nothing good
except creating illusions. Parliament is a safety valve to let out the
pent-up anger of the masses lest the system blow to piece. You think
raising issues in the parliament is the democratic way through
organized protests. We shall always be at the head of such struggles
and not step into the mire of the undemocratically elected powerless
talking shop called Parliament that serves as the instrument of the
big business and the feudal forces and is subordinate to imperialist
dictates.
Q: Do you fear that if you go to Parliament, the party can become
corrupt?
Ans: The answer to this question is already covered in my earlier
elaboration. To say in one word, more than being corrupted after
entering Parliament, which is also true in the case of the ML parties,
it is the corrupt parties and individuals that can really become part
of the parliamentary system. Our party firmly believes that as against
the money power of the Parliament the real alternative before the
people is the establishment of genuine people’s democratic power. We
had built such organs of people’s power in some parts of the country
such as Janthana sarkar in Dandakaranya. These revolutionary organs of
power show how real power is exercised as compared to the impotent,
corrupt and criminal parliamentary institutions.
Q: What do you mean by people’s power—we have seen in a communist
state in West Bengal what communists do when they come to power. How
would you ensure you will be able to give power to people?
A: It is not surprising that like most people, you too are confused by
the names. Just because a Party calls itself Communist does not make
it communist just as a party calling itself Bharatya Janata Party does
not make it an Indian people’s Party or a Samajbadi Party into a
socialist party. The stark fact is that the CPI (M) had long back
abandoned the communist project and Marxist ideology though it calls
itself a Marxist Party. It had become a social fascist party from the
time of the outbreak of Naxalbari armed peasant uprising in 1967 when
thousands of revolutionaries were massacred upon the orders of the
then Home minister Jyoti Basu in West Bengal during the late 1960s and
early 1970s. The recent massacre of scores of people in Nandigram on
March 14, the brutal suppression of the people’s struggle in Singur,
and its open declaration to allow the MNCs and big comprador houses to
set up SEZs and transform the state into a heaven for these sharks had
shown how the Buddhadebs Marxist Party is acting at the behest of the
Tatas, Salems, and imperialist MNCs. The pre-hatched systematic
execution of the massacre in Nandigram by the police-CPI(M) goons
combine, in particular, has revealed their social fascist character to
the new generation of the Indian people. So what you are referring to
in West Bengal is nothing but social fascist rule.
Now coming to your question about people’s power—we call it people’s
power only when real power is exercised by the people themselves. You
can see it in parts of Dandarakanya, Bihar and Jharkhanda. We had
developed it in some villages in AP but these were destroyed due to
the weakness of our armed strength which could not counter the massive
offensive by the central and state’s special forces. Wherever we had
established organs of people’s power in embryonic form, there you can
see the initiative and energy of the masses being released and coming
into full play, active participation of masses in administrating their
own lives, collectively developing their villages through construction
of schools, tanks, hospitals, etc and increasing production, resolving
the local disputes by themselves without ever any need to go to the
bourgeois feudal courts, in short shaping their own destiny. Where our
people’s army and people’s militia are relatively strong and succeeded
in destroying the state’s assertion has also kept the big industrial
sharks and the imperialists MNCs at bay. Women enjoy relatively
greater freedom than their counterparts in the rest of the country.
We have to develop this people’s power that the lower to higher levels
by strengthening the people’s army and transforming it into a mighty
force, destroying the enemy power by intensifying the people’s war and
establishing the base areas. It is in the base areas that this power
becomes relatively more consolidated. However, until the final capture
of state power on a country wide scale there will be severe
constraints to the exercise of the people’s power at the village and
area levels. You have to look at the power the people are exercising
in these areas of struggle keeping these limitations in mind.
[Q:] Developments are taking place at a rapid pace in both
international and national arena. How do you see the role for your
Party in this turmoil?
Ans: Our Party has a great role to play in the contemporary
international and domestic situation. Our Congress has analyzed the
present political situation and issued calls to the Party and the
people. It drew up the necessary immediate tactics and tasks to
utilize the situation and achieve advances and leaps in the ongoing
people’s war in India. The new Central Committee had further
concretized these in the form of time-bound programmes and plans.
Several resolutions were adopted by the Congress on the issues
confronting the people in our country as well as the world. We hope to
actively intervene in these issues and build a broad based militant
political mass movement.
The next ten to twenty years will witness massive political and social
upheavals all over the world and our country is going to witness mass
upheavals in several states against the onslaught of imperialism, anti-
people policies of the Indian ruling classes such as carving our neo-
colonial enclaves called SEZs, massive displacement of the poor in
both urban and rural areas, against draconian laws, state repression,
unemployment, corruption, inflation, neglect of social welfare, and so
on. Military confrontation between the people and the state will
become a general feature throughout the country and I am sure our
Party will be at the head of these movements. It will grow to the
status of providing leadership, to the vast majority of the oppressed
masses of our country. Imposing ban on our Party and the mass
organizations, murdering our comrades, unleashing cruel repression on
the people, intimidating and harassing all those associated with the
revolutionary movement and all their repressive measures cannot
prevent this inevitable establishment of our Party’s leadership over
the vast masses. The reactionary and revisionist parties, the
Parliamentary system are very much discredited in the eye of the
people and they cannot but see our party as the only alternative
before them to achieve their real liberation.
Q: And finally do you feel it is a very crucial moment in history of
India’s Maoist struggle? If so, why?
Ans: I do not know what exactly is in your mind when you placed the
question. But I would say yes, for several reasons. When for the first
time you see the emergence of a single directing centre for the Indian
revolution after the merger of the two major Maoist streams in the
Indian communist movement, when you hold a Congress—the highest
authority in the Party—after over three and half decades, 37 years to
be precise, it indeed becomes a crucial moment in the history of
India’s Maoist struggle. And it is more than that. Holding the Unity
Congress itself has been the greatest challenge to our party in recent
times. The reactionary ruling classes, of course with the advice of
the imperialists, had tried by all means at their disposal to disrupt
the Congress. However, with meticulous planning by our Central
Committee and various leading committees of our Party, with the
protection provided by the heroic fighters of our PLGA, and the ever-
vigilant people’s militia and revolutionary masses, we could complete
this gigantic democratic exercise that was initiated two years ago. It
is a matter of pride that we could give a fitting rebuff to the enemy
by successfully holding the Congress for over a fortnight.
It is crucial moment for another reason too. Today the Maoist movement
is facing the great challenge of building a strong PLA and
establishing the base area in the remote countryside as an immediate
task. The reactionary ruling classes are sparing no stone unturned to
prevent the emergence of such Red bases (democratic government of the
people) in India’s heartland as that would mean the emergence of a
real alternative to the rotten, Parliamentary system and the criminal,
communal, fascist, comprador parliamentary parties. Hence we see the
massive deployment not only of the central forces, state’s special
forces but also setting up huge armed force from the local population,
arming and training them, and pitting them against the revolutionary
movement organizing massacres that remind us of the pogroms of the
Black Hundred in pre-revolutionary Russia, and Nazi gangs of fascist
Hitler. Such is the scenario enacted in Dandakaranya in the name of
salwa judum and to a lesser extent in Bihar-Jharkhand in the name of
Sendra. They would not hesitate to send the Indian army to create more
bloodbaths and, the Maoist movement can advance only by smashing these
attacks by the enemy forces. That is how we see the present moment as
a crucial moment in the history of the Maoist struggle in India.
And the last reason why we should call the present moment a crucial
moment is that we, the Maoists, are confronted with the great task of
providing revolutionary leadership to over a billion people at a time
when the entire country is being transformed into a neo-colony, when
the country is being sold away to the imperialists and the big
business is in the name of SEZs, when workers, peasants, employees,
students, sections of the intelligentsia, dalits, women adivasis,
nationalities, religious minorities and others are seething with
revolt.
bademiyansubhanallah
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/Anti-ImperialistTraditions.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/NinthCongress/Call.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/NinthCongress/FarmerSuicides.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/NinthCongress/HinduFascism.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/NinthCongress/Prisoners.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/NinthCongress/ViolenceAgainstWomen.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/NinthCongress/Nationalities.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/NinthCongress/DalitsInKhairlanji.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/NinthCongress/InternationalStruggles.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/NinthCongress/CompletesUnityCongress.pdf
bademiyansubhanallah
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Interviews/Ganapathy2006W10.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/CondemnSalwaJudum-0603.pdf
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/PhilippinesEmergency2006.htm
Press Statement: March 1, 2006
Communist Party of India (Maoist) Strongly Condemns
the Imposition of Emergency in Philippines
The Communist Party of India (Maoist) strongly condemns the imposition
of Emergency in the Philippines by the US puppet government of
President Arroyo. The government banned the rallies to be held on the
20th anniversary of the “people’s power” and had arrested military
officers, opposition leaders and have closed down all anti-Arroyo
newspaper offices. More details are yet to come to light.
There has been months of mass unrest against the anti-people polices
of the Arroyo government involving a large section of the people of
the Philippines stretching from the parliamentary opposition at one
end to the revolutionary forces of the country, including the National
Democratic Front of Philippines (NDFP). This government acting as a
stooge of the US has been systematically selling out the country to
the imperialists and has even gone to the extent of inviting the US
armed forces into the country. It has been bogged down in all sorts of
corruption.
Not only that, even before the declaration of Emergency the government
has been using vigilante forces to assassinate leaders of mass
organisations and the trade unions. Over the last year or two about 50
of such leaders have been murdered by these killer forces. They have
also been ruthlessly using the military against the peoples forces led
by the CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) and even against Moro
nationality movement. In a recent action 16 Maoists were brutally
killed by the military forces.
Our Party strongly condemns these actions and fully stands with the
oppressed masses of the Philippines. The people of India stand
shoulder to shoulder with the people of the Philippines in their
struggle for justice, democracy and socialism. We demand the immediate
lifting of the Emergency in the Philippines and strong punishment for
those responsible for the assassination of the leaders of the mass
organisations. The struggle of the people of the Philippines is part
of our common struggle against the common enemy of imperialism,
particularly US imperialism. The people of India firmly unite with the
people of the Philippines against their reactionary rulers.
Ganapathy
General Secretary
Communist Party of India (Maoist)
March 1, 2006
[Reprinted from People’s March, Vol. 7, No. 4, April, 2006.]
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPI-Maoist-Docs/Statements/Anti-MuslimCartoons.htm
Press Statement: February 26, 2006
Racist cartoons against Prophet Mohammed are a deliberate conspiracy
of the imperialists to denigrate the Muslim community!
The so-called crusaders of free press are only apologists of neo-
colonialism!!
The Central Committee, CPI (Maoist), condemns the publication of the
racist cartoons caricaturing the holy symbol of the Muslim community —
Prophet Mohammed — by the Western media which is nothing but a
sinister design of the imperialists led by George Bush to create a so-
called civilisational clash between what they portray as “archaic and
medieval” Muslim culture and “Western values” that are supposed to
promote democracy.
The publication of the racist cartoons caricaturing Prophet Mohammed,
first by Jyllands-Posten of Denmark, and later by several papers in
the West, is neither accidental nor has any relation to so-called
freedom of speech and free press. It is not just the Right-wing
section of the media and the rulers that have been chanting the mantra
of freedom of speech but even the Liberals and some civil liberties
activists of the West too joined the chorus overlooking the sinister
designs of the imperialists.
The popular fury that is vent out on the streets across the world by
the Muslim masses is not just the result of the cartoons though it
served as a flash point. Imperialism led by the 21st century Hitler,
George Bush, has been demonizing the Muslim symbols; launching wars of
aggression on Islamic countries as in Afghanistan and Iraq;
threatening to invade or destroy Iran, Syria, Libya etc.; and
endorsing every act of terrorism perpetrated by the Israeli Zionist
racist regime on the Palestinians and other Arab countries. The
heartrending agony suffered by the Muslims ever since the brutal
campaign unleashed by the imperialist marauders led by George Bush in
the name of a permanent and global war against terror, using the 9/11
incidents as a pretext, is indescribable. The savage bombings,
indiscriminate arrests, blood-chilling torture of the detainees, as
revealed by the horrifying photos and videos of Abu Ghraib; the denial
of legal and human rights to Muslim prisoners held without trial for
almost five years by the criminal Bush administration in the
concentration camp in Guantanamo Bay and the terrible conditions
prevalent there as revealed by the latest report of the UN Commission
on Human Rights which recommended its immediate closure; the repeated
humiliation of the Muslim citizens through surveillance and
interrogation in the US and European countries; derogatory acts such
as trampling upon and even urinating upon the Muslim holy book of
Koran; the portrayal of Muslims as villains and barbarians by numerous
films, novels and the Western media; and several such racist acts have
made the Muslims furious and alienated. No wonder, more and more
Muslims are pushed into the fold of religious fundamentalism and are
willingly volunteering to join the so-called terrorists thanks to the
global terror unleashed by George Bush.
Thus it is due to such historical and cultural factors, that the
racist cartoons became the focal point for letting out the anger,
disgust and agony felt by hundreds of millions of Muslims against the
violence, oppression and exploitation perpetrated by the imperialists
and their global corporations in their insatiable thirst for oil,
rubber, diamonds and super profits.
The western media continues to sprinkle salt on the wound by
republishing the controversial racist cartoons of the Danish press in
several newspapers in France, Germany, the US, Australia and so on.
The so-called liberals and advocates of free speech and free press
maintain a criminal silence at the repulsive, repugnant, brutal
tortures inflicted by the mercenaries of Bush, Blair and Co. in Abu
Ghraib, Bagram, Guantanamo Bay, and in numerous concentration camps
maintained by the US and its allies in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan,
Turkey and even within the US. Nor are they concerned about the
massacres that are being perpetrated in Falluja, Baghdad, Samara, and
so on. For them, tortures, massacres, rape of women, destruction of
towns and houses by missile attacks, and inhuman economic sanctions
causing deaths of millions of Muslim people, including women and
children, never become issues. There is no outrage, no crying foul, no
tears shed for the victims of such abuse and violence perpetrated by
the world’s so-called democracies. The horrifying, blood-chilling
photographs and videos from Abu Ghraib that would put even a Hitler to
shame draw no protests or condemnation of the perpetrators of these
crimes seated in the White Hose and Downing Street. Why wouldn’t these
self-styled champions of fundamental rights speak of the fundamental
rights of prisoners in the torture chambers of Abu Ghraib and
elsewhere? It is clear that the so-called freedom of speech and press
is a sham and what these hypocrites and frauds, masked as liberals and
democrats, mean is freedom for publishing overtly racist, anti-Muslim,
provocative and derogatory literature while censoring the inhuman,
savage and criminal deeds of imperialism led by butcher Bush.
The ruling regime in Denmark led by the Centre-Right coalition of
Rasmussen, has racist constituents such as the rabidly anti-Islamic
and anti-immigrant Danish People’s Party and the Conservative People’s
Party. Obviously, it has allowed the publication of the cartoons with
malafide intent to make the Muslims the scapegoats for the ills of
Danish society and to tighten the immigration laws to prevent the flow
of more people from the Muslim world into their country. In fact,
Rasmussen’s coalition came to power with the slogan of tax freeze and
strict restrictions on immigration. The racist face of this supposedly
liberal regime in Denmark can also be seen from the fact that it has
denied the Muslims the right to build mosques in Copenhagen or
cemeteries in Denmark. It is with the same intent of whipping up anti-
Muslim passions and thereby divert the people from the real issues
confronting them that the ruling regimes in other imperialist
countries too allowed the republication of the cartoons.
George Bush, as expected, defended the publication of the cartoons in
the name of free a press. This international terrorist who cares a
damn for international public opinion, rejects the Geneva Convention
as inapplicable to his soldiers found guilty of the worst war crimes
in history, maintains prisoners without trial for years without end,
derives vicarious pleasure as his mercenaries inflict cruel torture on
hapless prisoners, considers the UN Commission’s report regarding the
conditions of 500-odd prisoners in the hell-hole of Guantanamo Bay as
unacceptable, has become a crusader of freedom of expression and free
press!!
The CC, CPI(Maoist), calls upon the people of India to fight shoulder
to shoulder with their Muslim brethren against the sinister designs of
the imperialists led by George Bush to whip up racist, anti-Muslim
sentiments, their attempts to portray Islam with terrorism and thereby
achieve their aim of plundering the resources of the Islamic countries
through wars of aggression. It is only by waging uncompromising war to
wipe out the racist imperialist oppressors and plunderers from the
world that genuine democracy, freedom, equality and self-respect of
nations, religions and all communities can be protected.
Azad,
Spokesperson,
Central Committee, CPI(Maoist)
26 February 2006
[Reprinted from People’s March, Vol. 7, No. 4, April, 2006.]
bademiyansubhanallah
Press statement:
COMMUNIST PARTY OF INDIA (MAOIST)
Central Committee (Provisional)
CPI (ML)(PW) and MCCI - Merged
Communist Party of India (Maoist) Emerged
On Sept. 21, 2004, amidst the thick forests in some part of India, the
formation of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) was declared at a
public meeting before an assembly of peoples’ guerrilla fighters,
party activists and activists of mass organisations. The two parties,
the Maoist Communist Centre of India and the Communist Party of India
(Marxist-Leninist)[People’s War] were merged to form the new unified
Party, the CPI(Maoist). However, this merger declaration has been
withheld from the media for security reasons and is now being released
to the entire people of our country and the world. The formation of
this new Party has fulfilled the desires and aspirations of the
oppressed masses of the country for a genuine proletarian party that
can lead them to revolutionary change for the establishment of a new
democratic society, advancing towards socialism and communism.
This unified party has been formed after thoroughgoing discussions
held between the high level delegations of the two parties initially
and then finalized by the Joint Central Committee meeting of both the
parties. Through these thorough-going and constructive discussions,
held on an equal footing, five documents have been drafted and
finalized. These documents are: Hold High the Bright Red Banner of
Marxism-Leninism-Maoism, the Party Programme, Strategy and Tactics of
the Indian Revolution, the Political Resolution on the International
and Domestic Situation and the Party Constitution.
In addition to these documents it has also been decided that our
beloved leaders and teachers of the respective parties, the late Com.
Charu Mazumdar and Com. Kanai Chatterjee, will be recognized and
highlighted as the founding leaders of the unified party. It was also
decided that both these parties, stemming from the turbulent period of
the decade of the 60’s, particularly from the great Naxalbari
uprising, livingly inherited all that was revolutionary in the long
history of the Indian communist movement. The peculiarity of the
situation is that both these parties continued to flow as two separate
streams of the revolutionary communist movement, wedded to the same
cause of carrying forward the Indian revolution over the past 35
years. All these steps taken together clearly disclosed a unified
understanding on almost all ideological and political questions of
line. The line established provided a principled basis for the unity
achieved by both the parties.
Basing on this unity the Joint Central Committee meeting finally
resolved to unite the two parties into a single unified party, which
will henceforth be called as the Communist party of India (Maoist).
Com. Ganapati was unanimously elected as the general secretary of the
new party.
The formation of the unified Communist Party of India (Maoist) will
certainly prove to be a new milestone in the history of the communist
movement of India. A unified Maoist party based on MLM continued to be
a long and highly cherished need of the revolutionary minded and
oppressed people of the country including all our ranks, and also all
Maoist forces of South Asia and internationally. Today this long-
cherished desire and dream has been transformed into a reality.
The new Communist Party of India (Maoist) will continue to act as a
consolidated political vanguard of the Indian proletariat. Marxism-
Leninism-Maoism will be the ideological basis guiding its thinking in
all the spheres of its activities. It will continue its struggle
against right and left deviations, particularly against revisionism,
by taking this as the main danger for the communist movement as a
whole. It will still seek to unite all genuine Maoist groups that
remain outside this unified Party.
The immediate aim and programme of the Maoist party is to carry on and
complete the already ongoing and advancing New Democratic Revolution
in India as a part of the world proletarian revolution by overthrowing
the semi-colonial, semi-feudal system under the neo-colonial form of
indirect rule, exploitation and control. This revolution will remain
directed against imperialism, feudalism and comprador bureaucratic
capitalism. This revolution will be carried out and completed through
armed agrarian revolutionary war, i.e. protracted people’s war with
the armed seizure of power remaining as its central and principal
task, encircling the cities from the countryside and thereby finally
capturing them. Hence the countryside as well as the PPW (Protracted
People’s War) will remain as the “center of gravity” of the party’s
work, while urban work will be complimentary to it.
Since armed struggle will remain as the highest and main form of
struggle and the army as the main form of organization of this
revolution, hence it will continue to play a decisive role, whereas
the UF will be built in the course of armed struggle and for the
seizure of power through armed struggle. Mass organizations and mass
struggles are necessary and indispensable but their purpose is to
serve the war. We also hereby declare that the two guerilla armies of
the CPI(ML) [PW] and MCCI—the PGA and the PLGA—have been merged into
the unified PLGA (Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army). Hereafter, the
most urgent task i.e. principal task of the party is to develop the
unified PLGA into a full-fledged People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and
transforming the existing Guerrilla Zones into Base Areas, thereby
advancing wave upon wave towards completing the New Democratic
Revolution. The formation day of the PLGA is to be December 2, the day
when a people’s army was formed for the first time ever in our country
in 2000, on the first anniversary of the martyrdom of the three CCMs,
com. Shyam, Mahesh and Murali.
Apart from this the unified party will continue to pay added attention
to building a new wave of revolutionary mass movements on various
political and other issues of the people. It will involve all the vast
sections of the masses in these struggle directed against imperialism,
feudalism and the comprador bureaucratic bourgeoisie. The vicious
imperialist offensive on our country has resulted in mass destitution
of an already impoverished people, particularly in the countryside,
which has even witnessed thousands of suicides. The CPI(Maoist) will
mobilize vast sections of the masses against the growing onslaught of
the imperialists on the country, against state repression together
with mobilizing support for all the movements directed against
imperialism and feudalism.
The new party will also continue to support the struggle of the
nationalities for self-determination including their right to
secession and condemn the brutal state repression on these movements.
It will pay special attention in mobilizing and organizing the women
masses as a mighty force of the revolution, and will fight against all
other forms of social oppression, particularly untouchability and
casteism. It will continue to expose, isolate and defeat the more
dangerous Hindu fascist forces, while exposing all other
fundamentalist forces. It will continue to do so while keeping the
edge of the people’s struggles directed against the new Congress
rulers in Delhi along with the CPI/CPM and their imperialist
chieftains.
It will continue to expose and resist the expansionist designs of the
Indian ruling classes along with their imperialist chieftains,
particularly the US imperialists. It will more actively stand by the
side of the Nepali people led by the CPN(Maoist), and vehemently
oppose the Indian expansionists and US imperialists from intervening
in Nepal with their military might. It will also continue to support
the people’s war led by the Maoist parties in Peru, the Philippines,
Turkey and elsewhere. It will continue to support all people’s
struggles directed against imperialism and reaction. It will also
support the working class movement and other people’s movements the
world over. It will continue to stand by the side of the Iraqi and
Afghan people in their mighty struggle against the US imperialist-led
aggression and occupation.
The Unified Party will continue to hold high the banner of proletarian
internationalism and will continue to contribute more forcefully in
uniting the genuine Maoist forces at the international level. Besides,
it will also establish unity with the oppressed people and nations of
the whole world and continue to fight shoulder to shoulder with them
in advancing the world proletarian revolution against imperialism and
their lackeys, thereby paving the way towards realizing socialism and
then Communism on a world scale.
Thousands of our martyrs have laid down their valuable lives for these
lofty aims. The Central Committee (Provisional) of the unified Party—
CPI (Maoist)—pledges that it will continue to advance along the path
illuminated by them and thereby mobilize all its existing and latent
energies in transforming the dreams of the martyrs into a reality.
With revolutionary greetings,
Kishan
General Secretary
Central Committee
Maoist Communist Centre of India
Ganapathy
General Secretary
Central Committee
CPI (M-L)[People’s War]
Date: 14-10-2004
bademiyansubhanallah
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/CPIMIB/index.htm
BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET
CPI(Maoist) Information Bulletin
— A New Revolutionary Publication Banned in India
Up until December 2007 the magazine People’s March provided
information about the Maoist movement and developing revolution in
India, which was of value to both supporters of this revolution and
also to many who just wanted to follow what was happening there. But
the Indian government banned and suppressed People’s March at that
time, and an information void developed.
In the spring of 2008 revolutionaries in India began publishing
a new journal to fill this void, the CPI(Maoist) Information Bulletin.
While the precise legal status of this new bulletin is unknown to us
at this time, it seems almost certain that the Indian government must
consider it to be an “illegal publication” and seeks to suppress it.
Because we support the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press,
and the right of the people to openly express their ideas—even if
reactionary governments don’t approve and resort to fascist-like
methods to try to stop it—we at BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET are also making
issues of this new bulletin available here.
This bulletin is in PDF format, and the newest issues are listed
first.
Contact BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET at: frees...@bannedthought.net
Issue #8 (May 15, 2009) [PDF: 1,309 KB] (Posted
06/29/09.)
Issue #7 (April 15, 2009) [PDF: 490 KB] (Posted
06/29/09.)
Issue #6 (Jan. 15, 2009) [PDF: 639 KB] (Posted
07/05/09.)
Issue #5 (Nov. 5, 2008) [PDF: 570 KB] (Posted
07/05/09.)
Issue #4 (Sept. 10, 2008) [PDF: 266 KB] (Posted
01/11/09.)
Issue #3 (July 20, 2008) [PDF: 385 KB] (Posted
01/11/09.)
Issue #2 (May 10, 2008) [PDF: 2,384 KB] (Posted
11/24/08.)
Issue #1 (March 31, 2008) [PDF: 2,750 KB]
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/PeoplesMarch/index.htm
BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET
People’s March — All the Issues of a Maoist Publication Banned in
India
People’s March is an interesting and informative publication
about the Maoist revolutionary movement in India. It has (or has had)
web sites at http://peoplesmarch.googlepages.com and http://peoples-march.blogspot.com.
During 2007 the Indian government banned the online version of the
magazine and has tried to close down or sabotage these and other web
sites associated with People’s March as well as other web sites
reporting on Maoist ideas or activities in India. Then, on December
19, 2007, this suppression campaign was carried a step further with
the arrest of the editor and publisher of People’s March, P. Govindan
Kutty. See the statement demanding the release of Govindan Kutty by
the Revolutionary Democratic Front in India for further information.
Finally, after much outrage about this arrest both in India and
internationally, Govindan Kutty was released on Feb. 24, 2008, and
made a statement at that time. Unfortunately the charges were still
pending against him and he was not able to resume publication of
People’s March for over a year and a half.
We at BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET are completely opposed to these
blatantly fascist measures which attempt to forcibly suppress
progressive ideas and which are in gross violation of freedom of
speech and freedom of the press. Consequently we are also making
copies of People’s March available here and urge others who value
freedom of thought to do the same.
We also have been able to post all the earlier issues of
People’s March in this Complete Archive, which also contains much
other information from the suppressed People’s March web site. (Some
of this information is still being organized for systematic
presentation on BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET.)
We now also have a Subject Index available for the issues
through 2005.
In mid 2008 P. Govindan Kutty began issuing a bulletin with the
name People’s Truth, to be circulated privately. However, this
bulletin has a lot of good information in it, including further
information about the suppression of People’s March and about the
continuing government harrassment of Govindan Kutty. For this reason
we took it on ourselves to make this bulletin available to a wider
audience at http://www.bannedthought.net/India/PeoplesTruth/
The Return of People’s March!
In August 2009 we heard from Govindan Kutty that after a long
appeal process the order suppressing People’s March had been lifted.
This is great news! Here, in MS Word format, is Kutty’s letter with
this announcement. The first issue of the post-suppression magazine,
labeled vol. 10, #10, and dated October 2009, is now available below.
While the magazine will no longer be officially banned, it will very
likely still be quite difficult for many in India and elsewhere to
obtain. For that reason the magazine will continue to be made
available here on this web site.
The recent issues are in PDF format unless otherwise stated, and
the most recently published issue is at the top of the list.
Contact us at: frees...@bannedthought.net
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vol. 10, #10 (October, 2009) [PDF: 1,425 KB]
[This is the first issue of the resumed publication. It
seems to have identical content to People's Truth #8, (Oct. 2009).]
Vol. 8, #12 (December, 2007) [PDF: 2,555 KB]
Vol. 8, #11 (November, 2007) [PDF: 3,356 KB]
Vol. 8, #10 (October, 2007) [PDF: 1,640 KB]
Vol. 8, #9 (September, 2007) [PDF: 3,759 KB]
Vol. 8, #8 (August, 2007) [PDF: 2,924 KB]
Vol. 8, #7 (July, 2007) [PDF: 377 KB]
Vol. 8, #7 (July, 2007): Special Supplement on Dandakaranya
[PDF: 577 KB]
Vol. 8, #4 (May-June, 2007) [PDF: 682 KB]
Vol. 8, #3 (April, 2007) [Labeled on cover as Vol. 8, #4; PDF:
1,582 KB]
[There was no March 2007 issue.]
Vol. 8, #2 (February, 2007) [PDF: 277 KB]
Vol. 8, #1 (January, 2007) [PDF: 552 KB]
Vol. 7, #12 (December, 2006) [PDF: 307 KB]
Vol. 7, #8-9 (August/September, 2006) [PDF: 1,007 KB]
Vol. 7, #6-7 (June/July, 2006) [PDF: 356 KB]
Vol. 7, #5 (May, 2006) (Cover page partly missing.) [PDF: 430
KB]
Vol. 7, #4 (April, 2006) [PDF: 309 KB]
Vol. 7, #3 (March, 2006) [PDF: 355 KB]
Vol. 7, #2 (February, 2006) [PDF: 992 KB]
Vol. 7, #1 (January, 2006) [PDF: 681 KB]
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/PeoplesTruth/index.htm
BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET
People’s Truth — The successor to People’s March
In December 2007 the editor of People’s March, P. Govindan
Kutty, was arrested and the magazine was suppressed and banned. After
some time Govindan Kutty was released, and though still facing
charges, in mid 2008 he began issuing a bulletin with the name
People’s Truth, marked with the notation to be circulated privately.
However, this bulletin has a lot of good information in it which will
be of considerable interest to those following the development of the
revolution in India. For this reason we are taking it on ourselves to
make this new bulletin available to a wider audience. The newest
issues available are listed first:
People’s Truth now also has a blog site at: http://peoples-truth.blogspot.com/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
People’s Truth, No. 8 (October 2009) [PDF: 2,439 KB] (Posted:
Sept. 10, 2009)
[Note: The content of this issue appears to be identical to
first issue of the resumed publication of People’s March, labeled vol.
10, #10, dated Oct. 2009.]
People’s Truth, No. 7 (September 2009) [PDF: 1,366 KB] (Posted:
Aug. 24, 2009)
[Note: According to the publisher, this finalized PDF version
supersedes the preliminary MS Word compilations of articles which were
called “People’s Truth #7” and possibly part of “People’s Truth #8”,
both of which are still posted below for a short further time. At
least some of the articles which were in “PT #8” are now slated to
appear in the October issue, which may revert to the name People’s
March if the Indian authorities so allow.]
People’s Truth, No. 8 (September 2009) [MS Word format: 369 KB;
articles only (no title page or graphics).] (Posted: Aug. 23, 2009)
People’s Truth, No. 7 (August 2009) [MS Word format: 66 pages, 302
KB; articles only (no title page or graphics).] (Posted: Aug. 12,
2009)
People’s Truth, No. 6 (July 2009) [PDF: 996 KB] (Posted: July 16,
2009)
People’s Truth, No. 5 (April-June 2009) [PDF: 2,390 KB] (Posted:
June 4, 2009)
People’s Truth, No. 4 (January-March 2009) [PDF: 1,059 KB]
(Posted: Jan. 11, 2009)
People’s Truth, No. 3 (September-December 2008) [PDF: 697 KB]
People’s Truth, No. 2 (July 2008) [PDF: 621 KB]
People’s Truth, No. 1 (May 2008) [PDF: 754 KB]
http://www.bannedthought.net/India/Lalgarh/index.htm
BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET
The Great Lalgarh Revolt
Starting in November 2008, the tribal people (or adivasis) of
the Lalgarh village area of the Midnapore district of West Bengal,
India, rose up against decades of oppression and abuse by the police
and armed thugs of the Communist Party of India (Marxist). This party
is usually known by its initials as the “CPM”. Despite its name, this
is by no means a revolutionary Marxist party; it is instead a
revisionist or phony “communist” party, which represents not the
workers, peasants and the poor, but actually the ruling alliance of
exploiting classes (capitalists and landlords). The CPM has been in
power in West Bengal for decades, and has come to demonstrate that old
revolutionary Marxist addage that revisionism in power is nothing
other than outright fascism as far as the masses of people are
concerned.
Naturally the people of West Bengal are more and more resisting
this state oppression, but when a revolt like that in Lalgarh occurs,
the CPM police and armed goons become all the more ferocious in their
attempts to suppress the people’s upsurge and drive them back into
submission. There are now huge numbers of state police and
paramilitary forces in the Lalgarh area attempting to put down the
people’s revolt. But the mass struggle is continuing!
In recent years hundreds of adivasis in the Lalgarh area have
been imprisoned on charges of having ties with the Maoist insurgency
which is ongoing in large parts of India, and many of them have been
murdered. This was the immediate spark for the uprising in late 2008.
While the resistance of adivasis to their oppressive conditions has
taken many forms over the years, the organized strength of this
advanced political revolt grew from over a decade of work by the
Communist Party of India (Maoist) in the area. It has proven to be the
only significant party which actually sides with the people in their
fight against the oppressive CPM state machine. It has helped the
adivasis set up People’s Committees, and start to take control over
their own lives. Activists of the CPI(Maoist) have played a leading
role in promoting these People’s Committees and in expanding the
struggle to new areas. Among these people’s organizations, which have
a broad range of support and participation, is the People’s Committee
Against Police Atrocities, which is playing a very positive role in
defense of the masses. This is the overall situation at present in the
Lalgarh area and beyond.
The reports and documents below, available either on this site
or else via links to other sites, provide extensive information about
this great Lalgarh struggle of the Indian masses. While many of the
news reports from the establishment press which are included below are
of course not themselves banned in India, they are listed here in
order to present a fuller and more complete picture of all the many
events in this prolonged struggle. Sometimes the ruling class
suppresses views and information outright and directly, but more often
it suppresses it through simply making sure it has very limited
circulation and does not actually reach most of the masses. This is
just as much true in the United States as it is in India, and maybe
even more so, due to the tyranny of capitalist media market forces.
Withholding news coverage to the people, or only very spotty news
coverage, is really almost as bad as the outright banning of
publications which try to break the news embargo. It is the goal of
BANNEDTHOUGHT.NET to help break down both of these forms of
suppression of news and ideas, and to combat the ignorance and
“dumbing down” of the population which the rulers seek to impose on
us.
Much background information on sources below has been provided
by researchers from the MLM Revolutionary Study Group in the US; their
web site is www.mlmrsg.com, and they can be contacted at:
mlm...@gmail.com
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1.Pamphlets and Articles by Amit Bhattacharyya, Professor of History,
Jadavpur University, Kolkata
◦Lalgarh Update 2, August 1, 2009 (67 pp.) PDF Version (700 KB)
◦Lalgarh Update, June 22-23, 2009 (8 pp.) PDF Version (303
KB); MS Word Version (72 KB)
◦Fanshen in Lalgarh, June 5-22, 2009 (10 pp.) PDF Version (250
KB); MS Word Version (64 KB)
Alternate Link: http://sanhati.com/news/1604
◦Singur to Lalgarh via Nandigram, April 2009 (48 pp.) PDF Version
(710 KB)
Alternate Link:
http://no2displacement.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=121:singur-to-lalgarh-via-nandigram&catid=45:documenst&Itemid=136
2.Selected Press Accounts and Commentary
◦September 2009:
■ Lalgarh and Misconceptions of Some Misguided Intellectuals, by Ajay,
People's March [resumed publication], vol. 10, #10, Oct. 2009 issue.
PDF Version (249 KB); MS Word Version (82 KB)
■ YSR Search Bares “Peril” of Maoist Combat, The Telegraph, Sept. 11,
2009. [Though not focused on the Lalgarh area specifically, this
article discusses the impact of the Lalgarh events and the recent
problems locating a crashed helicopter in Andhra Pradesh, and what
this might mean for the planned nationwide anti-Maoist military
campaign this coming winter.] PDF Version (192 KB); MS Word
Version (82 KB)
■ Fresh Strategy for Lalgarh, The Times of India, Sept. 10, 2009.
PDF Version (49 KB); MS Word Version (28 KB)
■ Encounter deaths, custodial beatings of PSBJC members, and the lajja-
bisarjan protest, SANHATI.COM, Sept. 8, 2009. PDF Version (141
KB); MS Word Version (32 KB)
■ Lalgarh: PCPA Supporters Gherao Police Post, Press Trust of India,
Sept. 3, 2009. PDF Version (139 KB); MS Word Version (188 KB)
■ Rebel Ring Around Cordon of “Security” [is] Maoist's Military
Tactic, The Telegraph, Sept. 1, 2009. PDF Version (160 KB); MS
Word Version (86 KB)
■ PCPA to Relax Bandh for a Week, The Times of India, Sept. 1, 2009.
PDF Version (103 KB); MS Word Version (28 KB)
◦August 2009:
■At Night, Maoists Rule Lalgarh, The Times of India, Aug. 31, 2009.
PDF Version (124 KB); MS Word Version (31 KB) ■We’ll Fight for
Jangalkhand Autonomy: Chhatradhar [Mahato], The Times of India, Aug.
31, 2009. PDF Version (103 KB); MS Word Version (29 KB) ■Ration
Card Gift for Maoist-hit Districts, The Times of India, Aug. 28,
2009. PDF Version (51 KB); MS Word Version (29 KB) ■Maoists Bandh
Hits Banking, The Times of India, Aug. 28, 2009. PDF Version (50
KB); MS Word Version (29 KB) ■Maoists Kill CPM Leader, Ransack
Lalgarh Houses, The Times of India, Aug. 27, 2009. PDF Version (103
KB); MS Word Version (29 KB) ■Monsoon Hampering Anti-Maoist
Operation in Lalgarh Area, PROKERALA.COM, Aug. 26, 2009. PDF Version
(28 KB); MS Word Version (54 KB) ■Teen Released After PCPA Gherao,
August 26, 2009
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/kolkata-/Teen-released-after-PCPA-gherao/articleshow/4934834.cms
■Maoists Expanding Base in South Bengal, August 25, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&id=266087&usrsess=1
■Maoist Bandh Brings Midnapore to a Halt, ExpressIndia, Aug. 25,
2009. PDF Version (166 KB); MS Word Version (29 KB) ■62 Held on
False Charges go on Strike, August 20, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=2&id=297735&usrsess=1
■Call for Thousand more Lalgarhs, August 18, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News/bhubaneshwar/Call-for-thousand-more-Lalgarhs/Article1-444379.aspx
■Mahato Dares Cops with a Rally, Calls for a Bandh in Maoist Hotbeds,
August 18, 2009
http://in.news.yahoo.com/48/20090818/814/tnl-mahato-dares-cops-with-rally-calls-f.html
■[Video] A 22-minute video from the Al Jazeera “Inside Story” program
on Aug. 17, 2009, about the reasons for the rise of Maoism in India,
with the Lalgarh revolt especially in mind. While none of the 3 people
interviewed is a Maoist (and two of them are quite reactionary), one
of them understands that there is a strong objective basis for the
rise of Maoism, namely the intensifying povery of the rural masses and
also the vicious police attacks against them. Available on YouTube at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1gnf7TPbGU
■WB Left Front Calls for Launching Anti-Maoist Operation in Jharkhand
Immediately, Aug. 17, 2009. PDF Version (123 KB); MS Word Version
(29 KB)
■Military to Take on Maoists in India, August 11, 2009
http://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090812/FOREIGN/708119932/1103/NEWS
■Naxals Hold Armed Rally in Lalgarh, August 8, 2009
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/india/Naxals-hold-armed-rally-in-Lalgarh/articleshow/4869637.cms
■Bengal Admits Op Lalgarh a Failure, August 7, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=bce37089-4d29-49c7-a984-67f59cce55c2
■Military, Monsoons and Maoists, August 6, 2009
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/columnists/jawed-naqvi-military-monsoons-and-maoists-689
■Lalgarh Backfires on Left, Leaders Want Forces Out, August 3, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=dc3a7ee2-b31c-4395-80df-8f6d1eb0c34a
◦July 2009:
■Women Lathicharged in Lalgarh, July 28, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=1&id=295222&usrsess=1
■Top Maoist Warns CPM, July 25, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=1&id=294771&usrsess=1
■Maoist Real Target: Police Intelligence, July 24, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090724/jsp/bengal/story_11276060.jsp
■Lalgarh: Not Much Gained, July 22, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=2&id=294376&usrsess=1
■Maoists Gain in State, India Today, July 21, 2009. PDF Version (99
KB); MS Word Version (28 KB) ■Maoist Claims Lalgarh Presence, July
19, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090720/jsp/bengal/story_11258619.jsp
■Rebels Fuel School Fire, July 14, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090618/jsp/bengal/story_11127192.jsp
■Joint Forces Face Students’ Ire, July 10, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=1&id=293091&usrsess=1
■Mahato Sets No-Arrest Term for Talks, Demand Force Pullout, July 2,
2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090702/jsp/bengal/story_11185806.jsp
◦June 2009:
■Camp Priority for Police Forces, June 30, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090630/jsp/siliguri/story_11176153.jsp
■Rebels Back on Secure Stretch, June 30, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090630/jsp/siliguri/story_11176357.jsp
■Out of Sight, Army of Youths, Absence Fuels Fear of Permanent
Insurgency, June 29, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090629/jsp/frontpage/story_11172477.jsp
■Cops Torment, Maoists Profit, June 29, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090629/jsp/frontpage/story_11172478.jsp
■Shut Schools in Lalgarh Prompt Stir, June 28, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=2&id=291762&usrsess=1
■Chhatradhar Rallies Tribals, Govt Plans Arrest, June 28, 2009
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4711148.cms
■Maoist Support Base in Women, Children, June 27, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=2&id=291761&usrsess=1
■Satellite Tracks Foe, June 27, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090627/jsp/bengal/story_11165932.jsp
■Spraying Dye from Helicopters, June 27, 2009
http://sanhati.com/front-page/1083/#47
■Near Base, a Maoist Session, June 24, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090625/jsp/bengal/story_11156261.jsp
■Hard to Pin: Foe & Goalpost, June 24, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090625/jsp/bengal/story_11156259.jsp
■Maoist Leader Gaur Chakraborty Sent to Police Custody for 14 Days,
June 24, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=affb20ff-2863-4515-896f-92240ddd3d2a
■Lalgarh: An Analysis of the Media’s War Hysteria, Partho Sarathi Ray,
June 24, 2009
http://sanhati.com/front-page/1083/#43
■Life Paralysed in 3 West Bengal Districts on Second Day of Bandh,
June 23, 2009
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4690933.cms
■Centre Bans CPI (Maoist), June 22, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=1&id=291286&usrsess=1
■Cops Force Locals to Look for IEDs, June 22, 2009
http://sanhati.com/front-page/1083/#37
■Koraput Headed the Lalgarh Way: Tribals Look to Maoists for
Liberation, June 22, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=c93006b9-d91f-4dda-8d08-99a6d39250d9
■On the Road to Lalgarh, Troops Taste Red Terror, June 20, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=82f0b778-1c1d-4078-8e7e-9e7d3f851e48
■IAF Choppers Drop Leaflets Over Lalgarh, June 19, 2009
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4675573.cms
■Govt Can’t Tell Between Maoists and Activists, June 18, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=1&id=290933&usrsess=1
■Maoists Ask Mamata to Support Their Struggle, June 18, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=fc63dd36-790e-4946-9f61-aca215a3ba22
■Go-Slow on [Jindal] Steel Plant, June 17, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090618/jsp/bengal/story_11127192.jsp
■Reclaim Territory from Maoists: Chidambaram to West Bengal, June 17,
2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=c0b00e78-d61f-4f15-b5ad-0d893462d8be
■Lalgarh Rage Refuses to Die Down, June 16, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=6&id=291056&usrsess=1
■Maoist Arrows Defeat Cops, June 11, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=85333853-aa73-4041-b309-a1254114c3a3
■36 Arrested for Supporting Maoist Bandh, June 1, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=22&id=289019&usrsess=1
◦May 2009:
■32 CPM Cadres Resign, May 14, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=22&id=287253&usrsess=1
■Maoists on the Rampage, May 3, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=23&id=285808&usrsess=1
■5000 Villagers Raze Govt Buildings in Salboni to Keep Cops Out, May
3, 2009
http://sanhati.com/front-page/1083/#30
■Maoists Have Their Way, Lalgarh Stays at Home, May 1, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=405c15a0-6199-4b69-98fc-f9b21d815dbe
◦April 2009:
■Minimal [Election] Turnout in Lalgarh, April 30, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=10&id=285648&usrsess=1
■Cops Withdraw Camp in Lalgarh, April 27, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=23&id=285120&usrsess=1
■Lalgarh Tribals Block Traffic in Kolkata, April 25, 2009
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/04/25/stories/2009042554391200.htm
■A Brief Report on the Adivasi Rally at the Heart of Kolkata, Koustav
De, April 25, 2009
http://sanhati.com/front-page/1083/#29
■No Healthcare, Water, They Look to Maoists for Help, April 25, 2009
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/no-healthcare-water-they-look-to-maoists-for-help/451062/
■Polls or No Polls, Lalgarh Not to Welcome Cops, April 16, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=23&id=283970&usrsess=1
■Lalgarh Movement: Building Infrastructure in the Face of Government
Apathy and Terror, April 15, 2009
http://sanhati.com/excerpted/1336/
■Police Face 8-Hour Gherao, April 13, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090413/jsp/bengal/story_10813978.jsp
■Lalgarh Under Maoist Rule, April 8, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090408/jsp/siliguri/story_10790051.jsp
■PSBPC Warns Police, April 6, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=22&id=282436&usrsess=1
◦January-March 2009:
■PSBPC Firm on Police Boycott Stand, March 24, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=23&id=280817&usrsess=1
■Cop Camp Shift Demand, February 6, 2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090206/jsp/bengal/story_10492906.jsp
■Adivasi Development Inadequate, January 16, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=23&id=267125&usrsess=1
■Lalgarh Victims Want More, January 14, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=23&id=266809&usrsess=1
■Damages for Lalgarh Women, January 12, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=23&id=266415&usrsess=1
◦December 2008:
■Lalgarh: An Icon of Adivasi Defiance, Koustav De, December 17, 2008
http://www.monthlyreview.org/mrzine/de171208
■Marxists or Maoists: Who Rules?, December 9, 2008
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=6&id=261571&usrsess=1
■Lalgarh Blockade Ends, December 7, 2008
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=6&id=261419&usrsess=1
■Cops Release Adivasis, December 4, 2008
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=23&id=260773&usrsess=1
◦November 2008 — The Movement Begins:
■Lessons of Salboni: Limited Success of the Police Against Maoists,
November 30, 2008
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=3&id=259851&usrsess=1
■Expelled Woman Leader Joins Adivasi Battle, November 27, 2008
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=23&id=259714&usrsess=1
■Lalgarh: Cops Bow to Maoist Demands, November 27, 2008
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=22&id=259693&usrsess=1
■The Charter of Demands, People’s Committee against Police Atrocities,
November 23, 2008
http://sanhati.com/front-page/1083/#9
■Parallel Rule, as Elsewhere, The Statesman, November 21, 2008 PDF
Version (113 KB); MS Word Version (39 KB) ■Lalgarh Stir Spreads,
Cops Helpless, November 18, 2008
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3725261.cms
■Life in Midnapore Paralysed, The Statesman, November 16, 2008 PDF
Version (112 KB); MS Word Version (40 KB) ■Parts of Paschim Mednipur
District Still Remain Cut Off, The Hindu, November 15, 2008 PDF
Version (125 KB); MS Word Version (30 KB) ■Background of the
Movement, by Partho Sarathi Ray, Sanhati, November 13, 2008 PDF
Version (188 KB); MS Word Version (42 KB) ■Lalgarh on the Boil After
Arrests, The Statesman, November 10, 2008 PDF Version (175 KB); MS
Word Version (38 KB) ■Three Schoolkids Arrested for Blast, The Times
of India, November 5, 2008 PDF Version (72 KB); MS Word Version
(30 KB)
3.Photo Gallery
◦Images from Lalgarh [two separate pages]
http://indianvanguard.wordpress.com/lalgarh-images/ and
http://indianvanguard.wordpress.com/2009/07/04/lalgarh-pictures/
◦Lalgarh Pictures Archive http://lalgarh.wordpress.com/category/pictures/
◦Lalgarh: Chronicle of State Repression, July 22, 2009
http://redbarricade.blogspot.com/2009/06/state-repression-in-lalgarh.html
◦Pictures from the Interior of Lalgarh, November 23, 2008
http://sanhati.com/front-page/1083/#8a
4.Statements and Interviews by the CPI (Maoist)
◦ Maoists Dare Govt to Weed Them Out, (Report of comments by Kisanji
in India Today), Aug. 21, 2009 PDF Version (112 KB); MS Word
Version (29 KB)
◦Second Phase of Lalgarh Operations Will Also Fail: Kisanji, August
20, 2009
http://www.zeenews.com/news556336.html
◦Lalgarh is Naxalbari-II: Maoists, Interview with Koteshwar Rao
(Kishanji), Politburo Member of the CPI (Maoist), August 7, 2009
http://www.thehindu.com/2009/08/07/stories/2009080760031100.htm
◦CPI (Maoist) Message to the People of Lalgarh, July 15, 2009 PDF
Format (126 KB); MS Word Format (32 KB)
◦Armed Movement in City Before 2011 Poll, Interview with Kishanji,
July 1, 2009
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/4722317.cms
◦We Fight for the People, and Our Only Partners are the Oppressed,
Interview with Koteshwar Rao, June 21, 2009
http://indianvanguard.wordpress.com/2009/07/26/we-fight-for-the-people-and-our-only-partners-are-the-oppressed/
◦We Will Spread This Fire, Comrade Manoj, prominent CPI (Maoist)
member in Lalgarh, June 21, 2009 PDF Format (146 KB); MS Word
Format (32 KB)
◦“It’s a People’s Uprising Against Oppression,” Interview with CPI
(Maoist) West Bengal Spokesperson Gour Khakravarty, June 20, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=1d9fb516-ba8e-4b78-b540-5c48161fbc22
◦We are Ready to Talk to the Government, Interview with Koteshwar Rao,
June 20, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=ce237e8a-a704-4ea4-ba69-5e99442027cd
◦Our Aim is to Break CPM Shackles, Interview with Comrade Bikash,
Zonal Committee Secretary of the CPI(Maoist) for West Midnapore,
Bankura and Purulia districts, June 18, 2009 PDF Format (139 KB);
MS Word Format (30 KB)
◦Mainstream Politics Not for Us, Interview with Koteshwar Rao, June
15, 2009
http://indianvanguard.wordpress.com/2009/06/15/interview-with-koteshwar-rao-a-member-of-the-politburo-of-communist-party-of-india-maoistmainstream-politics-not-for-us-says-koteshwar-rao/
◦Extracts of Interviews with Comrade Bimal, Politburo Member of the
CPI (Maoist), May-June 2009 PDF Format (162 KB); MS Word Format
(38 KB)
◦We Want a Sustainable Development Path and Inclusive Growth
Trajectory that Won’t Divest the Poor from the Fruits of their Labor”,
Interview with Comrade Bimal, April 27, 2009 PDF Format (213 KB);
MS Word Format (42 KB)
◦The Mass Uprising in Lalgarh, Maoist Information Bulletin #6, January
15, 2009 PDF Version (182 KB); MS Word Version (515 KB)
5.Articles from People’s Truth, Voice of the Indian Revolution
[The articles from issues #4 and #5 are not yet available separately,
but the entire issues are available on BannedThought.net via the links
below.]
◦The Lalgarh Revolt a “Festival of the Masses”, by Cherag, and other
shorter items totaling 10 pages, from People’s Truth, #7, August
2009.
PDF Version (295 KB); MS Word (66 KB)
◦Lalgarh Revolt Surges Ahead, by Ayesha, 9 pages, from People’s Truth,
#6, July 2009.
PDF Version (461 KB); MS Word (83 KB)
◦The Mass Uprising in Lalgarh, People’s Truth #5, April-June 2009.
◦Uprising in Lalgarh, People’s Truth #4, January-March 2009.
6.Solidarity with Lalgarh and Committee for the Release of Political
Prisoners (CRPP) Statements
◦ Rally in Kolkata against State Repression in Lalgarh, August 29,
2009, from the Red Barricade web site. Includes several pictures.
PDF Version (235 KB); MS Word Version (144 KB)
◦ILPS Message to the Lalgarh Solidarity Convention, by Prof. Jose
Maria Sison, Aug. 6, 2009. PDF Version (65 KB); MS Word Version (9
KB)
◦Prachanda Slams India, Lanka for Anti-Terror Operations, August 3,
2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=8b1aa527-d501-4e85-95be-60657374a0a8
◦Revolution in India—Lalgarh’s Hopeful Spark, 12 page pamphlet by Sam
Shell, member of the Kasama Project in the U.S., July 2009
http://mikeely.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/revolution_in_india_lalgarh.pdf
◦South Asia Solidarity Group [Britain] to Hold Picket on Lalgarh
Issue, July 19, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=acf79ee2-2c0b-44e0-ab96-8e862f644026
◦Activists Bat for Forces’ Pullout, July 14, 2009
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?clid=2&id=293474&usrsess=1
◦Joint Demonstration in Delhi Opposing Military Action and Repression
on Adivasis of Lalgarh was Disturbed by Delhi Police, June 30, 2009
(Organized by the RDF, NBS and other organizations.) PDF Version
(129 KB); MS Word Version (30 KB)
◦Support the Heroic Struggle of Adivasis in Lalgarh, India, statement
by the International League of People’s Struggle, June 30, 2009. PDF
Version (147 KB); MS Word Version (33 KB) ◦Art Brigade, June 28,
2009
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090628/jsp/calcutta/story_11166840.jsp
◦CRPP Statement Condemning the Arrest of Gour Chakravarty, West Bengal
Spokesperson of the CPI (Maoist), June 27, 2009 PDF Version (294
KB); MS Word Version (86 KB)
◦CRPP Statement Condemning Arrest of Fact-Finding Team, June 27,
2009 http://sanhati.com/news/1607
◦Intellectuals, West Bengal Government on Confrontation Course, June
26, 2009
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=d7cb5c8f-14ff-45d4-9c21-55f3258336f0
◦Stop the Impending Massacre in West Bengal, Communist Party of Greece
(M-L), June 24, 2009
http://indianvanguard.wordpress.com/category/communist-party-of-greece-marxist-leninist/
◦Stand With the Struggling Masses of Lalgarh, statement by the
Communist Party Reorganization Centre of India (M-L), June 23, 2009.
PDF Version (104 KB); MS Word Version (33 KB)
◦‘Send Food, Not Force to Lalgarh’, The Times of India, June 23,
2009 PDF Version (49 KB); MS Word Version (28 KB)
◦Intellectuals Appeal for Peace in Lalgarh, The Statesman, June 22,
2009. PDF Version (116 KB); MS Word Version (39 KB)
◦Press Release by Fact Finding Team of Students from Jawaharlal Nehru
University, June 15, 2009 PDF version (95 KB); MS Word version (42
KB).
◦An Appeal to the International Community by the CRPP, June 2009 PDF
Version (237 KB); MS Word Version (34 KB)
◦Intellectuals Boycott Film Fest as a Mark of Political Protest,
November 21, 2008 PDF Version (140 KB); MS Word Version (40 KB)
7.Useful Links
◦http://www.bannedthought.net/
Banned Thought makes available CPI (Maoist) statements and People’s
Truth to an international audience.
◦http://lalgarh.wordpress.com/
◦http://southasiarev.wordpress.com/
Sponsored by the Kasama Project in the U.S., this site contains news
and analysis about the Maoist revolutions in India and Nepal.
◦http://indianvanguard.wordpress.com/
Useful site on the Indian revolution.
◦http://www.no2displacement.com/
Site of the International Campaign against Forced Displacement and
Special Economic Zones, launched by the International League of
People’s Struggle in June 2008. It also contains documents from the
Visthapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan (VVJVA), a nationwide anti-
displacement organization.
◦http://sanhati.com/front-page/1083/
Based in West Bengal, Sanhati has covered the Lalgarh uprising since
it began.
bademiyansubhanallah
Sid Harth
Nepal Maoists misread PM Manmohan's security concern
TNN 16 September 2009, 08:57pm IST
KATHMANDU: Nepal’s former Maoist guerrillas have misread Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh’s security concern expressed at the conference
of state
directors-general of police in New Delhi on Tuesday, interpreting it
to mean that India was alleging a link between them and Indian
Maoists.
“Infiltration across the Line of Control (LoC) and other places like
Nepal, Bangladesh and the sea has been going up,” Singh had said.
However, the former Nepal rebels have taken the statement in
conjunction with an earlier one by the Indian PM in which he said the
Indian Maoists were the biggest threat to India’s internal security
and come up with their own version.
Chandra Prakash Gajurel, Maoist member of parliament in Nepal and
former foreign affairs chief of the once underground party, Wednesday
called a press conference to refer to Singh’s security concern. The
Maoists are regarding it to mean that India is spreading the
propaganda that Indian Maoists are finding hideouts in Nepal.
“When a responsible leader (like the Indian prime minister) says such
an erroneous thing, we regard it as an attempt to create an
environment to justify stepped-up intervention by India in Nepal,”
Gajurel said. The Maoists are also linking Indian Foreign Secretary
Nirupama Rao’s recent visit to Nepal to this “propaganda”, especially
her comments about the use of Nepali soil for anti-India activities
and the security concerns over the 1800km open border between India
and Nepal.
Gajurel said regressive political parties in Nepal, supported by
foreign powers, were conspiring to dissolve the constituent assembly
and prevent the writing of a new constitution. India, he said, had
already realised that the Madhav Kumar Nepal government that replaced
the Maoist government in May, had failed, and was trying to find out
an alternative, including a new government. Rao’s consultations with
the leaders of various political parties, he said, was her “unofficial
agenda” of finding a new government that would further India’s
interests.
Though his own party has kept up a blockade of parliament, Gajurel
claimed the Maoists were committed to a new constitution but were
being projected as the people who were against it by “Goebbels-like
propaganda” at home and abroad.
Sid Harth
40,000 sq km under Naxal control, govt tells Par panel
Published by: Noor Khan
Published: Wed, 16 Sep 2009 at 20:17 IST
F Prev Next LNew Delhi: Left Wing extremists are calling the shots in
40,000 sq kilometre area in Naxal affected states where the government
has no control, a Parliamentary panel was informed today.
Home Secretary G K Pillai told the first meeting of Parliament's
Standing Committee on Home Affairs that the problem of Maoists was
growing rapidly and needed urgent action.
At the three-hour meeting the panel, headed by BJP leader M Venkaiah
Naidu, was briefed by the ministry officials about the overall
internal security situation with particular focus on the Naxal menace.
Home Minister P Chidambaram has said Naxalism has spread to 20 states
across the country with over 2,000 police station areas in 223
districts partially or substantially affected.
The meeting of the Parliamentary panel came a day after Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh described Left wing extremism as the gravest internal
security threat and called for a nuanced strategy to tackle the
problem.
"We have not achieved as much success as we would have liked in
containing it. It is a matter of concern that despite our efforts, the
level of violence in the affected states continues to rise," he had
told a conference here of all state police chiefs.
Sid Harth
CRPF to have its own intel wing
TNN 14 September 2009, 02:08am IST
NEW DELHI: The home ministry has given its nod for setting up of a
separate intelligence wing within the CRPF, which has been extensively
deployed
to fight Red ultras in naxal-hit states and to do counter-insurgency
operations in Jammu & Kashmir and northeast.
As per the decision, each battalion of the paramilitary force will
have an intelligence cell comprising about 10 personnel. At present,
CRPF has to depend on state police for local intelligence.
"Though central agencies too have been giving inputs to CRPF on
regular basis, the need was felt to involve the paramilitary personnel
mainly to develop human intelligence in its area of operation," said
an official.
Besides, the ministry has also approved setting up of vigilance cells
in every range and sector. Currently, such cells exist only at the
headquarters here. The need to set up vigilance cells in every range
and sector was felt in the wake of disclosure of alleged
irregularities in its recruitment system following CBI raids against a
few top-ranking CRPF officials.
Sid Harth
A very Indian insurgency
The greatest militant threat facing India comes not from the Islamists
who attacked Mumbai but Naxalite Maoist rebels
Comments (24)
Mustafa Qadri guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 16 September 2009 09.00 BST
Article historyLast November's fedayeen-style attacks on Mumbai may
have reminded the world that India was not immune to terrorism. But
few outside the subcontinent are aware that the greatest source of
militancy in this diverse country comes not from Islamists but
Maoists.
Insurgencies by Naxalites (named after Naxalbari, a town in West
Bengal where rural peasants took up arms against oppressive local
landowners in 1967) have proliferated over a vast beltway stretching
from the forests of Bengal in the north to Kerala in the south.
Astonishingly, there is believed to be a Naxalite presence in one-
third of the Indian landmass, or 16 of India's 28 states. Authorities
estimate that one-fifth of the nation's forests are under Naxalite
control.
In comparison, at the beginning of this year the Taliban in
neighbouring Pakistan was believed to control a maximum of 11% of the
country, all in the North-West Frontier province and Federally
Administered Tribal Area along the border with Afghanistan. Little
wonder, then, that the Indian prime minister, Manmohan Singh, recently
dubbed the Maoist rebels the "single biggest internal security
challenge ever faced by our country".
In contrast, the Economist derided them as "an outmoded ideology" that
is "out of keeping with the modern India of soaring growth, Bollywood
dreams and call-centres".
Such typecasting – of India's apparent economic dream and the
seemingly luddite rebellion opposed to it – is as much a part of the
problem as the violence that has embroiled rural India. Vast economic
and social disparities between rich and poor persist here despite, and
indeed because of, the economic boom of recent times. Although the
Indian constitution outlaws the caste system, it still causes much
discrimination with, in the words of University of Westminster's Radha
D'Souza, the poorest facing "routine everyday violence" by the police.
India's controversial special economic zones, like those in China and
other developing nations, have also played a role, causing massive
dislocations of communities in the name of giant hydro, mineral or
logging projects that benefit powerful local and multinational
businesses.
The Naxalites are a product of these traumas. Like the Taliban in
neighbouring Pakistan, they capitalise on the latest experiences of
generations-old corruption, harassment and nepotism and promise
stability, an equitable share of wealth and quick, if brutal, justice.
They are particularly popular among the poorest communities,
especially in rural areas such as the remote forests of resource-rich
Chhattisgarh where Aboriginal tribespeople have been forcibly
"relocated" to make way for mining companies hungry for the iron ore
buried under their feet.
Authorities have facilitated relocations like this – even the
communist-led government of West Bengal that championed land reforms
for the poorest in the late 1970s stands accused of removing peasants
to make way for a Tata car factory.
The Naxalites are often the only ones standing up for the
dispossessed. Leaders like Koteswar Rao (known as Kishanji) claim
their overall aim is to "liberate" the poorest and transform India
into a socialist state along the lines of Maoist communism.
Such rhetoric marks the Naxalites out as true insurgents. Like a
fledgling state, the rebels administer justice in "people's courts",
and raise "taxes" from families and businesses in areas under their
influence. Indian authorities say the largest Naxal network, the
Communist party of India (Maoist), raised 10bn rupees (£125m) in
"taxation" in 2007.
But the Naxalites are far from a united force. Regional rivalries –
most broadly split among different political and militant factions –
have occasionally led to bloody internecine conflict. As a result,
Naxal allegiances typically vary from village to village in every
region they are present.
Some Naxal rebels have been guilty of committing wanton atrocities
that their critics say prove they are not about liberation but to
intimidate ordinary villagers into joining their ranks. During
election periods, for instance, Naxalites have threatened to cut off
voters' hands. Naxalites are openly hostile to parliamentary politics
– they view mainstream communist parties such as those of West Bengal
and Kerala states as enemies of India's underclasses.
Others, such as the anthropologist George Kunnath, speak of the
movement's positive contributions – the emancipation of indentured
"schedule caste" labourers who are otherwise condemned to generations
of de facto slavery, greater social equality between men and women,
and their promotion of education for all.
Whether or not the positives outweigh the negatives, the government
has itself been guilty of excesses.
In Chhattisgarh, government security forces and a vigilante militia
known as the Salwa Judum – ostensibly created to protect people
against Naxal rebels – have been implicated in atrocities like extra-
judicial killings and forcible evictions that have exacerbated the
conflict. According to Amnesty International, villagers who complain
of police or paramilitary abuse are branded Naxalites to silence them.
Compounding matters, the Indian government looks to be escalating its
military presence in affected regions and especially in Chhattisgarh.
Since July, it has deployed hundreds of soldiers along with air and
paramilitary forces to combat the Naxalites in Chhattisgarh who, in
turn, have murdered scores of police personnel.
To his credit, Singh acknowledges that the Naxalite rebellions are at
least in part a consequence of decades-old alienation of the poorest
owing to discrimination, poverty and harassment. Yet there are no
clear signals that the rhetoric is being matched with economic and
social policies capable of bridging the social and economic divides
between rich and poor. Without that divide there would be no
Naxalites.
Contributor
SharifL
16 Sep 09, 9:41am (about 10 hours ago)
If Indian democracy flourishes and solutions sought in territories
with insurgency, things will go back to normal. Some of the problems
are home grown. Every time anything happens fingers are pointed at
other countries. Part of the problem is home grown and needs internal
tackling.
Link Soddball
16 Sep 09, 9:51am (about 10 hours ago)
Any thoughts on how much of this is funded by China? They funded the
Maoist insurgency in Nepal - could they also be responsible for the
Indian one?
Link osamabinbush
16 Sep 09, 10:00am (about 10 hours ago)
The political direction India is heading ( espcially under the polices
of Manmohan singh) these 'problems' are going to become more acute.
In the past some attention was paid to the needs of the poorest but
since 'liberalisation' of economy the poorest have been totally
forgotten under the euphoria of call centres, mobile phones and
expensive cars. The state is becoming more and more lawless and
nothing seems to work without money and/or muscle power.
Notwithstanding the international plaudits India is heading for a rude
shock unless the political class wakes up.
Link vakibs
16 Sep 09, 10:10am (about 10 hours ago)
Leftist willingly commit a mistake in identifying the Naxalites and
similar insurgents as some sort of romantic guerilla attack on
capitalism. Nothing can be farther from the truth.
Naxalites in India are a product of an outdated "feudal" system, which
creates tension between the landed class and the agricultural
laborers. Particularly, it is a grouping of forest tribals against
efforts to dispossess them of their land and produce.
The reason why such an armed struggle is a outdated is because feudal
system is on its wane. India has implemented land reforms, the very
first thing after independence (such reforms aren't yet implemented in
Pakistan). Many peasants are migrating to urban areas in search of
better livelihood and employment, taking away the base support of anti-
feudal movements. Land as such, has become less of an asset in view of
industrial development.
However, Naxalites still create problems. But they are not anti-
national at all. For example, in the wake of the Mumbai attacks, they
condemned such mindless terrorism outright. And moreover, the
Naxalites are limited in their operations to the forest areas. They
don't dare to venture into the urban centers. Most terrorist attacks
in India's urban centers have been due to religious fundamentalists
(often originating from abroad).
Naxalites share no pie in the fight for economic and social equality.
They are just a nuisance in the process of nation building and
economic development. Not long ago, several engineering and medical
students have joined the Naxalite movement with their heads full of
romantic dreams and idealism. Many such youth are turning away from
these movements now. The fight for economic and social equality is
being waged on new grounds, such as those offered by democracy and the
internet.
Link Outradgie
16 Sep 09, 10:40am (about 9 hours ago)
Soddball
Any thoughts on how much of this is funded by China? They funded the
Maoist insurgency in Nepal - could they also be responsible for the
Indian one?
Here's a few thoughts:
1. As the article points out, these groups are quite capable of rasing
their own funding.
2. There is no great love in India for China; a group seen as a
Chinese front would lose support.
3. The current Chinese government would have good reason to suppress
anyone following fundamental Maoist doctrine, just as Stalin
eliminated Bolsheviks.
Link Afgano
16 Sep 09, 10:52am (about 9 hours ago)
vakibs
India has implemented land reforms, the very first thing after
independence (such reforms aren't yet implemented in Pakistan).
How very lovable of you to never forget Pakistan.
What an obssession! We are talking of an Indian problem, does it
matter if some other country has taken some steps similar to what
India has done?
Wonder if you would expand on that?
Link E10Rifles
16 Sep 09, 10:56am (about 9 hours ago)
I've never been a Maoist but am thinking of becoming one after reading
this article.
Link vakibs
16 Sep 09, 11:03am (about 9 hours ago)
@Afgano,
The writer Mustafa Qadri is a Pakistani, my comment was addressed to
him.
Link xinjan
16 Sep 09, 11:18am (about 9 hours ago)
Why Taliban and Naxalite? Social disparities, class system, nepotism
and Indian hubris would devour India.
Link xinjan
16 Sep 09, 11:23am (about 9 hours ago)
@Soddball 16 Sep 09, 9:51am
Any thoughts on how much of this is funded by China? They funded the
Maoist insurgency in Nepal - could they also be responsible for the
Indian one?
Dont blame China for all your ills.
If you cannot rule your country, let China rule it or you.
Link Teacup
16 Sep 09, 11:45am (about 8 hours ago)
Perhaps our government could look into the history of Kerala, which
had, but no longer has, a Naxalite problem.
Soddball,
Please, we are paranoid about the infamous "foreign hand" as it is. We
need no assistance to think up possible foreign sources for our
problems.
Afghano,
Come on, all is fair in love, war and Indo-Pak rivalry.
Link stevejones123
16 Sep 09, 11:56am (about 8 hours ago)
I've heard it said, Teacup, that the only saving grace of partition
was that it allowed Nehru to push land reform through in India, since
if the Pakistani Zahindars formed part of a united India they would
have been powerful enough to block it.
Link Ieuan
16 Sep 09, 11:57am (about 8 hours ago)
"The Naxalites .....capitalise on the latest experiences of
generations-old corruption, harassment and nepotism and promise
stability, an equitable share of wealth and quick, if brutal,
justice."
"They are particularly popular among the poorest communities"
The sad thing is, if the poor were rich, they would behave in EXACTLY
the same way as the rich do now.
Link KabaaAli
16 Sep 09, 12:08pm (about 8 hours ago)
@xinjan 16 Sep 09, 11:18am
Why Taliban and Naxalite? Social disparities, class system, nepotism
and Indian hubris would devour India.
@xinjan 16 Sep 09, 11:23am
Dont blame China for all your ills.
If you cannot rule your country, let China rule it or you.
Well said xinjan
Link Teacup
16 Sep 09, 12:09pm (about 8 hours ago)
SteveJones123,
Just as no Norman ancestor of a Brit was less than an officer in
William the Conqueror's army, no Indian of Bangladeshi origin was less
than a Zamindar - these are all Hindus, so I guess it is a toss up as
who benefitted.
Ieuan,
All too true, though not confined to the poor of India. I know a few
families, where one member has done well, and pulled the whole
extended family up along with her/him, but these are very few in
number. Stil, I suppose that one could think of them as the thin edge
of the wedge.
I hope so, anyway.
Link AutoReply
16 Sep 09, 12:21pm (about 8 hours ago)
India not so shining now is it?
Link Celtiberico
16 Sep 09, 12:45pm (about 7 hours ago)
Well, if this insurgency is fuelled by the grievances of the poor,
hopefully the Indian authorities will have the brains to realise that
the best way of dealing with those underlying causes of gross
inequality and poverty, rather than simply prescribing a 'security
solution' reliant on brute force.
Link Jiri
16 Sep 09, 1:32pm (about 6 hours ago)
Soddball
16 Sep 09, 9:51am (about 3 hours ago)
Any thoughts on how much of this is funded by China? They funded the
Maoist insurgency in Nepal - could they also be responsible for the
Indian one?
The Chinese didn't fund the Maoists in Nepal. The Nepali Maoists would
be more accurately described as Indian "assets" in Nepal.
Link stevejones123
16 Sep 09, 1:44pm (about 6 hours ago)
Just as no Norman ancestor of a Brit was less than an officer in
William the Conqueror's army, no Indian of Bangladeshi origin was less
than a Zamindar - these are all Hindus, so I guess it is a toss up as
who benefitted.
A bizarre argument, Teacup. I was thinking of Western Pakistan rather
than Bangladesh anyway.
Link PeterParker
16 Sep 09, 2:11pm (about 6 hours ago)
vakibs
16 Sep 09, 10:10am (about 4 hours ago)
Leftist willingly commit a mistake in identifying the Naxalites and
similar insurgents as some sort of romantic guerilla attack on
capitalism
Ahem. That wouldn't be the first time.
Live long...
Link rash1144
16 Sep 09, 3:16pm (about 5 hours ago)
The Maoist insurgency is real and one of reasons of it that due to
mining and other industrial development the forest living Dravidians
were forced out from their hearths and habitats in India. The Indian
Government did not take appropriate measures to rehabilitate them and
then they became desperadoes and now control great swath of not only
Jungle land but other plains where lower caste live in rural areas as
it turning out be a war between have- nots and middle class Indian who
were feudal at the time of British rule.
Link Haveatye
16 Sep 09, 3:18pm (about 5 hours ago)
vakibs - "The fight for economic and social equality is being waged on
new grounds, such as those offered by democracy " Yeah, it's doing
wonders in Britain, isn't it?
Link Teacup
16 Sep 09, 4:09pm (about 4 hours ago)
SteveJones123,
I wasn't arguing, I was just poking fun at all those claiming descent
from Zamindars.
Link KK47
16 Sep 09, 5:59pm (about 2 hours ago)
One shouldn't also underestimate the economic effects of the Caste
system, imagine being a young Banghya/Bhangi Dalit and being told from
an early age that the most they could aspire to is to be a faeces
cleaner. This and more I learnt when I met the world's leading
authority on Dalits Ramesh Kumble.
chhotemianinshallah
« Sept 15 Anniversary: The Racist Killing of 4 Little GirlsBBC: India
is “Losing Maoist Battle”
Posted by Mike E on September 16, 2009
The following appeared in BBC News (Thanks to Chegitz for suggestion.)
India is ‘losing Maoist battle’
India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh says his country is losing the
battle against Maoist rebels.
Mr Singh told a meeting of police chiefs from different states that
rebel violence was increasing and the Maoists’ appeal was growing.
The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of the poor.
They operate in a large swathe of territory across central India, and
in some areas have almost replaced the local government.
More than 6,000 people have been killed during their 20-year fight for
a communist state.
‘Going up’
“I have consistently held that in many ways, left-wing extremism poses
perhaps the gravest internal security threat our country faces,” Mr
Singh told a conference of Indian police chiefs in the capital, Delhi.
“We have discussed this in the last five years and I would like to
state frankly that we have not achieved as much success as we would
have liked in containing this menace.”
The prime minister said that despite the government’s best efforts,
violence in Maoist-affected areas was going up.
The prime minister admitted that the Maoists had growing appeal among
a large section of Indian society, including tribal communities, the
rural poor as well as sections of the intelligentsia and the youth.
Mr Singh said a more sensitive approach was necessary in dealing with
the Maoists.
“Dealing with left-wing extremism requires a nuanced strategy – a
holistic approach. It cannot be treated simply as a law and order
problem.”
The rebels operate in 182 districts in India, mainly in the states of
Jharkhand, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra and West Bengal.
In some areas they have virtually replaced the local government and
are able to mount spectacular attacks on government installations.
The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of poor peasants and
landless workers.
This entry was posted on September 16, 2009 at 12:25 pm and is filed
under >> analysis of news. You can follow any responses to this entry
through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a
response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
One Response to “BBC: India is “Losing Maoist Battle””
BobH said
September 16, 2009 at 1:59 pm
In the last general election in West Bengal, the CPI-M (the legal left
part in power there for the last 20-odd years), suffered a big defeat
at the polls by losing support from their rural base and among urban
workers and middle-class people. It will be interesting to see if the
Maoists can make inroads among these forces, because it seems that
without substantial organized support among the working class the best
they can hope for is a Colombia-like stalemate.
chhotemianinshallah
Sid Harth
India’s Rao sought new PM for Nepal, Maoists claim
Wednesday, September 16, 2009, 19:36
Add a commentKathmandu, Sep 16 (Inditop.com) Reacting to Indian
Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao’s two-day visit to Nepal, the
opposition Maoist party Wednesday claimed her “unofficial agenda” was
to assess a new prime minister for the Himalayan republic.
“The present government of Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal has
failed,” said Chandra Prakash Gajurel, Maoist lawmaker and politburo
member of the former guerrilla party.
“India is aware of that. Statements by Indian leaders imply that they
feel an alternative should be found. During her interaction with the
leaders of various political parties, Rao tried to look for an
alternative, a new government that would be beneficial for India.”
Gajurel, who is former in-charge of the Maoists’ foreign affairs, also
alleged there was a conspiracy by “regressive forces backed by foreign
powers” to have the newly elected constituent assembly dissolved and
prevent the drafting of a new constitution, which is at teh centre of
of the peace agreement the former rebels signed three years ago to end
their 10-year insurrection.
“And the Maoists will be portrayed as the villains,” Gajurel said.
“Already, there is propaganda by the media houses in Nepal and abroad
to that effect.”
The Maoist lawmaker said his party, “that had shed so much blood for a
constituent assembly”, remained committed to the promulgation of a new
constitution.
Though Maoist supremo Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ is on a visit to
Hong Kong and his deputy Baburam Bhattarai was engaged in a different
programme, the former rebels hurriedly called a press conference also
to express concern about Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent
statements on Indian Maoists and infiltration by militants.
While Manmohan Singh has said that Indian Maoists have become the
greatest threat to India’s internal security and that there is
mounting infiltration by militants from Nepal, Bangladesh and across
the sea, the statements have become garbled in Nepal.
The Nepal Maoists have been stung by what they allege is the Indian
accusation that Indian Maoists have been seeking shelter in Nepal.
“If the Indian PM talks about Indian Maoists, it is an internal matter
of India and we have no comments. However, if he is implying Indian
Maoists are being sheltered in Nepal, which is what Nepal’s media has
been saying, then we feel it is an attempt to create an environment so
that India can justify its (interfering) action,” Gajurel said.
The Indian foreign secretary returned to New Delhi Tuesday winding up
her two-day visit.
She had said the purpose of her visit was to assess the progress of
the agreements made during Nepal’s trip to India last month.
Sid Harth
Maoists give Nepal government 72 hours to quit
Monday, August 3, 2009, 13:41
Add a commentKathmandu, Aug 3 (Inditop.com) Nepal’s former guerrilla
party, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), Monday warned
that if new Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal did not dissolve his
coalition government within 72 hours and make way for a Maoist-led
national government, it would start a new protest movement both from
the street and parliament.
“The current government is unconstitutional and illegal,” said Maoist
leader and former finance minister Baburam Bhattarai, who along with
two more senior party leaders will head the new movement against the
current government.
“This government was formed under the shadow of the military after the
president (Ram Baran Yadav) took the unconstitutional step of
reinstating the chief of the army (who was sacked by the earlier
Maoist government),” Bhattarai told Inditop.
“We gave the Nepal government a month’s time to establish civil
supremacy over the military. If our demand is not met within that, we
will start a new opposition movement.”
The deadline ends Wednesday.
Bhattarai, whose party became Nepal’s biggest party after it ended its
armed insurrection and took part in a historic election last year,
spelled out what the Maoists meant by the restoration of civil
supremacy.
“It means the current unconstitutional government has to be dissolved
at the earliest and a national government formed under the Maoists,”
Bhattarai said.
The three-member committee formed to lead the struggle movement that
will start if the government fails to heed the demand by Wednesday
began chalking out protests that include public rallies and shutdowns.
The Maoists are also gearing up to lay siege to parliament once again.
This year, they had brought the house to a grinding halt for nearly
two months over the same issue.
“We allowed the house to resume so that the budget could be passed,”
Bhattarai said. “This government has no right to stay in power.”
Prime Minister Nepal, already grappling with a virulent diarrhoea
epidemic in the west, which has killed over 200 people and affected
more than 50,000 people, is ill-equipped to face a renewed Maoist
attack.
His less than three months old government is already reeling under a
garbage disposal crisis, the spectre of drought due to a late and weak
monsoon, and disruptive protests by various groups ranging from ethnic
communities to underpaid teachers.
The fresh Maoist threat comes ahead of Nepal’s official visit to India
scheduled from Aug 18.
If the former rebels put their threat into action, both Nepal’s India
visit as well as the long-term goal of drafting a new constitution by
May 2010 are likely to come unstuck.
Sid Harth
Ban on Maoists is India’s internal matter, says Nepal
Wednesday, June 24, 2009, 19:00
Add a commentKathmandu, June 24 (Inditop.com) Closely watching the
battle in India’s West Bengal state between security forces and
tribals backed by Indian Maoists, Nepal, the survivor of a decade-old
Maoist uprising, Wednesday said the neighbouring country’s decision to
ban the Left radicals was its own internal affair.
“It is the decision taken by a sovereign country,” said Shankar
Pokhrel, Nepal’s information and communications minister who is also
the spokesman of the communist-led government that came to power last
month after the fall of the country’s first Maoist government.
“It is an internal matter of India. In Nepal, we are yet to have the
entire perspective. Also, our party does not have any fraternal
relations with the Indian Maoists.”
The Nepali party that did have fraternal ties with India’s Maoists –
the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) that after 10 years
underground emerged as the biggest party in a historic election last
year – also echoed the communists, though both are at loggerheads now.
“The ban on Indian Maoists is an internal matter of India,” Maoist
lawmaker and spokesman Dinanath Sharma said.
After 1996, when the Maoists began their ‘people’s war’ in Nepal, they
too were banned by the Nepal government. Even today, despite having
signed a peace agreement, they are regarded as a terror organisation
by the US government.
Sharma, however, added that his party rejected repressive tactics and
believed talks were the only way for the resolution of any problem.
“In a democracy, there is no place for repression,” he said.
During the ‘people’s war’, the then Royal Nepal Army had contended
that the Maoists’ guerrilla army had been trained by the Indian
Maoists, especially the People’s War (PW) and Maoist Communist Centre
(MCC) groups. After laying down arms, Nepal’s Maoists had said that
while they had ideological ties with the Indian Maoists, they were not
actually involved.
While the Nepal Maoist party did not react to the Indian government’s
ban imposed Monday and reinforced by the state government of West
Bengal a day later, the party organ, the Janadisha, flayed the move.
In its editorial Wednesday, the daily said the ban exposed the
hollowness of India’s democracy and would be as ineffective as Nepal’s
monarchy and the old parliamentary parties of Nepal that had supported
military repression.
Sid Harth
No link between Nepal Maoists and India’s Lalgarh: Menon (Lead)
Sunday, June 21, 2009, 15:40
Add a commentKathmandu, June 21 (Inditop.com) Despite the growing
violence in Nepal with the Maoists beginning new protests against the
government and the upsurge in Maoist activities in India’s Orissa,
Chhattisgarh and West Bengal states, Indian Foreign Secretary
Shivshankar Menon Sunday ruled out any links between the two, saying
there was no evidence.
“There is nothing to suggest there is any link,” said the Indian
envoy, the first high-ranking Indian official to visit Nepal after the
fall of the Maoist government and the formation of a new communist-
ruled alliance.
Menon, who met Maoist chief and former prime minister Pushpa Kamal
Dahal Prachanda during his two-day visit, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar
Nepal and other leaders, also said that he had been “constantly
assured by all legitimate political parties, including the Maoists”
that they would not interfere in India’s ‘internal matters’.
The envoy’s assurance came as Lalgarh, a tribal village in India’s
West Bengal state, rose in rebellion against the prevailing communist
government, creating a confrontation between security forces and
tribals backed by Indian Maoists.
Indian Maoists also struck in Chhattisgarh state Saturday, killing 12
security personnel in a landmine attack.
In Nepal, the Unified Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) that had laid
down guns after a decade-old armed struggle and headed a coalition
government after winning the election last year, went on the rampage
Sunday, holding sit-ins before government offices, padlocking some and
going on a vandalising spree.
They ransacked the administrative offices in Dhading in central Nepal,
resulting in the clamping of curfew and clashed with security forces,
resulting in dozens being injured.
The protests are over the party’s old battle against the chief of the
army, Gen Rookmangud Katawal, whom it tried to sack but failed and was
forced to step down from power.
The Maoist anger was fed afresh when the new government officially
scrapped the decision to fire the general.
Blaming India for the fall of their government, the Maoists have been
raising an outcry about alleged encroachment by India on Nepali
territory and atrocities by India’s Border Security Force, the
Sashastra Seema Bal.
Menon said while there were bound to be ‘border management problems’
in any intimate relationships, such as the kind India enjoys with
Nepal with their 1800 km shared and open border, some of the
allegations were ‘unnecessary propaganda’ driven by political
considerations.
While India looks into allegations of SSB misbehaviour very closely,
many of the reports were untrue, the envoy said.
However, taking cognisance of the heightened propaganda, India and
Nepal have decided to set up ‘local mechanisms’ to address such
allegations immediately, he said. While such apparatus exists at the
district level, both sides have agreed to erect micro-level mechanisms
to address future grievances.
The demarcation of the India-Nepal border was 98 percent complete, he
said, with detailed strip maps being prepared. Menon also rejected
Maoist allegations that the current government was a puppet of India.
“We don’t intend to interfere,” he said.
India, he said, wanted to see the peace process in Nepal reach its
logical conclusion with the timely drafting of a new constitution as
it was in India’s interests to see a peaceful and stable Nepal with
multi-party democracy.
He also emphasised that the two neighbours’ security concerns were
interlinked and the spirit of cooperation was for mutual benefit.
The Indo-Nepal Security Consultative Group would be meeting soon to
address cooperation issues to be followed by a visit at the home
secretary-level.
Menon, who was shown black flags on his arrival Saturday and faced
rescheduling of his engagements Sunday with some ministers due to the
Maoist protests, took the disruption in his stride.
“Protests are normal in a democracy,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be waving a black flag. But it’s up to them.”
bademiyansubhanallah
CoBRA force busts gun factory; guns down Naxalite
STAFF WRITER 19:4 HRS IST
Raipur, Sep 17 (PTI) In its maiden offensive operation, the elite anti-
Naxal force CoBRA today busted a Maoist arms factory besides shooting
down an armed activist in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
Official sources said based on specific inputs, personnel of the 201
Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) led a force of state
police and CRPF personnel into a forest under the Kistara police
station in the district.
During the combing operation here in the afternoon, the personnel came
across a group of Naxals, who, when challenged, opened fire.
Sources said in the ensuing gun battle, a Naxal was shot dead while
others managed to escape into the forests.
The personnel recovered 9 guns which were under production in the
makeshift arms factory.
Earlier in an overnight encounter, two suspected Naxals were killed by
security forces in the dense forests of Bijapur district in
Chhattisgarh.
Maha to coordinate with other states to counter naxals : Polls
Published by: Noor Khan
Published: Thu, 17 Sep 2009 at 19:54 IST
Nagpur, Sep 17 Maharashtra will coordinate with neighbouring states to
counter naxal threat during October 13 state assembly polls, State
Director General of Police (Election Duty), A N Roy, said today.
"Since naxal affected Gadchiroli is the only district going to polls
in the country on Oct 13, naxals may create problem and hence police
are not leaving any stone unturned to ensure full proof security for
polling staff and policemen," Roy told reporters today.
He was on a day's visit here to review poll preparedness by the
police.
He said naxals from neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh and
Andhra Pradesh are likely to penetrate in Maharashtra and the police
are keeping a tight vigil.
The polling timing in certain polling stations in three constituencies
in Gadchiroli, two in Gondia and one Chandrapur is likely to be
curtailed to 7 am to 3 pm instead of 7 am to 5 pm to facilitate safe
return of both revenue staff and police, he said.
bademiyansubhanallah
Top Article: No Short Cut To Success
Prakash Singh18 September 2009, 12:00am IST
The Naxal theatre seems headed for a bloody conflict. There are
indications that the army may also be pulled into the comprehensive
operations that
are planned to be launched against the Naxals in the near future. The
CRPF is already there; units of the BSF and ITBP are also likely to be
deployed.
Union home minister P Chidambaram recently admitted that the challenge
of left-wing extremism had been ''underestimated'' by the government.
The Naxals, on the other hand, appear to have underestimated the
strength of the Indian state. It is indulgent, has enormous patience,
and it gives a long rope to political dissidence. But once it realises
that enough is enough and decides on firm action, the strongest of
oppositions is decimated. This is what happened in Punjab in the
1980s.
The People's Liberation Guerrilla Army of the CPI (Maoist) may be a
ragtag formation compared to the terrorists of Punjab, or the LTTE of
Sri Lanka, but its geographical spread is daunting. As stated by the
home minister himself, various Naxal groups have pockets of influence
in 223 districts in 20 states across the country.
What is particularly disturbing is the qualitative change in the
pattern of Naxal violence. Earlier, their violence was directed at
individuals who were considered class enemies. These included
landlords, moneylenders, police informers and right-wing elements.
Now, the violence is directed against the state and its apparatus.
High-profile targets are chosen: there was an attempt to assassinate
the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh and, lately, Naxals had the
audacity to threaten even the prime minister, Congress president and
the home minister. Police stations are attacked, the district armoury
is looted, jails are broken open, trains are detained, and security
personnel ambushed with a frequency which erodes the credibility of
the state. The Naxalites' objective essentially is to capture state
power.
The recent stepping up in the tempo of Naxal violence is part of a
calculated plan. The politburo of the Communist Party of India
(Maoist) aims to ''aggravate the situation and create more
difficulties to the enemy forces by expanding our guerrilla war to new
areas on the one hand and intensifying the mass resistance in the
existing areas so as to disperse the enemy forces over a sufficiently
wider area''. They are also keen to exploit ''the worst ever economic
crisis'' by recruiting new members, and undertaking daring counter
offensives. The government, as conceded by the prime minister, has
''not achieved as much success as we would have liked in containing
this menace''.
A militaristic approach to the problem would nevertheless be unwise
and is bound to prove counterproductive in the long run. The security
forces may be able to shatter the Naxals' armed wing and there may be
a large number of surrenders also, but the success thus achieved would
be temporary and illusory. The problem would resurface after a few
years - unless we address the causes which aggravate discontent
against the establishment and make people gravitate to the Naxals. We
must also remember that we are dealing with a movement which is
basically indigenous and has in its ranks large segments of poor
people and a sizeable number of tribals who have been alienated for a
variety of reasons. We cannot declare war against them. It would be a
blunder and amount to seeking a short-cut solution to a problem which
requires a comprehensive strategy over a long period.
It would be akin to saying that we are incapable of modernising the
police force, of going through with police reforms, and that,
therefore, we shall employ paramilitary forces and the army to crush
the Naxal movement. It would also amount to saying that we cannot
alleviate poverty, that we cannot introduce land reforms, that it is
not possible to improve governance beyond the present level, that
corruption is pervasive and we have to live with it, and so the easier
option is to eliminate the Naxals.
The home minister was right when he outlined the Centre's two-pronged
policy police action and development. He could have added mobilising
the support of the people and the political option of dialogue if and
when the Naxals agree to it.
As far as police action is concerned, it needs to be emphasised that
the state police holds the key. It would, of course, need to be
reinforced by paramilitary forces. Andhra has been able to cut the
Naxals to size. Tripura has successfully contained tribal insurgency.
There is no reason why their successes cannot be replicated in other
states. Is the political leadership up to the challenge?
The army is likely to face formidable challenges along the borders
with China and Pakistan in the foreseeable future. Its strength should
not be frittered away on internal security duties apart from the fact
that any deployment in the Naxal-affected areas would be wrong in
principle.
The writer was a member of the Planning Commission's expert group to
study the Naxal problem.
bademiyansubhanallah
Militants claim responsibility for Raj Bhavan car bomb
Press Trust Of India
Imphal, September 19, 2009
First Published: 12:21 IST(19/9/2009)
Last Updated: 12:24 IST(19/9/2009)
Militant outfit Kangleipak Communist Party - Military Council (KCP-MC)
on Saturday claimed responsibility for planting the car bomb at Raj
Bhavan in Imphal.
In a statement issued by the outfit, its self-styled military affairs
secretary Lanheiba Meitei said the car bomb was planted on Friday by
its 5th unit special demo team.
It also claimed that the outfit can breach the security of VIP areas
and plant bombs there.
According to official sources, some persons who arrived there in two
cars, posed as civilians and entered the Raj Bhavan complex on the
pretext of submitting a memorandum to Governor Gurbachan Jagat.
While the car with 25 kg of explosives, three hand grenades and two
mobile handsets was left behind Raj Bhavan, they left the complex by
the second car, the sources said.
The explosives and grenades were later defused by bomb experts.
bademiyansubhanallah
After gunfight, chopper looks for missing cops in Chhattisgarh
Indo-Asian News Service
Raipur, September 19, 2009
First Published: 11:58 IST(19/9/2009)
Last Updated: 12:03 IST(19/9/2009)
Police on Saturday sent a chopper to the southern Maoist-hit areas of
Chhattisagrh to look for five policemen who went missing after
battling guerrillas in Dantewada district on Friday.
"Some five policemen are still missing. A chopper has been pressed
into service on Saturday morning to look for them," a police officer
said.
However, he said: "The operation did not yield expected results
compared to the number of skilled force put in the offensive. Over 500
policemen battled throughout Friday and hardly 10 rebels bodies were
found. Even they (Maoists) managed to kill a senior officer."
A Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer and at least 10 Maoists
were killed on Friday as hundreds of security personnel launched
operations against the guerrillas across Chhattisgarh's Bastar region.
A deputy commandant of the CRPF was killed and several troopers were
injured when the guerrillas retaliated after coming under heavy fire
in operations led by the special anti-Maoist force, Commando Battalion
for Resolute Action (Cobra).
But Additional Director General of Police Girdhari Nayak told IANS:
"The operation, in which the gunfight stretched till late evening on
Friday, was very successful. Maoists had been seen running for cover
throughout the day."
bademiyansubhanallah
Dantewada encounter; bodies of 5 more security personnel found
Press Trust Of India
Raipur, September 19, 2009
First Published: 12:09 IST(19/9/2009)
Last Updated: 12:17 IST(19/9/2009)
Five more bodies of anti-Naxal force CoBRA personnel were recovered on
Saturday, including that of an Assistant Commandant, killed in a
fierce gunbattle with naxals in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh.
With this, the total number of security personnel killed in the
gunbattle on Thursday has gone up to six.
CoBRA sources said on Saturday that the bodies of Assistant Commandant
Rakesh Chaurasia, a sub-inspector, a head constable and two constables
were recovered during combing operation in the thick forests near
Singamadagu of the district.
Assistant Commandant of the force Manoranjan Singh was also killed in
the encounter on Friday.
Personnel of the 201 Commando Battalion for Resolute Action Battalion
along with state police and CRPF personnel had launched a major
offensive against the Naxals following specific inputs about a large
number of naxals being present in the forests.
During the operation which had began on Thursday morning, the force
had unearthed an makeshift arms factory of the Maoists besides
recovering bodies of nine Naxals killed in the encounter and seized
over a dozen guns and grenades.
bademiyansubhanallah
STF to get more teeth to take on Naxals
Asseem Shaikh, TNN 19 September 2009, 07:42am IST
PUNE: After creating the Force One battalion to tackle terror attacks,
the state government has now decided to impart special training to the
special task force (STF) created to take action against the Naxalites.
The decision was taken to counter the increase in Naxal attacks at
Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, Bhandara, Yavatmal and Nanded districts.
Additional secretary (home) Kailash Bilonikar issued a notification
directing the Force One battalion to impart rigorous training to the
STF at Wadachiwadi in Pune from September 1. The training centre will
use the resources of the Unconventional Operation Training Centre.
A team of senior police officers will be constituted to suggest the
names of experts in various fields to impart training to the STF.
State director general of police (anti-Naxalite special operation)
Jayant Umranikar has been asked to take necessary measures in this
regard and recruit personnel from various police units for
strengthening the STF.
Umranikar was not available for comments. The notification states that
the government will create a post of a police officer who will co-
ordinate and share intelligence inputs with the Anti-Terrorism Squad,
Intelligence Bureau, special branch and the State Reserve Police
Force.
The notification has directed the ATS and the Force One to make
available basic communication infrastructure, including facilities of
jamming and interception, to the STF.
The STF has been allowed to use a helicopter in emergency situations
or for carrying out search operations, the notification added.
bademiyansubhanallah
Govt launches media campaign against Maoists
STAFF WRITER 16:29 HRS IST
New Delhi, Sept 20 (PTI) To isolate the Maoists, the government today
launched a media blitzkrieg by putting out an advertisement in
national and regional newspapers about the violence carried out by the
Naxals, whom it termed as "nothing but cold-blooded murderers".
The advertisement carries full particulars and photographs of seven
people, included a four-year-old child, who were killed by the Maoists
in a gruesome manner in Chhattisgarh and through it the Home Ministry
wanted to highlight the Naxal menace, its barbarity and its impact on
innocent civilians.
"Look at these innocent people -- victims of Naxal violence. Naxals
are nothing, but cold-blooded murderers," the advertisement says.
bademiyansubhanallah
Poverty forces youngsters to join Naxal ranks, says Maoist commander
Published on : Sunday 20 Sep 2009 14:18 - by ANI
Gaya, Sept 20 - ANI: A Maoist commander has said that poverty is
forcing the poor to turn to become naxalites.
Paramjit, a platoon commander of Maoists in Bihar, said until the
Indian Government becomes pro-poor they would continue their fight
against the state.
He said utter poverty and illiteracy forced the Maoists to take up
arms.
"We never used to get bread, cloth and house. We had no money for
treatment. There is no education for the poor," said Paramjit.
Paramjit claimed that the Maoists are fighting for the rights of poor
farmers and landless labourers and in turn the rural people give their
support to the cause of rebels.
"We like the locals. They are everything for us," added Paramjit.
Paramjit further said that rebels who have been denied their basic
rights are taking them by force. He accused the Indian security forces
for carrying atrocities against the 'poor' and 'helpless' people.
"The three Indian forces, including Air force, Navy and the Army...
They don't respect the poor but only the rich. Though they say India
is free and the army is pro-poor. But it's a mirage. If they were pro-
poor why don't they come to the poor and talk to them and take care of
them' Only ten per cent of the population is rich and capitalist.
Security forces guard rich and big people but beat poor people," said
Paramjit.
Bihar is one of the five states grappled with Maoists who force poor
people to join their ranks and train them in carrying out hit-and-run
attacks.
They even try to carry it forward as a family tradition by teaching
their children the same tactics. - ANI
bademiyansubhanallah
Operation Green Hunt over; 9 Naxals killed
NDTV Correspondent, Sunday September 20, 2009, Chhattisgarh
Operation Green Hunt, the three-day long massive anti-Naxal operation
launched in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district has come to an end.
After a fierce battle with the CoBRA commandos, bodies of nine
Naxalites have been recovered.
Six security personnel also died in the encounter. The Naxals have
apparently retreated, abandoning their hideout.
But security forces continue to be present in the Chinta Gufa area of
Dantewada to find out bodies of the killed Naxals and their weapons.
chhotemianinshallah
Three BSF companies to seal district borders in Gondia
STAFF WRITER 21:30 HRS IST
Gondia (Maharashtra), Sep 20 (PTI) Taking cognizance of the Naxal
attack on a police party on Friday at Chattisgarh`s Dantewada district
and to keep law and order situation intact during the assembly
election next month, the state police has called for three companies
of Border Security Force (BSF).
The BSF jawans will be deployed in the bordering areas of the district
connecting neighbouring Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh states. Deori
will be the headquarters for the BSF companies, official sources said
today.
The deployment will be near 123 polling centers that are recognised as
sensitive and most sensitive naxal infested zones in the district.
Earlier, Inspector General of police Anami Roy, said during his visit
to Nagpur about the sealing of state border to stop infiltration from
adjoining states.
The outlaws are known to ask villagers to boycott the election every
time and officials will check on their activities.
Sid Harth
'CoBRA' men who took Naxal bullets to save colleagues
Rajeev Deshpande, TNN 21 September 2009, 01:08am IST
NEW DELHI: As `CoBRA' platoons worked their way through thick jungle
in the interior of Dantewada's Red zone, the specialized anti-Naxal
force with elements of the state police ran into a detachment of the
rebels near the Maoist camp at Singanmadugu village.
As the CoBRA platoons began to press home the advantage of surprise,
they found themselves outflanked by another "military" company of
Maoists, which arrived armed with sophisticated automatic weapons. Its
arrival tilted the scales against the CoBRA men who now had to take on
two sets of combatants and soon a couple of constables were injured.
Realizing the dire situation, two assistant commandants leading the
platoons, Manoranjan Singh and Rakesh Chaurasia, had to take a quick
decision. In a bid to protect the group and move the injured, they
staged a "breakout" to draw the Maoists away from the CoBRA force
pinned under heavy fire.
They succeeded in getting their attention, but both received fatal
injuries in the firing. The action took place not far from the Maoist
camp where Chhattisgarh police and CoBRA personnel discovered an arms
factory with lathe machines and even solar heating panels. The CoBRA
force managed to work its way to the top of a hillock where it could
hold its ground and return fire at the ultras.
Details of the operation, carried out in the intervening night of
September 16-17, are only available now as some of the commanders
troop in to Dantewada town on Sunday afternoon. "It was an act of
considerable bravery by the ACs. They not only led from the front, but
put themselves in the line of fire to protect their colleagues," IG
Chhattisgarh Luv Kumar told TOI over telephone.
CRPF DIG Ravideep Sahi, who like Kumar was part of the planning and
even accompanied the units, said, "Our party was near the Maoist camp
when the fighting broke out. There were lots of Naxals and the ACs
gave covering fire to try and help the injured constables. Even after
gaining the hillock, it was not possible to attend to the serious
injuries. In all, six men died."
The daring bid to break out of the cul-de-sac allowed the CoBRA men to
just manage to hold out. "The reinforcements were 16km away and it
took a while to move through the terrain, making sure they themselves
do not fall victim," said Kumar. It was only on Saturday that an IAF
chopper was able to land near the encounter site and even it was
greeted with fire, though from a distance.
The medical equipment being carried by the troops included only
advanced first aid kits meant to provide temporary attention. The
dense jungles were part of what Maoists call base areas and "liberated
zones" where no operation had been carried out before. The Maoists had
set up a large camp frequented by senior leaders like Ramanna which
indicated that they felt it to be "safe".
The Maoist cadres frequently crossed over into neighbouring Orissa and
Andhra Pradesh and were attacked by the raiding party from four
directions. The operations took place near National Highway 221 and
the "Conta road". Communication was difficult as the areas were
clearly outside any sort of cell coverage and use of wireless was also
a challenge.
CRPF director-general A S Gill said the entire operation sent a strong
message that paramilitary and police forces were prepared to move deep
into Red zones and take on the ultras. "The action will build
confidence that we are ready to carry out difficult operations," said
Gill. It is understood that the police and CoBRA team even planted an
Indian flag in the area.
The next step now would be to stabilize the area, but the morale is
high. "We are planning our next operation to consolidate our gains,"
said Sahi. Kumar said the local intelligence that guided the operation
had been very accurate and the ability of the units to make ground
near the Red camp indicated local support.
chhotemianinshallah
Coming up in UP: Grenede-proof police stations in naxal area
Pervez Iqbal Siddiqui, TNN 21 September 2009, 02:37am IST
LUCKNOW: The Uttar Pradesh Police (UPP) is set to bring up bullet-
proof and bomb-resistant well-equipped state-of-the-art police station
for the three Naxal-affected districts in the state. Conceived on the
lines of similar police stations constructed by the Andhra Pradesh
Police (APP) in the Naxal belt of the state, these buildings will
include some technical elements of grenade-proof bunkers.
The government is also toying with the idea of floating some 30
special police squads to fight naxals. The new force is expected to be
stationed at Sonebhadra and pressed into service in the adjoining two
districts of Chandauli and Mirzapur for operations.
To begin which, these new police stations will be equipped with double
mode standby power-supply and ration for the staff to last at least 10
days in case of an emergency. It will have armouries housed in well-
equipped strong rooms with hi-tech security locking system and
automatic alarm system connected to the district police control room
24X7.
The police station building - comprising three storeys - will be
circular in shape with the storey below being bigger than the one
above it to give it a conical shape. This will not only provide clear
few of the premises from all around but also eliminate possibilities
of the enemy hiding behind the boundary walls to prepare for the final
assault. The railing on the three floors will be higher than the
average height of the occupants and will be capped with a half dome
like roof. The high railing wall will help to provide cover to the
cops inside the police station. The dome roof will not allow any hand
granade or bomb to hold on it but slip them off instead because of the
steep taper.
"The structure will be built of RCC and heavily padded with sand-bag
walls from all side to give it a near bomb-proof shell to face the
fire-power that the Naxals are known to be equipped with," said
director general of police (DGP) Vikram Singh talking to TOI about the
characteristics of the new police stations.
The ground floor of the structure will house the police station
office, armoury and safety vault and lock-up, apart from the visitor's
room. The second floor will comprise residential accomodation and
kitchen for the staff apart from back-up paraphernelia while the top
floor will have the control room. The wireless system at these police
stations will be conmnected directly to the district control room 24x7
with a hotline. Besides, the sensitive mikes would pick up each and
every audio element in its range and flash it at the district control
room.
"This will help keep round-the-closk watch on these police stations
from the control room. In case of an attack on the police station, the
control room would come to know about it immediately and respond
automatically," said Singh.
"We had sent a team of top officials headed by additional director
general of police (law & order - I) Brij Lal to AP to study in detail
the structure and highlights of these police stations. Their first-
hand observations will also be incorporated in raising the new
buildings," the state police chief said.
Reserve Police Lines, police stations and PAC camps in general and
their respective armouries in particular have been a choice target for
Naxals across the country for reasons more than one, says the DGP.
"The Naxals strongly believe that such attacks not only provide arms
and ammunition belonging to the police force and help instill a sense
of fear among men in uniform, but also fetch instant publciity," Singh
says. As a result the state government decided to follow the AP model
after incorporating some technical suggestions from the army as
well.
bademiyansubhanallah
CoBRA men trap Maoists in their den
Aman Sharma
New Delhi, September 21, 2009
The death of six commandos in an offensive against Naxalites in
Chhattisgarh should not be seen as a reverse. The Centre feels
security forces for the first time stormed the Maoist stronghold,
setting the stage for a bigger, bolder strike.
At least 24-30 Naxalites were killed in the offensive in the dense
jungles of Dantewada in Chhattisgarh, an official in the ministry of
home affairs (MHA) said.
"Retreating extremists took away most of the bodies. Security forces
found nine bodies. We have the Naxalites on the backfoot now... they
are feeling the pressure," the official said.
Six commandos of CoBRA or Commando Battalion for Resolute Action, an
elite anti- Naxalite force, died battling Maoists, as part of
Operation Green Hunt that began on Friday and continued on Saturday.
The Centre, which has lost a record 260 securitymen to Naxalites this
year, feels the tables are finally turning.
For the first time, MHA officials say, security personnel in large
numbers - almost 600 men - could enter the Naxal stronghold on the
border of Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh to launch a strike
and bust a factory that produced guns for the Maoists.
"This lays the foundation for a bigger offensive to follow. Naxalites
are for the first time worried about their losses and were forced to
retreat," said Chhattisgarh DGP Vishwaranjan.
Naxalites control nearly 40,000 sq km of countryside - mainly in
Dantewada - on the Chhattisgarh-Orissa-Andhra Pradesh border, Union
Home Secretary G.K. Pillai recently told a parliamentary panel.
The MHA, planning a big offensive in November, is moving five BSF
battalions and two ITBP battalions to Chhattisgarh next month to
bolster the strength of 14 CRPF battalions stationed there for anti-
Naxalite operations.
"Eighteen more CoBRA teams will join the battle. Crucially, BSF
intelligence units have also set up their base in Chhattisgarh. We
expect them to provide pinpoint intelligence on Naxalite hideouts," a
top MHA official said.
Whether to enlist the Rashtriya Rifles in the battle is still being
debated. The Indian Air Force has assured to provide four-six choppers
for ferrying paramilitary forces.
"Twelve helipads are being constructed in Chhattisgarh. The civil
aviation ministry has also been asked to make Raipur airport
operational at night to allow 24X7 operations," the official said.
In all, 22 paramilitary battalions are being pushed into Naxal-
affected states next month to supplement the existing 40 battalions
there. "That means there will be almost 75,000 securitymen deployed
for taking on Naxalites in November. The forces will move in after the
Maharashtra polls are over," the official said.
The initial strike at the arms factory between Kistaram and Chintagufa
villages by a joint team of CoBRA and the Chhattisgarh Police on
Friday morning was successful and left 24 Naxalites dead.
But CoBRA suffered casualties that evening as some of their wireless
messages being radioed to Jagdalpur base were apparently intercepted
by Naxalites, who launched a guerrilla attack.
Two CoBRA assistant commandants, S. Manoranjan Singh and Rakesh
Chaurasia, were killed along with sub-inspector Sushil Kumar and
constables Lalit Kumar, Manohar Lal and Uday Kumar.
Courtesy: Mail Today
bademiyansubhanallah
Home > 2009 Issues > September 27, 2009
A coherent strategy to fight ultras
By Shyam Khosla
Main features causing concern and anxiety to the government are
Maoists’ spread over a large geographical area, increase in their
potential for violence, unification of PWG, MCCI and other smaller
groups into a unified command, their plan to establish a red corridor
and their nexus with terror groups such as LTTE, ULFA and Maoists in
Nepal.
Realising that Maoist menace poses a grave threat to India’s security
and territorial integrity, the government has, at long last, decided
to sternly deal with the insurgents, who are waging a war against the
country. Although Home Ministry maintains that 13 states and union
territories have been affected by Naxal violence, those who closely
watch the Left-wing extremism hold that Maoists are active in 220
districts spread over 22 states and union territories and that they
have acquired sophisticated weapons and expertise in the use of
improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Security experts believe that
Naxals have in their possession at least 7,000 weapons, including
AK-47 rifles and SLRs.
Main features causing concern and anxiety to the government are
Maoists’ spread over a large geographical area, increase in their
potential for violence, unification of PWG, MCCI and other smaller
groups into a unified command, their plan to establish a red corridor
and their nexus with terror groups such as LTTE, ULFA and Maoists in
Nepal.
A broad understanding that ultras are a gang of criminal elements,
bereft of any ideological moorings, that needed to be eliminated
emerged at a meeting of chief ministers of states affected by Maoist
violence. The meeting called by the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram
last month decided to launch an all-out offensive against Maoists. The
campaign will be a joint venture by the army, paramilitary forces and
police. A mechanism for exchange of intelligence and experiences will
also be evolved to keep track of ultras, who keep moving from one
state to another. It is a welcome change in Centre’s approach.
Earlier, the then Home Minister Shivraj Patil used to dismiss
suggestions for a central action on the premise that it was for the
states to tackle the problem. He would advise states to undertake
development activities in affected areas if they wanted to fight
insurgency. Chidambaram, on the other hand, has publicly stated that
no meaningful development activity could be undertaken in disturbed
areas. The country seems to have learnt from the experience in Kashmir
Valley where massive funds were pumped in over the past several
decades but this could not end the alienation of local population.
Most of these funds, the government discovered, never reached the
people and fell into the hands of separatists who used them to fuel
insurgency. It is no one’s case that that the government shouldn’t
remove the genuine problems of the people like socio-economic
disparities, grinding poverty and lack of infrastructure. The point
one wishes to make is that the primary duty of a government is to
restore law and order and establish its authority before it can
undertake development activities.
The ongoing operations against ultras in Lalgarh in West Midnapore
district of West Bengal are a case in point. According to the Union
Home Secretary, around 200 to 300 sq km of Lalgarh had been
practically under the control of Maoists for more than eight months.
The central forces-led offensive has driven ultras out of large parts
of Lalgarh. Although people are still apprehensive about the return of
ultras, the central forces are doing a commendable job. It is now for
the West Bengal government to provide succour to the deprived sections
of the society, which had suffered-and suffered badly-at the hands of
the so-called liberators. The government must invest heavily in
building infrastructure in the liberated areas for better
communications, health and educational facilities. Maoists, on their
part, have planned a strategy for counter-offensive. Documents
recovered by the intelligence agencies show that ultras know that 10
battalions of para-military forces being withdrawn from J&K will be
deployed to launch a major operation in Chhattisgarh to liberate 4,000
km of Bastar forest areas dominated by Maoists. Maoist document, a
secret circular, has urged its cadres to prepare for a long-drawn
battle with security forces to defend their "military headquarters".
They have been ordered to meticulously plan attacks to "inflict severe
losses on the security forces". The security forces stand forewarned
of the nature of the war with insurgents.
The Naxal movement that erupted in a small village-Naxalbari-on the
tri-junction of India, Nepal and Bangladesh in the year 1967 has
passed through three major phases. Initially, it was a revolt against
exploitation of farmers, workers and tribals. Santhals armed with bows
and arrows forcibly occupied lands of kulaks and looted paddy from
hoarders. In the first three months, more than 100 such incidents took
place in that remote area of West Bengal. Two years later, CPI(ML) was
launched with the avowed objective to "rouse the peasant masses in the
countryside to wage a guerrilla war, unfold an agrarian revolution and
build a rural base to encircle cities and finally to liberate the
whole country". Drawing inspiration from Mao, Naxal movement’s leader,
Charu Mazumdar militarised the movement to "annihilate class enemies".
It spread its tentacles in several states and was at its peak during
1970-71. "Operation Steeplechase" was launched by the union government
to crush the ultras. The operation was extremely successful and top
Naxal leaders, including Charu Mazumdar, were arrested. Charu died in
prison shortly thereafter leading to a split in the party.
The third phase of Maoist insurgency began with the YSR government
entering into a secret understanding with PWG for the latter’s support
to the Congress and its allies in return for suspension of operations
against them. Many PWG leaders surfaced and a massive recruitment
campaign was launched. Fully-armed PWG cadres would move around cities
and villages threatening and attacking people. PWG further utilised
this period to reorganise its forces and to hold secret parleys with
Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI). At a secret conclave in West
Bengal, a unified party of all Naxal groups called CPI(Maoist) was
formed. It gave a tremendous boost to insurgency in the country. They
drew out a plan to create a red corridor from Indo-Nepal border to
Dandakarnya region to slice the country into two and to eventually
capture the country. Maoists’ morale also got a boost and they
launched several daring raids at government establishments, including
police stations, jails and railway stations.
Having decided to eliminate this menace, the government must carry
forward the war against this terror outfit to its logical conclusion.
Narrow political gains and ideological confusion shouldn’t be allowed
to weaken the war effort. It will indeed be a long and bitter war. Let
the nation stand up as one against this menace.
chhotemianinshallah
Big naxal hunt in N. AndhraSeptember 21st, 2009
By Our Correspondent Visakhapatnam
Sept. 20: The special police on Sunday launched massive combing
operations in the agency tracts of north Andhra on the eve of the
Maoist formation day which will be observed on Monday.
The operations are being carried out in view of the Dantewada
operation of the anti-Naxal Cobra force which claimed several lives
during the last 48 hours.
The reserve and civil police searched the weekly markets in Sileru and
Darakonda and checked the vehicles passing through the area. Suspected
persons were taken into custody and questioned.
In Srikakulam district, the special police and central police
personnel combed the hill tracts of Peddadimili and Bukkataguda in
Bhamini mandal.
The Maoists also visited Ghanasara and the interior villages of Maniga
mandal and organised a party meeting.
Unlike previous years, there were no posters in the interior villages
on the eve of the formation day.
Armed police were seen at the border villages to prevent the Maoists
from entering the state from Chhattisgarh where massive combing is
going on.
chhotemianinshallah
Naxals moving into state
TNN 21 September 2009, 05:48am IST
NAGPUR: Maoist guerillas in large numbers are learnt to be gearing up
to infiltrate into Maharashtra from neighbouring Chhattisgarh to
disrupt the forthcoming state assembly election scheduled to be held
on October 13. The red rebels are likely to put up a stronger
resistance against the security forces this time than they were able
to during the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections.
Intelligence sources claimed that the highly trained guerillas with
sophisticated weapons were likely to migrate to reinforce the local
outfits. With their senior cadres already shifting focus on foiling
the democratic process, the military wing of the outfit is also
expected to get into a high action mode. According to intelligence
sources, the recently launched operation at Dantewada by the COBRA
force on a Naxal stronghold may also result in shifting of the
guerillas to safer havens in the state.
In Gadchiroli, it is learnt that two government officials were
thrashed and threatened while visiting villages for collecting photos
for the election identity cards. Local sources from the affected
villages told TOI that division level senior cadres had already
started visiting villages and meeting the residents urging them to
boycott the polls.
According to a reliable source in an affected village in North
Gadchiroli, dreaded Naxal leader Rajesh Singh Markham, alias Sujan,
has been also shifted back to Gadchiroli after spending several weeks
in Chhattisgarh. Sujan was instrumental in several deadly attacks on
police in the district including one at Markegaon where 15 cops had
perished last February.
"Some villagers had spotted him recently among the rebel group but he
apparently seems to be waiting for green signal to start marking his
presence felt," said a local resident adding that Naxal presence would
have a bearing on the polling percentage in the district. "Last time,
Gadchiroli experienced high polling percentage due to police dominance
over the rebels which was achieved with the help of big presence of
paramilitary forces in the district. Despite the tight security
arrangements, police helicopter was shot at and there were two attacks
on polling parties," said a source.
Police department is, however, still struggling with shortcomings with
elections round the corner. Though director general of police for
elections Anami Roy had assured of a strong deployment of security
forces and elaborate arrangements, newly posted DIG Sunil Ramanand--
who is supposed to counter Naxal operation in north and south
Gadchiroli and Gondia-- is still bereft of required infrastructure.
bademiyansubhanallah
Top naxal leader arrested
TNN 22 September 2009, 12:05am IST
NEW DELHI: The special cell of Delhi Police claimed to have arrested a
top naxal leader and politburo member of the Communist Party of India
(Maoist). Kobad Gandhi was reportedly looking after the central
propaganda committee of the naxalite organisation. Known for his
organisational skills, Kobad was arrested in the capital on Monday
following specific inputs from intelligence agencies. However, the
police refused to divulge more regarding the arrest.
As the head of the media cell, Kobad also headed CPI(ML)'s publication
wing. He had been instrumental in using his `good sources' to gain
information about police movements in urban areas and taking naxal
ideology to the mainstream media. According to sources, Kobad
personally took initiative to print press releases for the
organisation and distribute it among sympathisers.
A member of the politburo, the top decision making body of the CPI
(Maoist), Gandhi was also in charge of the sub-committee on mass
organizations and spreading its influence in urban areas.
Police claimed he was also in touch with foreign extreme Left
organizations to get international recognition for his outfit.
Kobad was produced before a duty magistrate at the Tis Hazari court
who sent him to 14 days judicial custody.
According to sources, Kobad was instrumental in spreading the Naxal
ideology in various parts of north Maharastra in association with his
wife Anuradha Gandhi, a sociology professor of Nagpur University, who
passed away a few months ago. He worked in Chandrapur district before
moving to Dhule in north Maharastra.
"He had to go into hiding over the last two years after some top
functionaries in the organisation like Nandlal, Fereira and Murli were
arrested in various police raids. All through he had been using
various pseudonyms like Salim, Rajan and Kishore. In an effort to
hoodwink the police, he kept changing his base to different cities. As
an ideologue of the party, he was the one who coordinated the actions
undertaken by the various frontal groups of the organisation and other
civil liberty groups which had come under the scanner of the
intelligence agencies,'' said a source.
The agencies knew of his frequent journeys to the capital and was
being tracked.
bademiyansubhanallah
Maoists attack CPM office, 15 killed in clash
TNN 22 September 2009, 01:20am IST
MIDNAPORE: Scores of armed Maoists swamped a CPM party office on
Monday afternoon, triggering a gunbattle that has so far left at least
15 people dead. The clash took place in a town called Enayetpur, 15km
from Midnapore and a three-hour drive from Kolkata. Most of the dead
are believed to be CPM workers.
No security personnel could reach the area, despite the gunbattle
raging for several hours on the road between Midnapore and Dherua, in
the heart of Lalgarh, an area that was for long out of bounds for
police. Gunshots could be heard until 10pm, more than five hours after
the fighting erupted.
The Maoist gunmen are reportedly led by two powerful commanders named
Kishanji or Koteswar Rao and Bikash.
According to sources, about 200 CPM supporters had assembled at the
Enayetpur party office over the last three weeks, apparently to stop
the Maoist advance towards Midnapore town. Many of them had also taken
shelter there, with the Maoists killing CPM men almost every day. On
Monday, most left to celebrate Eid. Only 50-odd CPM cadres held fort
at the party office.
In the afternoon, a 10,000-strong group of tribals, many of them
carrying firearms, started marching towards the office, led by
Kishanji and Bikash. At 5pm, the Maoist assault party started
surrounding the building.
Seeing the massive crowd, the besieged CPM supporters reportedly
opened fire. Maoist sources claimed the bullets killed two women. The
Maoists fired back from all directions. Bullets thudded into the brick
walls and wooden door. The CPM men were hopelessly outnumbered and
outgunned. Ten CPM men and at least three Maoists have so far
reportedly been killed. When TOI reporters spoke to residents in the
area around 10pm, they were told gunshots could be still heard every
few seconds.
Kishanji threatened to blow up the party office, with at least 40 CPM
cadres inside, unless they laid down arms.
The area, broadly referred to as Jangalmahal, has been on the boil
ever since last November bomb attack on chief minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee's convoy. For months, Lalgarh was cut off from the rest
of West Bengal as the Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police
Atrocities made the area out of bounds for police and administration.
Things have only marginally improved after the joint operation by
paramilitary forces and police started in May. But the killing of CPM
leaders and supporters has continued unabated. Monday's brazen
shootout is the worst violence since May.
bademiyansubhanallah
Rebels torch vehicles in Palamu, Khunti dists
TNN 21 September 2009, 06:01am IST
RANCHI: Suspected Peoples' Liberation Front of India (PLFI) cadres on
Sunday torched four trucks for violating the outfit's bandh call. The
rebels called a 24-hour bandh in Palamu division beginning Saturday
midnight demanding the release of their "sub-zonal commander"
Laxmanji.
Police sources said the PLFI cadres had stopped the truck drivers at
midnight and asked them to follow their diktat.
Jharkhand police spokesman IG S N Pradhan said the drivers didn't
listen and hence their trucks were set on fire.
"According to our information, the PLFI members had warned the drivers
not to ply their vehicles on Saturday night. As the drivers did not
follow the outfit's diktat the vehicles were set ablaze at 7 am on
Sunday," said Pradhan.
The drivers and helpers were chased away. No one was hurt. Traffic was
disrupted on Murhu Road near Kunta village for almost two hours. A
large number of long-distance trucks were parked along the highway
till the time police arrived and began combing operation. The drivers
feared a similar fate in case they move without police protection.
"Movement of vehicles in the area is now normal and police patrolling
has begun to check more such incidents," Pradhan said.
In another incident, the house of a local RJD leader was blown up at
Chatra and a passenger jeep was set ablaze by the rebels in Khunti
district on Saturday night.
Reports said five PLFI members intercepted a jeep near Chamri village,
forced the passengers to alight and set the vehicle afire.
Sid Harth
IAF copters,ISRO images to be used against Naxals
STAFF WRITER 17:6 HRS IST
New Delhi, Sep 22 (PTI) The government will launch an offensive
against the Naxals in various states later this year using IAF
helicopters for movement of troops and satellite images to carry out
surgical strikes.
As per plans, the operations would be led by the anti-Naxal force
CoBRA in coordinations with state police and paramilitary forces CRPF,
BSF and ITBP, a senior Home Ministry official said today.
The highlight of the operations will be participation of the Indian
Air Force (IAF) which will provide helicopters for the movement of
troops.
Another unique feature will be the role of ISRO for providing
satellite images and National Technical Research Organisation to
finetune the strategies.
The personnel of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA),
who have already being stationed in various areas, are now focusing on
spreading their intelligence network.
Sid Harth
No casualty in firing between Maoists, CPI(M)
STAFF WRITER 18:44 HRS IST
Kolkata, Sep 22 (PTI) Security personnel today entered Enaitpur, the
scene of last night's fierce gunbattle between Maoists and CPI(M)
cadre in West Midnapore district of West Bengal, but did not come
across casualties claimed by the Left-wing extremists.
"The police have been able to enter the area. There is no casualty,"
West Midnapore's Superintendent of Police Manoj Verma told PTI.
Police had earlier said that some people were killed yesterday in the
exchange of fire between armed CPI(M) supporters and Maoists in the
area.
Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen told reporters that there was no death in
the armed encounter, but three persons suffered bullet injuries. "The
political affiliation of the injured was not yet known," he said.
Meanwhile, District police sources said that two women, Sombibi Besari
and her daughter, Dulali Besari were admitted to the Jhargram sub-
divisional hospital with bullet injuries in the legs.
Sid Harth
Fight Naxals with guns and butterSeptember 22nd, 2009
By Our Correspondent The usual media stories about the Naxalites,
who go under various acronyms in different parts of the country, are
depressing to read. Typically, in central India’s tribal belt, which
includes the states of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, fringes of
Maharashtra, Bihar and West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh, well-armed Naxal
brigades kill the innocent (usually the poor who do not join them, or
a local notable), attack government property and public institutions,
and eliminate policemen, some times in open confrontations or through
the use of landmines and improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Usually
the authorities are found helpless in these situations and little
protection can be afforded to ordinary folk residing in Naxalite-
ravaged zones. So, there was a bright spot last Friday when in
Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh CRPF commandos, coordinating with
the state police, tactically engaged the so-called Maoists in thick
jungles that had hitherto not been penetrated, killed a number of
them, unearthed an arms factory, and seized a stockpile of
sophisticated weapons. The regions in which Naxals are active are
ungoverned spaces, not unlike parts of the world where groups like the
Taliban operate. Road and rail links are absent, and signs of
development few. Ordinary people live in dread of the desperadoes and
generally do their bidding for there is no government to come to their
aid. It is therefore in the fitness of things that the parts of the
Dantewada forests where the uniformed men took on the so-called
Maoists are not relinquished. Indeed, tactics incorporating military
means and developmental activity is the long-awaited imperative if
these regions have to be freed from the clutches of the “people’s
brigade’. The Naxalites of the present generation who terrorise the
poor to gain control of territory are not Robin Hoods. They are
neither revolutionaries nor bandits of the kind that Hobsbawm wrote
about. The fire of idealism and romanticism that drove misguided young
men and women — many from backgrounds of privilege — 40 or 50 years
ago to take up arms “in defence of the poor”, and revolt against an
indifferent state power, has ceased to burn. In many cases, Naxalites
now are mixed up with destructive elements such as Islamist militants,
the LTTE, and the underground operatives of the Northeast. Their stock-
in-trade are weapons and drugs. They are terrorists, not political
ideologues. A democratic state cannot but take them on — militarily,
politically and ideologically. Having said this, the same state also
needs to be interrogated for its lethargy and its aversion to drawing
the poorest in the country into the arc of development. The Naxalites
feed on the poverty syndrome and revel in conditions of
underdevelopment which permit them to ply their trade unmolested. In
order to contest them convincingly, the state must carry the fruits of
progress to the ordinary people. There is a curious absence of a
meaningful reference to this in observations made from on high. The
Prime Minister and the Union home minister typically refer to the
Naxalites as the country’s biggest internal security threat. That in
part is not an unrealistic assessment. But it is time our leaders
began to articulate a fuller understanding of the problem.
chhotemianinshallah
PC’s mantra: Patrol every street to make Delhi safe
Express News Service
Posted: Sep 23, 2009 at 0045 hrs IST
New Delhi Union Home Minister P Chidambaram want policemen to be on
the beat in “every street” of the Capital for the crime rate to dive
southward.
Inaugurating 22 new police stations at Sunlight Colony on Tuesday,
Chidambaram said, “Policemen should be walking every street for the
crime rate to come down. Senior citizens and students must be safe —
even lovers in parks must be safe.”
About the batch of new police stations in the Capital, he said, “Such
facilities were sanctioned only after getting an assurance from the
brass of Delhi Police that the crime rate would see a downward
trend.”
He said he would review the performance quarterly — “I expect
outcome,” he added.
Chidambaram said the Delhi Police would get additional intelligence
resources and more personnel for effective policing. Helicopter
patrolling is also on the ministry’s radar, and the day is “not far”
when patrolling will be done on choppers during “special occasions”,
the minister said.
Emphasising that mega-city policing is a different ballgame,
Chidambaram said ensuring law and order in these cities requires
special skills, highest technology and a state of continuous
alertness.
A day after the city police arrested top Naxal leader Kobad Gandhi,
Chidambaram said, “I compliment the Delhi Police for arresting a very
senior Naxal leader. Two top Naxal leaders were arrested before 2007
and four after 2007. This is an indication of how well the
intelligence agencies and Delhi Police are working together.” Gandhi,
63, was nabbed from Bikhaji Cama Place in South Delhi on Sunday night
following a tip-off from the central intelligence agencies.
Days after Commonwealth Games Federation president Michael Fennel
questioned the country’s preparedness to meet security aspects of the
multi-sports event next October, Chidambaram today said the government
is increasing the level of preparedness to meet any terror threat or
terror attack. And in case of a terror threat or attack, he said, “our
response will be swift and decisive”.
Games ahead, Delhi behave, says Chidambaram
Ahead of next year’s Commonwealth Games, Home Minister P Chidambaram
asked Delhiites to change the way they behave. He pointed out that
Germany and China had made enormous efforts to change their citizens’
habits before hosting sporting events of this nature. Germany hosted
the 2006 football World Cup, while Beijing played host to the Olympics
last year.
“We cannot expect mega city policing to function properly if people do
not change their behaviour. We still find vehicles jumping red lights
— (even) police vehicles are not excluded; they too jump red lights,”
Chidambaram told the media after inaugurating the new police
stations.
Then, he added, there are vehicles without registration plates, and
people cross roads “where they should not — we want to encourage
people to change their mindset” ahead of the event.
His comments came after Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said at the
function that her government was launching a campaign to change the
way people behave to make the Capital more “caring and sharing”.
Chidambaram said Delhiites, and others coming to the metropolis from
outside, should seize the opportunity of the Commonwealth Games to
change the way they behave.
“People come to Delhi — this is the national capital and we cannot
stop people — but if they come to Delhi, they will have to adhere to
the behavioral requirement, the discipline of the city,” he said.
bademiyansubhanallah
Anti-Naxal Force to get night vision goggles, bulletproof jackets
TNN 23 September 2009, 05:45am IST
CHIKMAGALUR: The government agreed to provide night vision goggles and
bulletproof jackets to the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) to combat armed
Naxals in
Kudremukh foothills and all other Naxal-hit areas.
Disclosing this to The Times of India, Western Range IGP Gopal Hosur
said, totally 543 ANF men, working in Chikmagalur, South Kanara and
Udupi districts will get these gadgets and bulletproof helmets.
"Orders have been placed with BEL Company at Machalipattana who
manufacture night vision glasses at the cost of Rs 1.96 lakh", Gopal
Hosur said adding, "These things are very much necessary while
tracking their movements in night in the terrain."
While refuting rumours that police are preparing for the final assault
on Naxals, he said, no such move is in the offing and that these
gadgets are required to strengthen the police combing operation.
Gopal said, police have information that Naxal outfits are recruiting
new faces as local support has started dwindling and they are relying
mainly on outsiders. Naxals are not getting support from the tribals
as well, he added.
bademiyansubhanallah
May need to use special forces against Naxals: Home Minister
Express News Service
Special forces of the Army might be called out for surgical strikes
against Naxalites if required, Home Minister P Chidambaram said
today.
Speaking at the Idea Exchange programme of The Indian Express,
Chidambaram, however, ruled out the use of regular Army units in flush-
out operations against Naxalite groups. The government intended to
fight Naxals using only para-military and state police forces, he
said.
“But, it may — and I want to underline the word may — become necessary
to induct special forces of the Army, like the para-commandos, to
supplement the efforts of para-military and state police. If such a
need is felt, we might consider that,” Chidambaram said.
A major assault against Naxalite groups, which Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh has described as the gravest threat to India’s internal
security, is expected towards the end of the year. With central para-
military forces over-stretched, there have been reports that the
government might call in the Army to quell the Naxal upsurge.
On Pakistan’s continued reluctance to take action against Lashkar-e-
Toiba founder Hafiz Saeed, whom India sees as the mastermind of the
26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, Chidambaram said there was not much New
Delhi could do apart from “relentlessly pursuing” it with the
Pakistani establishment.
“I can only see the tunnel. I cannot see the end of it,” he said when
asked if there was any hope that Pakistan would act against Saeed. “We
will continue to follow the procedures of law. We are hoping that
someone in Pakistan would wake up to the fact that they have to
observe internationally accepted rules of laws and start
investigations into the leads provided by India.”
Asked if India would ask for access to investigate the case on
Pakistani territory, Chidambaram said, “When they have denied access
to the FBI, which is legally obliged to investigate the killing of
every American anywhere in the world, would they give access to us?”
Speaking about efforts being made to enhance India’s capability to
fight terror, Chidambaram said a separate intelligence wing was being
created in the National Investigating Agency (NIA), set up in the
aftermath of 26/11, for crimes with inter-state or international
ramifications like terror, money laundering or narcotics smuggling.
18 Comments
|Special forces against Naxals
By: anil | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 19:53:08 PM
Congress is filled with full of drama artists, they will come on to
the stage whenever there is some elections. our politicians are only
interested in making money and giving public statements. Naxals are
supported by less privileged sections of our own society. This problem
can be solved not by giving lip sympathy or some public statements.
Give free education to every child of this country till university
level with free food and clothing. When an MLA of MIM from Hyderabad
fired rounds in public threatening government servants our home
department is sleeping and moreover transferred the government
servants we cannot do justice in the metros (just citing one example)
why we talk about jungles. Deal all citizens equally and no
appeasement and no political color to the policies, you can see the
difference
manager
By: reuben | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 17:06:00 PM
only KPS Gill can end the Naxal menace put him on the job but make
sure that innocents tribals or downtrodden villagers are not
persecuted
When, HM?
By: Indi | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 13:32:34 PM
But when? so called home minister? When are you going to act. When upa
came to power we had a home minister who was more concerned about his
dresses than the security of aam aadmi. When you became a home
minister we are hearing only your statements and nothig more. You know
empty vessels makes more noise.
all wil be a good
By: Jagan T | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 12:12:55 PM
dear all indian economy when it be high, when we recoveredswiz bank
money, that time only we improve our indian economy, pls make it take
action sir
Special forces against Naxals
By: MOHAN DADDIKAR | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 11:56:48 AM
Already thousands of policemen and civilina have been killed by
Naxalites. Home Minsiter may please clarify as to the number of more
victims of Naxalite attacks that will trigger retalliatory action by
special forces. Every Indian is now convinced that the Central Govt is
not capable of any effective action either against the terrorists,
Naxliltes or any other anti-social elements.
Make sure there is no collateral damage
By: Shiva Gopalakrishnan | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 11:45:37 AM
Naxals have a lot of sympathy especially in the economically weaker
sections. Make sure there is no collateral damage during the
operations. Most importantly do not play politics with this; Be tough
irrespective of which party is ruling the congress. It is high time a
government took a stance.
Nation verses vote bank
By: YD | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 11:25:42 AM
"Chidambaram said there was not much New Delhi" and "I can only see
the tunnel. I cannot see the end of it", these words are from the Home
Minister of an, so-called, "emerging world power". The sewer of
Congress shamelessness is bottomless. In fact what Chidambaram is
saying that Congress will not take action against Pakistan and anger
Congress vote bank.
why now
By: Indian | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 11:08:41 AM
On one side they are challenging Ishrat jehan, the LeT member's HC
encounter verdict in SC, on the other hand talking tough on naxals.
This same govt took help of naxals to win elections in AP and ULFA in
Assam and now wants to fight them after wasted 6 years, afger killing
of so many innocents.
Actions speak better than words... act, Mr.PC, don't just talk!
By: Bhanu | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 11:06:46 AM
Is this another case of bravado? We have got lot of hot air from the
UPA Govt. regarding Naxals. It is time for the union government to
pull up its socks, shed its lethargy and act courgeously and
convincingly. Mere words will not deter these anarchist, anti-national
Maoists who are remote-controlled by their paymasters in China and
naxal sympathisers in Communist parties. I still doubt the real
intentions of the Union Government in this matter, until we can see
some concrete action. Why no naxalite was killed or captured in
Lalgarh despite the area being "surrounded", the "multi-pronged
attack" and the "pincer mode strategies" which failed to net any
Maoist?
To Charm a Naxal.
By: George P. Joseph | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 11:05:59 AM
They are the cobras, venomous! To charm them, please throw, bits of
breads, ragged clothes and a shelter without any threats of
diprivation or threat to their modest living without daily bread and
butter, since it is their duty to live. Is it a doctrine against
anybody .................
By: Jaideep Shah | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 11:03:52 AM Reply | Forward
Mr. Chidambaram, you still have to use the word MAY? I am getting very
exasperated with your actions. Can you please explain where is the
glitch in having done this long time back? ISNT LALGARH a reason
enough for sending in the Army after these lousy China backed Maoists?
Lalgarh, Mr. Chidambaram in my opinion is a national shame 100 times
larger then KARGIL. An Indian territory which is under rebel control
for a year now and you as the government is still talking of MAY SEND
SPECIAL FORCES.Mr. Chidambaram, May I remind you that you are under
oath to protect the integrity and the sovereignty of the Union of
India and you are failing this very oath repeatedly.Further, you
always quote Mr. Advani's actions as the Home Minister in your
interviews with the media to score points over him, but please be
advised that Advani all but wiped out Maoist terrorism in the country
under his watch then.This menace raised its head 2004 on. Please stop
playing vote bank politics and start working.
Very Perceptive
By: S.V.Ramanan | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 11:02:48 AM
Very original and perceptive.It needs all the inputs of the the
Ministry to arrive at this conclusion.
Naxals menance
By: Deepak Ghosh | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 10:49:28 AM
This is the only home minister we got who is straight forward and
couragous person. I salute this man. Yes, I agree with our HM, the
naxals can be wiped out through the help of our army only.. Bomb their
hide outs and finish them once for all. Never, mind the public
sympathy with the naxals. These very public who are very very poor and
are having sympathy with naxals only because these poor people get fed
by the naxals. If we take care of them the problem will be over and
nobody will cross over to naxals.
This is the only HM
By: Jaideep Shah | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 11:12:44 AM
Mr. Ghosh...Yes, indeed the only man who sits quietly over LALGARH
being under foreign backed militia control and still he chooses the
word MAY USE ARMY.I am sure you noticed it, but your political
affiliations compelled you to ignore this important fact. Check out
NDA's record in controlling this menace and then talk. Maoism was all
but finished by 2004 only to rear its ugly head again under this
SECULAR WATCH OF CONGRESS.
Kill these naxals ruthlessly
By: L.C.Bilandani | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 9:57:20 AM
Yes,Mr.Chidambram,You only have the courage in the cabinet to fight
these naxals and use any means to achieve your objective of getting
rid of these naxals for once and all.They have paralysed the states of
Andhra,
Orrisa,Jharkhand ,Bihar,Maharashtra,W.Bengal,M.P and some other parts
of the nation, dirupting daily life and creating fear among the people
and the police of these states.I may even suggest to buy some drone
aircrafts to constantly monitor thier movements and kill them when
spotted.They are no horrible menance than pak terrorists.Since para
military forces are always over stretched,donot hesitate to use Army
units to wipe out them.Do it and do it ruthlessly and you will be
remembered in the history of India as courageous home
minister.Internal security is over strectched because of them and
indirectly naxals help pak terrorists with limited resources of the
states.
USE THE SPECIAL COMMANDO FORCES OF THE INDIAN ARMY AND AIR FORCE
By: Jamil Haq | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 9:39:18 AM
Show you mean business in upholding Indian sovereignty against this
internal threat that is not distinct from the external one! This is
gangrene that needs extreme measures. If they brutally killing the
policemen, punish them with equal ruthlessness. There is no 'yes, but'
about it. Stop the buddhibhed! Also, the Academic Groves and Apex NGO
bodies have been taken over by the Naxalite sympathisers giving active
support and funding to the killers and terrorists. Put them on the
watch list and show you mean business! The home ministry must protect
its officers and men first of all, or nobody will respect India any
longer, either internally or externally! Do your job with full
commitment, Sir!
Not a wise move.
By: Avinash Baranwal | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 9:28:00 AM
I seriously doubt, merely killing the field fighters will help us.
This will only help wasting our resources. We have to attack the root.
Either we have to kill the Naxal leadership or we have to address the
reason which gives rise to the Naxals.
NAXAL MENACE
By: Niranjan | Wednesday , 23 Sep '09 9:07:56 AM
ABOUT TIME! SOMEBODY NEEDS TO THINK CLEARLY ABOUT THE NAXAL BEING THE
CAUSE OF SO MUCH DEVASTATION. THEY HAVE NO REGARD FOR LIFE OR
PROPERTY. THEIR MOTTO IS ONLY TO CREATE CHAOS SO CHINA CAN SUCCEED IN
THEIR EVIL INTENTIONS.
chhotemianinshallah
Media save Naxals in Chhattisgarh
Ejaz Kaiser, Hindustan Times
Raipur, September 24, 2009
First Published: 00:44 IST(24/9/2009)
Last Updated: 01:33 IST(24/9/2009)
The Chhattisgarh police have called off a massive push against the
Naxals in Rajnandgaon district on Wednesday, fearing that the rebels
must have got wind of the operation from media reports.
A combined force of over 1,000 personnel from the Central Reserve
Police Force (CRPF), Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) and the
Rajnandgaon district police were ordered to retreat, as the local
media had gone to town with the news of the operation on Tuesday.
The operation in Rajnandgaon, about 80 km west of Raipur, was supposed
to be in quick succession to ‘Operation Red Hunt’ on September 19-20
in Dantewada district, about 450 km south of Raipur.
Red Hunt, which led to the death of over 30 Naxals and six men of the
CRPF’s elite commando force is considered to be a big success against
the rebels in Chhattisgarh.
The Rajnandgaon operation was important for the state security forces,
as on July 12 the Rajnandgaon Superintendent of Police and 29
policemen were killed in a Naxal attack.
“We were forced to abandon the entire operation in Rajnandgaon after
reckless reporting by the media,” Inspector General of Police RK Vij
told Hindustan Times.
Vij said, “Naxals could never gauge our next move. But the information
overplayed by the media jeopardised our plan.”
Director General of Police Vishwaranjan, who goes by his first name,
said the police force could manage to reach the remote Dantewada
district of south Bastar, as the media could not get a whiff of it
till the second day of the operation.
chhotemianinshallah
‘Govt fears our ideology, so projects us as criminals’
24 September 2009, 01:15am IST
Kobad Ghandy’s recent arrest has made waves. After all, it’s not every
day that one encounters a Naxal leader who hails from an affluent
Parsi family, has studied in some of India’s best educational
institutions and also done a CA from London. Despite his unusual
background, he became a leading Naxal ideologue. In an exclusive
interview a few days before his arrest, he spoke of the reasons for
the recent surge of Naxalism across the country.
The Bastar region of Chhattisgarh is emerging as a Maoist bastion, and
you seem to be giving extra emphasis on schools there?
Not schools but education. We are trying to give basic education
through Mobile Academic Schools (MAS). Teaching basic sciences,
mathematics and indigenous languages. Teams involved in the process
are specialising in designing courses for the people who are backward,
so that they can learn faster.
We are taking extra care to improve health facilities, as well. For
example, wherever we work, we have told the tribals to boil drinking
water. It has reduced diseases & death by 50%. Even independent NGOs
have said so. Child mortality decreased because we have managed to
empower women to an extent. The level of under-development in Bastar
and all these areas is worse than, as some indicators suggest, sub-
Saharan Africa.
Are you saying, you are not killers but benefactors?
Yes. But we are defined by the Prime Minister as the deadliest
virus....(laughs)
Why do you think so?
We have a clear-cut definition of development. We think society is in
a semi-feudal, semi-colonial state and there is a need to democratize
it. The first step is to distribute land to the tiller. So in plain
words, our fight is against land grab and exploitation of poor,
especially focussing rural India.
Is that why you have managed to consolidate so strongly in
Chhattisgarh?
One important reason we have managed to consolidate is because we talk
about dignity of work. For example, villagers in Bastar collect the
tendu-patta leafs to make local cigarettes or bidis. This bidi
industry runs into billions of dollars. But the daily wage of these
tribals .... was less than Rs 10 a day, before we came to
Chhattisgarh. That is far less than the daily wage defined by even the
government of India. We have forced these contractors to increase this
daily wage — we have managed to push it up by three to four times.
That is one reason why people like us.
But you have proper military wings?
I can’t tell you much about that. I don’t deal with that and don’t
even know their members.
You are talking about development.
Will you be open to the idea — if government extends development to
these areas?
Why not? We have not opposed some developmental works in Bastar. For
example, we did not oppose building of some schools in Bastar. But if
they build schools to convert those to army barracks — which India
always did in various places — we will oppose it.
So you will do politics on the basis of guns?
Guns is a non-issue. I can tell you with absolute certainty that some
villages of Uttar Pradesh or Bihar have got more guns than the entire
Maoist force in the country. What the government or some section fears
is the ideology, communism and the society we seek to build up. So we
are projected as criminals.
Do you think it is possible to hold on to your bastions in the face of
the offensive against you?
It’s a difficult battle. But with capitalism and the government
colliding with each other — with American economy going into recession
and increase of exploitation — we do hope to consolidate.
So the Naxals will never participate in mainstream politics?
No. Because we believe, a democracy which respects people cannot be
established in this country under the given system.
(Transcript of an interview with BBC World Service Radio)
bademiyansubhanallah
'Arrest won't end Naxal movement'
By: Daipayan Halder Date: 2009-09-24 Place: Delhi
Poet, professor and Marxist critic, Varavara Rao has been the face of
the Naxalite movement in Andhra Pradesh for almost four decades now.
In an exclusive interview with Daipayan Halder, he spoke on Kobad
Ghandy's arrest and the future of the Naxal movement
Kobad Ghandy is a prize catch for security agencies. Is it a body blow
to the movement?
Kobad is a central committee member of the CPI (Maoist) and a top
ideologue. It is undoubtedly a huge loss for the movement. But one
leader getting arrested won't affect naxalism. But it is a loss to the
ideological debate within the party.
Hard Talk: Varavara Rao
Are you saying it is more an ideological loss than a strategic loss?
The police seem confident of getting vital information out of him.
In our party, it is the same thing. Ideology and strategy are not
watertight compartments. And as I said, the police won't be able to
end naxalism by arresting one leader.
Naxal leaders have been arrested in the past. But is the obsession
with Kobad due to his Doon-Oxford education?
Of course it is. Kobad makes a good headline. He should have been a
bureaucrat or a corporate head. He became a naxal instead! People are
curious.
Is naxalism losing its charm in cities? Would there be a Kobad Ghandy
now?
There will be many Kobads. It is only the petty, bourgeoisie youth who
are taking to the market economy. The marginalised youth, i.e. the
Muslims, the Dalits and the tribals, are not swayed by market forces
because they can see inequality is rising. They are attracted to the
movement. But there is no campus culture today. You can get a degree
through distance education without ever walking into a university
campus. In a campus, there is scope for healthy political debates.
That culture is dying.
But how can the urban youth be interested when naxalism has been
branded as the biggest internal security threat?
The State is the biggest terrorist. In Andhra Pradesh, more than in
any other state, atrocities have been the worst. If you are a
Naxalite, a naxal sympathiser, an ideologue, or simply a civil rights
activist, you can be put behind bars or killed in a fake encounter any
time.
In 1992, for example, journalist Gulam Rasul wrote about a land scam
in an Urdu daily. An additional DSP killed him in a fake encounter and
branded him a Naxalite. His friend who was traveling with him in a
scooter was also killed. Doctors working for the underprivileged,
lawyers taking up the causes of the marginalised are being put behind
bars. Civil liberties are being curbed like never before.
But the Centre also agrees that naxalism is a developmental issue.
These are academic talks. (Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh says it is a
developmental issue, but he is also supporting SEZs. SEZs will
displace people, take away livelihoods. So the problems will persist.
Look at what is happening at Nandigram, at Singur, at all other
places. Naxalism will be alive till such problems are solved.
bademiyansubhanallah
Kobad Ghandy was an inspiration, say friends
By: Ketan Ranga Date: 2009-09-24 Place: Mumbai
I met Kobad Ghandy from my early days in college when he was working
in Nagpur and I was in Chandrapur.
I met him for the last time in 1993," says Mumbai advocate Susan
Gonzalves, who said they were revolutionaries, working for change in
society.
Susan's husband Vernon, who was also arrested from Mumbai on August
17, 2007, for allegedly being a state committee member of the Naxals.
Bandra boy Arun Ferreira was arrested three months before her husband.
REVOLUTIONARIES: Advocate Susan Gonsalves with husband Vernon
Said Susan, "Kobad is a very enlightened and learned person. He is
fighting against an unjust system, where a handful of people are
getting luxuries, while others suffer. Kobad inspired people like us."
She added, "The police will never want a change in the society. No one
wants a revolution. Hence the person, who is following the revolution
or working for it, will be treated in the same manner."
His Wife Was My Classmate, Says Journo
Freelance journalist Jyoti Punwani, who was Anuradha Ghandy's
classmate at Elphinstone College said, "Anuradha and I studied
Sociology.
She was bubbly, vivacious, the belle of the ball. But even then she
was involved with the Leftist movement."
Post college, Punwani worked with both Kobad and Anuradha on a
quarterly magazine she edited for the Committee for the Protection of
Democratic Rights (CPDR) called Adhikaar Raksha.
The couple then went underground, "I did not know where they were, but
they did keep in touch when they came in to Mumbai," said Punwani.
bademiyansubhanallah
Maoists kill two CPM leaders near Lalgarh
PTI 24 September 2009, 12:20pm IST
MIDNAPORE (WB): The bodies of two CPM leaders, abducted by suspected
Maoists, were recovered on Thursday in a jungle near Lalgarh in West
Midnapore
district.
The police said Maoists had abducted Nemai Bishayi (60) and Samir
Singha Mahapatra (50), CPM local leaders of Harimara village, from a
party meeting in the village late Wednesday night.
They were missing since then and their bodies were recovered from
Harimara jungle this morning, they said.
The bodies have been brought to Goaltore police station and later sent
for post-mortem.
chhotemianinshallah
Naxalites torch vehicles in Jharkhand
STAFF WRITER 18:16 HRS IST
Chatra (Jharkhand), Sep 24 (PTI) Suspected Naxalites torched several
vehicles of a construction company on the border of Chatra and
Hazaribagh districts, police said today.
Around 12 suspected activists of newly formed Jharkhand Sanyukt Party,
a Naxalite group, set three trucks and an identical number of earth
movers on fire at a place under Simaria police station in Chatra
district last night, Superintendent of Police N K Singh told newsmen.
The charred trucks and earth movers belonged to a Kolkata-based
private construction company.
Extortion could be the motive behind the act, the police said.
chhotemianinshallah
Naxal presence hampering tiger conservation: IUCN
STAFF WRITER 17:18 HRS IST
New Delhi, Sept 24 (PTI) With 30 per cent of the country's tiger
habitat under their control, Naxals pose a threat to their existence
as they hamper wildlife protection activities, an international
conservation organisation said.
"India is facing increasing insurgency problems, especially as
disaffected tribes have turned against the government and have been
supporting groups such as the Maoist guerrillas known as Naxalites,"
notes a book published by International Union for Conservation of
Nature.
Titled, "Conservation for a New Era", the book released recently
outlines critical issues facing the world in the 21st century,
developed from the results of last year?s World Conservation Congress
in Barcelona.
chhotemianinshallah
Held Naxal had stayed in city too
TNN 23 September 2009, 05:08am IST
NAGPUR: Kobad Gandhi, the senior central committee and Polit Buro
member of the CPI (Maoist) who was recently arrested in New Delhi, had
spent almost a decade in the city. Gandhi stayed with his late wife
Anuradha at Bhandar moholla in Indora from mid-80s to early 90s. He
also spent several years in Mumbai and elsewhere in Maharashtra and
was active in spreading the Naxal ideology in Vidarbha.
It is learnt that Gandhi, who shouldered several crucial
responsibilities in the organization including managing the outfit's
international affairs, publication wing and sub-committee for mass
organisation in urban areas, mainly worked out of Delhi, Bangalore and
Mumbai.
Apart from being a part of the People's War Group in its formative
stage, Gandhi is learnt to have played a key role in fostering
development of front organisations. In 1994, he was allegedly
instrumental in floating an organisation All India People's Resistance
Forum at Kolkata. He had gone undercover after the historic merger of
the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) people's war and
Maoist Communist Centre of India in 2004 when CPI (Maoist) came into
existence.
bademiyansubhanallah
Chidambaram visits Naxal-hit states
NDTV Correspondent, Friday September 25, 2009, Ranchi
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram will be in Chhattisgarh and
Jharkhand on Friday to take stock of their operational preparedness,
police modernisation and developmental schemes as they prepare for an
all out assault on the Naxals.
The stage is set for a massive coordinated assault against the Naxals
by the Centre and all affected states. The Home Minister will make an
on-the-spot assessment of their preparedness and the operations that
have already been launched.
NDTV has learnt that now the predominant view in the Centre and the
Naxal affected states seems to be that it should start concerted
operations only after the Maharashtra and Haryana elections are over.
This is because additional forces would be required for the elections
and starting the coordinated operations may not be advisable.
But states like Chhattisgarh will continue their own operations and
will step it up in a big way in the coming days.
Home Minister Chidambaram will review how states like Chhattisgarh and
Jharkhand plan to use and raise additional forces.
He will also review the status of police modernisation measures and
the operational preparedness of the states.
Naxalism is now accepted one of the greatest threats to India's
internal security.
Naxalites today are spread across 20 states, and the red corridor, as
it's called, runs through an expanse of 40,000 sq kms. And over the
years, violence by Naxals has claimed thousands of lives, 3800 alone
since 2004.
• 2008: 721 killed in Naxal violence
• 2009: 580 killed in Naxal violence till August
• 2008: 231 security personnel killed in 53 landmine attacks
• 2009: 250 security personnel killed in 61 landmine attacks till
August
The Special Cell of the Delhi Police recently arrested a top Maoist
leader Kobad Gandhi from an undisclosed location in Delhi.
But there are many more like him who run the show across the country.
Intelligence inputs suggest that their central leadership moves from
city to city across India and slip into jungle areas whenever needed.
So far, most have managed to evade the police net.
But there is subtle change in policy. Unlike previously, the plan now
is to go after them. The challenge is to nab them fast enough to cut
off the many fountain heads of the movement.
chhotemianinshallah
Fight against Maoists to be long drawn, says Chidambaram
IANS 25 September 2009, 02:14pm IST
RAIPUR: Home minister P Chidambaram on Friday said the central
government would extend all support to states to counter and defeat
left-wing extremism in what would be a "long-drawn" fight.
"It is a long drawn fight against Naxals (Maoists). The centre is
totally supporting Chhattisgarh in its efforts to counter left wing
extremism," he told reporters at the state secretariat where he
reviewed the state's internal security situation in the wake of police
and para-military forces mounting an onslaught against the Maoist
rebels.
Chidambaram, who refused to take any questions, said his visit to
Chhattisgarh was to assure the centre's support in the state's fight
against the Naxalites and to offer his condolences to the policemen
who had laid down their lives while fighting the rebels.
Referring to the July 12 incident in which 29 police personnel,
including Superintendent of Police V.K. Choubey, were killed in an
Maoist ambush at Madanwara in Rajnandgaon district, he said the state
government had taken prompt action to provide relief to the families
of the killed security personnel.
Meanwhile, official sources said the government of Chhattisgarh -
India's worst Maoist hit state - had sought more forces and resources
from the centre at the meet so that simultaneous operations could be
carried out in the state's sprawling, mineral-rich Bastar region where
the rebels hold sway since the late 1980s.
chhotemianinshallah
The Big Fight » The Naxal Menace
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described Naxalism as the biggest
internal threat. The note of caution comes even as the four-decade old
movement gains momentum and establishes a red-corridor cutting across
several states.
This week on The Big Fight, we're asking; How should the government
deal with the Naxal menace? Is force the only way to quell the
movement that has gained ground in India's poorest districts?
The Naxalites claim to represent the most oppressed class, those who
are often left untouched by India's development and bypassed by the
electoral process. Naxalites thus are getting more involved in local
struggles, often feeding on the perceived lack of development.
Is lack of development in these areas responsible for the spread of
the Naxal movement? Have the Naxals succeeded in exploiting the
marginalised tribals and landless peasants? Join us for a debate on
The Big Fight, Saturday at 8:00 pm (IST) on NDTV 24x7.
What's your take?
Q.Is force the only way to tackle the Naxal menace?
Posted by Anil Kohli on Friday, September 25, 2009 , Mumbai
Violence to achieve or state one’s viewpoint is totally unacceptable.
Naxals will have to shun violence, seek remedy for their grievances
thru dialogue
Indians by and large are disgusted with what is unfolding before their
eyes, we watch as hapless and helpless citizens, the plundering that
is going in the name of development and Aam Aadmi, unable to resist
the wrongs being committed by the Government and the Political class
at large.
It is undeniable that the marginalized section of the society
continues to be exploited in our country, be it the rural or the urban
area. Land grabbing is a very common phenomenon practiced by all those
who have the correct connections. The Justice delivery is next to
nothing, those close to power centers get away with blue murder.
Naxals are also finding sympathetic audiences in the urban areas. The
possibility of this movement taking firm roots in the urban areas
cannot be ruled out or ignored.
We need a 360degree approach to tackle this issue, before it really
and truly consumes a large part of the urban areas also.
Force would have to employed incase the Naxals do not give up their
arms. The challenge thru the barrel of guns to the constitution and
the elected governments in India cannot become the norm. Land reforms
and development are essential, local inhabitants must not be displaced
or disposed without alternate means of livelihood and more than
adequate compensation. This process must not be thru coercion,
executive orders, rather thru negotiations. Development has to include
all sections of the society, more so those who are directly affected,
due to land and other natural resources being acquired in their
immediate vicinity.
Posted by Chetan Sharmac on Friday, September 25, 2009 , SHIMLA
Lack of development is certainly fanning the Naxal movement. However
law & order has to be enforced at all costs.
Posted by R.Sridhar, Chennai on Friday, September 25, 2009 , Chennai
Naxals are the creatures of poverty , discrimination and under
development. If these social evils are addressed properly , Naxalite
movement would vanish in thin air.
Posted by Harendra N Mathur on Friday, September 25, 2009 , Sahibabad
They are the oppressed class who were not looked after by any
industrialists and state/central Govts. This has even moved to private
sector companies. Overall, it is upto the Govts. and the idustries to
act in a fair manner which will atleast stop the increase in their
manpower to some extent.
Posted by D.R.Gulati on Friday, September 25, 2009 , Delhi
Stick,Carrot and Development ought to be the 'three pronged'strategy
to tackle the Naxal menace.
Posted by Sravana Ramachandran, Ooty on Friday, September 25, 2009 ,
Ooty
Naxal menace is growing day by day. This needs to be checked.
Unemployment and poverty cries out for eradication with provision
education to all.
Sid Harth
JMM opposes joint operation against Naxals
STAFF WRITER 19:16 HRS IST
Jamshedpur, Sept 25 (PTI) Criticising Union Home Minister P
Chidambaram's proposed joint operation to flush out Naxals in the
affected areas, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha today described it as a
move to divert the mind of people from government's failure to control
price rise.
"The Union government's step is nothing but to divert the minds of
people from its failure to control price rise, failing to hold
Panchayat election as well as Assembly elections," Ramesh Hansda,
general secretary of JMM's central committee told reporters.
The government's proposal to launch anti-Naxal operations in affected
areas will not serve its purpose, he claimed while stressing on the
need to strengthen the democratic set up in rural areas to solve the
menace.
bademiyansubhanallah
Twelve Naxals killed in Chhattisgarh
STAFF WRITER 23:21 HRS IST
Raipur, Sep 25 (PTI) At least 12 Naxals were feared killed today in an
encounter with security forces in Bijapur district, police said here.
There is possibility that nearly 12 Naxals are killed in the four-hour
long fierce gunbattle between the police and the extremists near
Isulnar village under Bijapur police station, ADGP(Naxal) Ram Nivas
told PTI.
A joint operation by CRPF and police was launched in the forests of
the district, he said.
"Seeing the CRPF jawans, the Naxals started firing which was
retaliated by the security personnel. After the gunbattle, which
lasted for four hours, the Naxalites ran away," the senior official
said.
Though police have not recovered any bodies, but the jawans have seen
the Naxals dying during the encounter, Nivas said, adding two
Naxalites were arrested from the spot.
bademiyansubhanallah
BLOGS / Sundeep Dougal Crux Of The Naxal Problem
Taking off from Kobad Ghandy's old interview to the BBC, Bibek Debroy
says that while rebels like him fudge on the Naxal brutality, they
need to be heard:
What’s the problem? Stated simply, some geographical regions and
communities have been bypassed by the growth process.
...First, there has been abdication by government on physical and
social infrastructure (health and education mentioned by Ghandy) and
law and order... The criminal justice system (and the civil one too)
doesn’t deliver. Consequently, there is the post-1970s Bollywood route
of taking the law into one’s own hands, or resorting to alternative
channels like mafia and now, Naxalites. Minimum wages are yet another
instance of abdication, mentioned both by the TF and Ghandy.
Second, while abdication is indirect, there is direct harassment of
the poor through usurping their land and forest rights. Though
statistical analysis done by the TF [Task Force] is not
methodologically robust, it shows correlation between Naxalite
movements and 10 factors:
•high share of SC/ST population
•low literacy;
•high infant mortality;
•low urbanisation;
•high forest cover;
•high share of agricultural labour;
•low per capita food-grain production;
•low road network penetration;
•low financial inclusion; and
•high share of rural households without assets.
This is a development cum governance deficit.
POSTED BY Sundeep ON Sep 25, 2009 AT 22:58 IST
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8270583.stm
Kobad Ghandy 2008 interview
Kobad Ghandy, the Indian Maoist leader who has been arrested, worked
in Chattisgarh state, a main centre of rebel activity. Suvojit Bagchi
of BBC Bengali met him last year. The following are excerpts from his
interview:
Has the Maoists' emphasis on educating the poor contributed to their
rise in Chattisgarh?
We are trying to give basic education through mobile schools. We are
teaching children basic sciences, mathematics and indigenous
languages. Teams involved in the process are specialising in designing
courses for the people who are backward, so that they can learn
faster.
We are taking extra care to improve health facilities, as well. We
have told the tribals to boil drinking water. It has reduced diseases
and death by 50%. Even independent NGOs have said so. Child mortality
decreased because we have managed to empower women to an extent.
The level of under-development in these areas is worse than, as some
indicators suggest, sub-Saharan Africa.
Are you saying you are not killing but helping people to live?
Yes. But we are defined by the prime minister as the deadliest
virus... (laughs)
Why do you think so?
We have a clear-cut definition of development. We think the society is
in a semi-feudal, semi-colonial state and there is a need to
democratise it.
The first step is to distribute land to the tiller. So our fight is
against land grab and exploitation of the poor, especially focusing on
rural India.
Is that why you have managed to consolidate so strongly in
Chattisgarh?
One important reason why we have managed to consolidate is because we
talk about dignity of work.
For example, villagers here collect tobacco leaves to make local
cigarettes. This industry runs into billions of dollars. But the daily
wage of these tribals was less than 10 rupees a day before we came to
Chattisgarh.
That is far less than the daily wage defined by even the government of
India. We have forced these contractors to increase this daily wage -
we have managed to push it up by three to four times. That is one
reason why people like us.
But you have armed wings, don't you?
I can't tell you much about that. Because I don't deal with that and
don't even know their members.
You are talking about development. Will you be open to the government
extending development to these areas?
Why not? We have not opposed developmental works here. For example, we
did not oppose the building of some schools. But if they build schools
to convert those to army barracks - which India always did in various
places - we will oppose.
So you will do politics on basis of guns?
Guns is a non-issue. Some villages of Uttar Pradesh or Bihar have got
more guns than the entire Maoist force in the country.
What the government or some section fears is our ideology and the
society we seek to build up. So we are projected as criminals.
Do you think it is possible to hold on to your bastions in face of a
state-led offensive against you?
It's a difficult battle. But with capitalism and the government
colliding with each other - with American economy going into recession
and increase of exploitation - we do hope to consolidate.
Will you ever participate in mainstream politics?
No. Because we believe a democracy which respects people, cannot be
established in this country
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/the-insurgents-mind/521459/0
The insurgent’s mind
Bibek Debroy
Posted: Friday , Sep 25, 2009 at 0434 hrs
Three Rupees and something more…Mumbai’s life is at a risk !Raw visa
dealBandh Culture In Bengal Not schools but education. We are trying
to give basic education through Mobile Academic Schools. Teaching
basic sciences, mathematics and indigenous languages. Teams involved
in the process are specialising in designing courses for the people
who are backward, so that they can learn faster. We are taking extra
care to improve health facilities as well. For example, wherever we
work, we have told the tribals to boil drinking water. It has reduced
diseases and death by 50 per cent. Even independent NGOs have said so.
Child mortality decreased because we have managed to empower women to
an extent. The level of under-development in Bastar and all these
areas is worse than, as some indicators suggest, sub-Saharan Africa.”
This is a response to a question, but the one questioned was not the
HRD or health minister. It was Kobad Ghandy interviewed by the BBC.
The Planning Commission set up a task force on development challenges
in extremist-affected areas and a report (in the public domain) was
submitted in April 2008. This task force (TF) stated, “If the emphasis
of this exploration is on the Naxalite phenomenon it is not because
other modes and forms of agitation are less important but only because
the method of struggle chosen by the Naxalites has brought the problem
to a head.”
What’s the problem? Stated simply, some geographical regions and
communities have been bypassed by the growth process. It isn’t that
government committees have not examined similar issues earlier. The TF
mentions three: report of the home ministry’s policy planning division
in the late 1960s, the Manmohan Singh committee on rural unrest in
Bihar and Andhra in the mid-1980s, and a committee of senior officials
(chaired by V.C. Pandey) in the late 1980s. For the moment, though
different figures float around, the TF estimates the Naxalites to be
active in 125 districts in 12 states. Beyond general points about
marginalisation of SCs/STs/ women, the TF makes two points. First,
there has been abdication by government on physical and social
infrastructure (health and education mentioned by Ghandy) and law and
order. “Of all the things that are known about the Naxalites, their
people’s courts are perhaps the most notorious. While the abuses that
have been reported about them are not all false, taking that to be the
whole story would not be quite correct. The fact is that such
informal, rough and ready forums of dispute resolution did in a way
respond to the felt need.” The criminal justice system (and the civil
one too) doesn’t deliver. Consequently, there is the post-1970s
Bollywood route of taking the law into one’s own hands, or resorting
to alternative channels like mafia and now, Naxalites. Minimum wages
are yet another instance of abdication, mentioned both by the TF and
Ghandy.
Second, while abdication is indirect, there is direct harassment of
the poor through usurping their land and forest rights. Though
statistical analysis done by the TF is not methodologically robust, it
shows correlation between Naxalite movements and 10 factors: high
share of SC/ST population; low literacy; high infant mortality; low
urbanisation; high forest cover; high share of agricultural labour;
low per capita food-grain production; low road network penetration;
low financial inclusion; and high share of rural households without
assets. This is a development cum governance deficit. Later in the
interview, Ghandy ducked the question about armed aspects of Naxalism.
“I can’t tell you much about that. I don’t deal with that and don’t
even know their members. You are talking about development.” TF
couldn’t agree more, at least on that part. This is about non-
development. “This has appeared in the public perception as a
simplistic law-and-order face-off between the official coercive
machinery and this more radical extremist political formation. The
social consequence results, then, in undermining instruments of social
and economic amelioration as well as processes of democratic exchange
to resolve persisting issues. This is the crux of the problem.”
In a meeting of chief ministers on internal security in 2006, the PM
said, “My approach to the Naxalite problem is that we need a blend of
firm, but sophisticated, handling of Naxalite violence with sensitive
handling of the developmental aspects. It is in the most neglected
areas of the country that Left wing extremism thrives today. These are
also the main recruiting grounds for Naxalite outfits. While
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh are in the
forefront of Naxal-related activities today, many other states remain
vulnerable. Chief ministers must personally take in hand what
deliverables are possible even while preparing to meet Naxalite
violence through effective law and order measures. The real key in
fighting Naxalite violence is ‘good’ intelligence. This would involve
effective integration of strategic and tactical intelligence, properly
leavened with ground-level information available at the level of the
police station.”
This was a security approach, but the development approach was
mentioned. In a similar meeting in 2009, the PM said, “Left wing
extremism has been in vogue for four decades now, but the danger is
that over time the nature of the movement has substantially altered.
From an ideologically driven movement it has been transformed into one
in which the military ethos has become predominant... Quite a few
states in the country are affected by left wing extremism, notably
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. As the
movement spreads, and becomes more energised and active, we must
ponder deeply on how best to effectively deal with it.” Rather oddly,
the emphasis on development has disappeared.
A French economist recently asked me, “What has changed between UPA-I
and UPA-II? When I came during UPA-I, everyone was talking about
Pakistan and external security. Now, everyone is talking about
Naxalite violence and internal security.” The ministry of home affairs
did indeed create a Naxal Management Division in October 2006, but the
number of incidents hasn’t increased dramatically. The ministry’s
Annual Report for 2008-09 tells us there were such incidents in 371
police stations in 95 districts and 13 states in 2007. In 2008, there
were such incidents in 400 police stations in 87 districts in 13
states. In 2008, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Orissa accounted
for 86.39 per cent of violent incidents. In fairness, the home
ministry does mention the development aspect. “The government has been
following a holistic approach to deal with Naxalite activities, aimed
at giving attention in the areas of security, development,
administration and public perception management.” But that doesn’t
really seem to be the thrust, witness the ad campaign released by home
ministry. One reason might be development is perceived to have pay-
offs only in the medium-term. However, the TF mentions several
development quick-fixes for the short-term too.
The writer is a Delhi-based economist exp...@expressindia.com
bademiyansubhanallah
Kobad Ghandy, Naxalite
Last year, when Anu Ghandy passed away, Jyoti Punwani had written
movingly in the TOI about Memories of a Naxalite Friend:
In Marxist study circles, 'declassing oneself' is quite a buzzword.
From Mumbai's Leftists, only Anu and her husband Kobad, both lovers of
the good life, actually did so. ..
...Kobad's family home had been a sprawling Worli Sea Face flat; he
was a Doon School product. Anu's lawyer-father may have left his
family estate in Coorg to defend communists in court in the '50s, but
she had never seen deprivation. Despite her own rough life, neither
did Anu make us feel guilty for our bourgeois luxuries nor did she
patronise us.
The recent arrest of the husband of that friend -- Maoist leader Kobad
Ghandy, a member of the Communist Party of India-Maoist Politburo --
has created quite a sensation, only because of his affluent
background: Doon School and London educated chartered accountant son
of an ice- cream magnate in Mumbai. Writing in the Hindustan Times,
Jypoti Punwani tells us about The Kobad Ghandy I knew:
Kobad Ghandy was among the three who signed as witnesses at my
marriage. His family’s ice cream was served there, much to the
distaste of older guests who frowned at the strawberry chunks in a
dessert supposed to be smooth and synthetic.
Kentucky’s — a name straight from ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ — was one of
the two companies to introduce fresh fruit ice cream in Mumbai; its
strawberries were sourced from Mahabaleshwar, where the Ghandys owned
a hotel.
Fresh strawberry was the flavour that rewarded us at the end of our
study circle afternoons in the vast, empty expanse of Kobad’s sea-
facing flat. And scrambled eggs with sausages was the breakfast Kobad
served before sitting down to explain Marx’s confounded ‘Wage, Labour,
Capital’.
Aloke Banerjee reminds those too young to know otherwise, on the New
Face of Naxalism in Mail Today:
What was the London- educated son of an ice- cream magnate doing in
the top echelons of the Communist Party of India ( Maoist)? Indeed, a
look at the leadership of the Naxalite movement today does make Ghandy
appear a little out of place.
But that is not how the revolution began. Many of Ghandy’s comrades in
the 1970s — the time he joined the stillnascent uprising — were
intellectuals born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
In the same newspaper, Ajoy Bose recounts, Why I became disillusioned
with the revolution: "I soon realised that while violence as a
concept was acceptable and even attractive, it was a horrendous
brutish thing in reality"
The Hindustan Times points out:
The man touted to be one of the biggest Maoist catch in recent times,
63-year-old Kobad Ghandy used to write for economic journals and
prominent newspapers using a pseudonym, Arvind.
Sheela Bhatt adds in rediff:
Someone who sympathises with him is livid that a television news
channel compared him on Tuesday night to Lashkar-e-Tayiba founder
Mohammad Sayeed
"It is ridiculous," this individual said, "TV is helping whitewash the
State's violence. There is no comparison between the two. The Maoist
movement is against State violence. TV anchors, who do not believe in
anything but provocative news, are defending the State's
unconstitutional acts. Are they not supporting violence themselves?"
Across India Kobad Ghandy's many supporters and friends are watching
the situation closely in the hope that he will not end up the next
Binayak Sen. Will he?
BBC has an old - 2008 - interview with him:
Are you saying you are not killing but helping people to live?
Yes. But we are defined by the prime minister as the deadliest
virus... (laughs)
Why do you think so?
We have a clear-cut definition of development. We think the society is
in a semi-feudal, semi-colonial state and there is a need to
democratise it.
The first step is to distribute land to the tiller. So our fight is
against land grab and exploitation of the poor, especially focusing on
rural India.
And a comprehensive profile that quotes Asghar Ali Engineer:
Mr Engineer remembers how they used to meet at the convocation hall of
Bombay University once a week at six pm after office hours.
"He was a thorough gentleman and was very strong in his convictions
even then. He regarded the ruling Congress party as a clever bourgeois
and capitalist party."
POSTED BY Sundeep ON Sep 24, 2009 AT 22:57 IST
HAVE YOUR SAY
Sep 25, 2009 09:30 PM
1 "Ghandy" is indeed the correct spelling.
Sundeep Dougal
New Delhi, India
Sep 25, 2009 09:21 PM
2 Please correct the spelling of Gandhi not Ghandy.
Praful R Shah
Houston, USA
Sep 25, 2009 06:16 PM
3 Arrest of Kobad Ghandy has created a huge gridlock for the elitist
media & they are ambivalent so far Ghandy being a naxal is concerned.
He being a naxal is too much of a news & its potential ratings too
high to consign him to oblivion. How to handle him in news & views ?
Advocate encounter him? Beat the hell out of him to exorcise his
naxalism? A lesser elite Dr. Binayak Sen was ignored. When his
inevitable release from jail came, he got fleeting mention in mainline
media & quickly forgotten. But Ghandy has a home right on the sea down
Malabar Hills as many of his near & dears ones seem to do. They may or
may not allow him to be forgotten or dump him to his devices in the
infamous Tihar. Watch this spot.
MANISH BANERJEE
KOLKATA, India
Sep 25, 2009 01:45 AM
4 I salute you from bottom of my heart Mr. Ghandy. You are a big
exception in our greedy and materialistic nation. In a nation where a
small servant boy carry School bag of his same age Master's son.
I don't know how we get blinded in our day to day life and ignore vast
sea of poor souls.
I hope your sacrifice will make some people wake up and hear cry and
pain of our poor brothers.
andy
Mobile, United States
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-2964822,prtpage-1.cms
Memories of a Naxalite Friend
20 April 2008, 01:31am IST
Cerebral malaria can be fatal, but people have been known to recover
from it. Anuradha Ghandy, however, didn't stand a chance. Already
weakened by the sclerosis when she walked into the hospital, it was
too late. Within 24 hours, she was gone. By the time her vast circle
of friends was informed on the evening of April 12, the 54-year-old
had already been cremated. Better this than death by 'encounter',
after prolonged torture. For that was the fate we feared this Naxalite
could not escape.
That Anu managed to evade arrest for so long, was an indicator of the
ruthlessness with which she effaced her identity. This, of course,
meant isolating herself from all those who would have given up
everything to nurse her. There was another way she could have
recovered, even while underground. Anu could have followed medical
advice and given herself the break her body so badly needed. For
someone so important to the Party (CPI-Maoist), it might well have
allowed it. But that wasn't her style.
Just climbing stairs had become an ordeal five years ago. Yet, days
before her death, she was in some jungle where malaria was probably an
inevitability. Anuradha Ghandy, I learnt after her death, was a senior
Maoist leader. Her political career spans the first radical student
outfit in Mumbai (PROYOM) in the '70s, and the armed dalams of Adivasi
women in Bastar. Certain that like her comrades in Chandrapur, she too
would be implicated in false cases and arrested, Anu went underground
some years ago.
When I first met her in 1970, Anuradha Shanbag was the belle of the
ball in Mumbai's Elphinstone College. A petite bundle of energy,
bright eyes sparkling behind square glasses, her ready laughter, near-
backless cholis and coquettish ways had everyone eating out of her
hands, professors included. Elphinstone then was an intellectual hub.
The Bangladesh war was just over, drought and famine stalked
Maharashtra. Naxalism had come to Mumbai, at that time the industrial
capital of the country. Anu, majoring in Sociology, was everywhereâ
€”inviting Mumbai's leading radicals to talk about the reasons for the
drought, putting up posters that proclaimed 'Beyond Pity' and urging
students to get involved with the crisis in the countryside, defending
this stand against those who felt a student's role must be limited to
academics and at the most, 'social work'.
Anu was also the one to question celebrity guest speakers such as
Girish Karnad, whose path-breaking plays had just hit the stage, on
the link between theatre and society. And it was Anu who introduced us
to that feminist bible, Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch. Those were
the days of 'parallel' cinema. Marathi amateur theatre was blossoming
at Dadar's Chhabildas Hall. The Dalit Panthers had exploded into the
Marathi literary scene. Adil Jussawala's New Writing In India was
still making waves. Forum Against Rape, Mumbai's first feminist group,
had just been founded. Anu, by then a lecturer at Wilson College, was
immersed in all this. With her wide range of interests, she succeeded
in linking the human rights organisation she and few others founded
after Emergency with the city's intellectual ferment. Among other
things, the Committee for the Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR),
demanded that the State stop acting lawlessly with Naxalites even
though they rejected its laws.
Thanks to Anu's ability to talk as intelligently with George Fernandes
as with Satyadev Dubey, her brother Sunil Shanbag's mentor, the cream
of Mumbai's intellectuals supported this demand. Playwright Vijay
Tendulkar and reformist Asghar Ali Engineer were CPDR's president and
vice-president.
It was time for Anu to grow into a successful academic, the type who
writes books and attends international seminars. Instead, in 1982, she
left the life she loved to work in Nagpur. The wretched conditions of
contract workers in the new industrial areas near Nagpur and of
Adivasis in the forests of Chandrapur had to be challenged. Committed
cadres were needed. In her subsequent trips to Mumbai, Anu never
complained about the drastic change in her life: cycling to work under
the relentless Nagpur sun; living in the city's Dalit area, the
mention of which drew shudders from Nagpur's elite; then moving to
backward Chandrapur. In Marxist study circles, 'declassing oneself' is
quite a buzzword. From Mumbai's Leftists, only Anu and her husband
Kobad, both lovers of the good life, actually did so.
Kobad's family home had been a sprawling Worli Sea Face flat; he was a
Doon School product. Anu's lawyer-father may have left his family
estate in Coorg to defend communists in court in the '50s, but she had
never seen deprivation. Despite her own rough life, neither did Anu
make us feel guilty for our bourgeois luxuries nor did she patronise
us. On the few occasions she would suddenly land up over these 25
years, it was as if she had never left. She had the same capacity to
laugh, even at herself, the same ability to connect, even with
management types, the same readiness to indulge in women's talk. But
with those closest to her, she seemed unnaturally detached. Her
parents doted on her, yet she didn't take every opportunity she could
to meet them. I realise why now.
Rushing to meet them whenever she came to Mumbai would have been worse
than an indulgence. It would not only have eaten into the time she had
for Party work, it would have also made it impossible for her family
to have accepted what she saw as inevitable—an underground future.
In order not to endanger her family, Anu simply disappeared from their
horizon. When her father died, she couldn't go home. That was also the
reason for her harsh decision never to have children, though her
parents would have willingly brought them up. That was one bond she
knew would draw her away from the life she had chosen.
The 'Naxalite menace', says Manmohan Singh, is the biggest threat to
the country. But I remember a girl who was always laughing, and who
gave up a life rich in every way to change the lives of others.
http://beta.thehindu.com/news/national/article23734.ece
HYDERABAD, September 22, 2009
Kobad Ghandy's arrest: Major blow to Maoist movement
K. Srinivas Reddy
The Hindu Maoist Central Committee member, Kobad Ghandy, who was
arrested in Delhi on Sunday. Photo: Special Arrangement
The arrest of top Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy in Delhi on Sunday will
have a strong impact on naxalite movement in India, especially in
South Indian states, where the ultra left revoltuionary party is
trying to gain a stronghold, having consolidated its position in
Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh.
That such an important naxalite leader had been operating from the
national capital for the last one and half years was itself a rude
shock to the intelligence agencies which helped Delhi police nab him.
Ghandy had been liasing with revolutioanry parties in Belgium, Peru,
Philippines, Turkey, Germany and Nepal.
The 63-year-old leader was in charge of the South Western Regional
Bureau (SWRB) coordinating the naxalite activity in Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka, Kerala and Maharashtra, where rebel activity remained
stagnant despite herculean efforts made by the Maoist party. Taking
into consideration his ability to analyse the national and
international developmetns, he was also entrusted with the job of
building up the naxal movement in urban areas.
Ghandy is stated to have admitted that despite the rapid spread of the
naxalite movement in Central and North India, it failed to strike
roots in other states. Even in Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar and
Chhattisgarh, the rebel party failed to win over people in plain areas
and in towns, while the movement was getting strengthened in tribal
belts. With the Maoist party realising that it was consistently
failing in garnering support from the middle class and the
intellectual sections of society, it had asked Ghandy to devise
strategies and identify issues that could win over these two sections.
For this purpose, Maoists had formed a Sub-Committee on Mass
Organisations (SUCOMO) and Ghandy was heading it.
Though the naxalite movement began in Maharashtra in Gadchiroli
division abutting Andhra Pradesh three decades ago, it had failed to
spread to other areas. In Kerala also the naxalite party had failed to
make much of an impact. Karnataka where the movement was relatively
strong just a decade ago, had seen a split in the rank and file of
Maoists after a section of leaders leaders questioned the very
principle of area wise seizure of power starting from forest areas.
Ever since the split, the Maoist party failed to strike roots in this
state.
In Tamil Nadu, the Maoist think tank had been trying to get a foothold
in districts abutting Andhra Pradesh and Kerala but instant response
from the police agencies had halted the spread of the Maoist movement.
The exchange of fire near Theni river in Tamil Nadu two years ago
forced the Maoist party to slow down on its plans.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india/The-Kobad-Ghandy-I-knew/Article1-456970.aspx
The Kobad Ghandy I knew
Jyoti Punwani
Mumbai, September 22, 2009
First Published: 23:29 IST(22/9/2009)
Last Updated: 23:31 IST(22/9/2009)
Kobad Ghandy was among the three who signed as witnesses at my
marriage. His family’s ice cream was served there, much to the
distaste of older guests who frowned at the strawberry chunks in a
dessert supposed to be smooth and synthetic.
Kentucky’s — a name straight from ‘My Old Kentucky Home’ — was one of
the two companies to introduce fresh fruit ice cream in Mumbai; its
strawberries were sourced from Mahabaleshwar, where the Ghandys owned
a hotel.
Fresh strawberry was the flavour that rewarded us at the end of our
study circle afternoons in the vast, empty expanse of Kobad’s sea-
facing flat. And scrambled eggs with sausages was the breakfast Kobad
served before sitting down to explain Marx’s confounded ‘Wage, Labour,
Capital’.
Decades later, whenever Kobad and wife Anuradha met, he made it a
point to cook the special chicken she relished. Such meetings were
rare, because both were underground Naxalites, working in different
areas. And on the extremely rare occasions that Kobad dropped in from
nowhere to meet his old friends, he would hover round the kitchen,
picking up cooking tips and cooking himself.
Kobad has been a foodie ever since I’ve known him. After a whole
morning wrestling with Lenin’s ‘Imperialism’ at some open-air camp
outside Mumbai, Kobad would start making lunch, insisting that we
learn to wring the necks of chickens, else how would we stand the
sight of blood when revolution actually came? This was as much part of
our “toughening up” as the laborious hikes up the Western Ghats he
took us on.
I was fresh out of Elphinstone College, where in just one talk on the
’72-’73 Maharashtra famine, the intense Dr Dev Nathan and the
flamboyant Navroze Mody had turned us into romantic Leftists. Compared
to them, Kobad was prosaic. Not much of an orator, despite his loud
voice, and down-to-earth and friendly, you immediately felt at ease
with him.
His atrocious Parsi-Hindi, his habit of bursting into the Nadiya se
dariya hit from Namak Haraam (one of the few Hindi movies Kobad saw,
only because it was about the working class), and his unobtrusive
advice on our love lives while keeping his own totally secret — all
this made Kobad more a trusted mentor than the formidable ideologue he
was even then. His simplicity endeared him to our families; seeing him
wash and sweep while his wife taught at college, Doon’s School seemed
aeons away.
After the Emergency, Kobad, Anuradha, Asghar Ali Engineer and
Krishnaraj, editor of Economic and Political Weekly, formed the first
democratic rights group in Mumbai, in the run-down Bombay Union of
Journalists Hall. It later became the Committee for the Protection of
Democratic Rights. Such was the leadership provided by the couple that
when they left for Nagpur in the early 80s, CPDR could hold its own
among the country’s human rights groups. Kobad was tall and angular,
Anuradha short, all curves. Anu sparkled, Kobad’s was a steady
background light. When she died last year, everyone’s thoughts were
with him. Was he with her in her last moments? Who comforted him? No
one knew, for Kobad never spoke about his life underground, though he
loved talking politics.
The writer is a freelance journalist
http://epaper.mailtoday.in/Details.aspx?boxid=4027968&id=28125&issuedate=2492009
THE NEW FACE OF NAXALISM
By Aloke Banerjee in Kolkata
THE ARREST of Kobad Ghandy has sent a shock wave nationwide. What was
the London- educated son of an ice- cream magnate doing in the top
echelons of the Communist Party of India ( Maoist)? Indeed, a look at
the leadership of the Naxalite movement today does make Ghandy appear
a little out of place.
But that is not how the revolution began. Many of Ghandy’s comrades in
the 1970s — the time he joined the stillnascent uprising — were
intellectuals born with a silver spoon in their mouth.
Like Ghandy, they were the alumni of premier institutes such as
Kolkata’s Presidency College and Jadavpur University.
Like Ghandy, they left their affluent backgrounds to pour into the
villages and arouse the destitute to join a Maoist struggle.
Unlike Ghandy, however, most of them drifted away from the hard life
of a revolutionary once the police crackdown began.
When Ghandy was learning chartered accountancy in London, his comrade
Tapan Mitra, who later worked with leaders like Charu Majumdar and
Shushital Roy Choudhury, was studying in Canada.
Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, who left the country in the early 70s for
advanced studies and also to escape arrest, belonged to a family that
produced one of the most respected chief justices of the Calcutta High
Court.
Bhaskar Mitra, a front- ranking Naxalite leader of the 70s, also
studied in London.
Ashim Chatterjee set up his Naxalite base in 1970 in the Debra-
Gopiballavpur region of Midnapore in West Bengal as the youngest
member of the undivided Communist Party of India ( Marxist- Leninist).
He was then still fresh from College Street — a hotbed of
revolutionary student activity.
Comrade Kaka, as he was popularly known, was a bright student, whose
teachers felt he had a bright academic career ahead of him. Instead,
he took with him a bunch of similarly brilliant students to
Gopiballavpur for an abortive bid to lead the farmers to revolution —
on the path shown by Chairman Mao.
Four decades later, the mantle of leadership of the movement in this
area has fallen upon Bikash, a tribal youth in his early 20s.
Most of Bikash’s comrades in the Midnapore- Bankura- Purulia special
area committee, which is spearheading the ongoing Lalgarh movement,
are either tribals or from poor farming families. None of them has
gone anywhere near a premier Kolkata college, and most can’t pronounce
their names.
“ As the police began to crack down on us and differences emerged
among the comrades, most of the students returned to the cities they
came from,” says Partho Bandyopadhyay, a former state secretary of
People’s War. “ They were arrested soon after their return, but were
released after the 1975- 77 Emergency was lifted. However, they never
returned to the revolution.”
BANDYOPADHYAY himself studied textile engineering in the 1970s, but
did not pursue his career. He says even when the People’s War began
its organisation in West Bengal in 1996, many comrades leading from
the front were exstudents from rich families.
“ Again, when the police began to crack down, most of them left the
party. But local comrades, those who were from tribal or farming
backgrounds, firmly stayed back.” But Ranbir Samaddar, a noted social
scientist, differs. He says most students who went to the villages in
the early days of the struggle never intended to stay back. “ They
were part of Red Guard campaign teams who went to the villages for a
few months and then returned. It is wrong to say they did so because
they couldn’t cope with the hard life and the police assault.”
Bandyopadhyay says the core leadership of the CPI ( Maoist) still has
some former students who joined the movement in the 60s, 70s or early
80s. “ They form the politburo and the central committee. But the
state committee and lower- level committees are mostly made up of
people hailing from rural or tribal backgrounds.” Ghandy is one such
politburo leader. As are Ganapathy, the general secretary of the
party, and Koteswar Rao alias Kishanji.
Both were brilliant engineering students. For Comrade Kaka, the
changing profile of Naxalite leadership is a natural progression. “
Students and intellectuals first carry the fire of revolution to the
rural masses and workers. The consciousness takes time to develop, but
you eventually get leaders from among the downtrodden,” says Kaka, who
has no links with the Maoists now.
Lenin, he points out, hailed from a well- to- do family. But his
mantle was carried by Stalin, who belonged to the poor cobbler class.
http://epaper.mailtoday.in/Details.aspx?boxid=3624859&id=28126&issuedate=2492009
Why I became disillusioned with the revolution
by Ajoy Bose
THE ARREST OF Maoist leader Kobad Ghandy has once again raised the
question of why intellectuals of his ilk are drawn like moths to a
flame to bloodthirsty extremist movements far removed from their
affluent background and elite education. Most people are unable to
understand how an ice cream magnate’s son educated in Doon School and
trained in London to be a highflying chartered accountant got involved
in an armed insurrection on behalf of the impoverished peasantry and
urban proletariat.
Yet, the history of Leftwing extremism across the world is replete
with paradoxes such as Ghandy.
Nearly four decades ago, I too, like Ghandy and at an almost identical
point in time as him had been drawn to the same political philosophy
of engineering drastic social change through violence. While Ghandy
embraced Naxalism in St Xaviers, Mumbai, I traversed a parallel path
in the equally, if not more, elite St Stephens, Delhi. Ironically, my
father, a senior bureaucrat based in Calcutta had sent me away from
the city, a Naxalite hotbed in those days, to what he had thought was
a safer place.
Looking back, it is difficult to determine the compulsions that drove
me to a course so fraught with risk. At a personal level, it certainly
represented a rebellion against my father, an authoritarian figure.
Then there was the romance and thrill of the revolutionary path as
opposed to the tedium of studying Shelly and Keats in the English
honours course I increasingly detested.
But I still believe the most important factor that drew me away from
the comfort and security of mainstream was a burning sense of
injustice and an impatience with conventional democratic politics to
redress many facets of socio- economic exploitation. Simultaneously,
there was this urge to bring about meaningful social transformation.
On a gigantic scale, that seemed impossible to achieve through
electoral acrobatics or NGO tinkering. For us comrades at St Stephen’s
it was also important to distinguish ourselves from the armchair
revolutionaries who remained content in spreading their message in
university coffee houses.
Unfortunately, after we took the plunge, it did not take long for the
dream to sour. It is here that my path diverged from Ghandy’s.
I soon realised that while violence as a concept was acceptable and
even attractive, it was a horrendous brutish thing in reality.
On a December morning in 1970, I stood transfixed with my knife still
unsheathed watching an annihilation squad of teenage Naxalites
repeatedly stab a moneylender in a Calcutta slum. The bitter irony was
that I, the more senior and politically aware comrade from Delhi, was
supposed to lead the squad. Unable to meet the puzzled look of the
squad at their leader’s paralysis, I slunk away in shame.
Later, as a group of us from St Stephen’s travelled to the villages of
Bihar, we made other discoveries about the misguided nature of our
quest. I remember travelling to Purnea in a dirty, crowded, unreserved
compartment — a novel experience for me and my companions. Despite the
stench and shoving, all of us felt a wonderful empathy towards the
grimy peasants that packed the compartment. We felt we were finally in
touch with the real Indian masses with whom we were to make a
revolution. Imagine our mortification when we reached Purnea to be
informed by local comrades that the ‘ peasants’ who got out of the
train were actually the local landlords we were supposed to
annihilate.
A bigger disaster was the plan to organise the landless and poor
peasantry to form annihilation squads. We found the poor, despite
their vicious exploitation by the landlords, were reluctant to have
any harm come to the latter. For, they would immediately be denied
their weekly wages and be pushed to the brink of starvation. Instead,
a large number of rich peasants who had legal disputes with the bigger
landlords were keen to help us get rid of their rivals. The
realisation that the Naxalite path invariably resulted in deeper
misery for those it sought to liberate finally forced me to abandon
it.
Obviously, Ghandy either did not see these shortcomings or persisted
in his course by looking the other way. This is not to deny him his
idealism. Unfortunately, this means that he, along with other
ideologically motivated Naxalite intellectuals like him, remain a
symbol of the socio- economic problems the movement represents rather
than presenting a feasible solution.
The writer is a Delhi- based political columnist and author
Kobad Ghandy wrote for leading newspapers
Karan Choudhury, Hindustan Times
New Delhi, September 23, 2009
First Published: 23:27 IST(23/9/2009)
Last Updated: 23:28 IST(23/9/2009)
The man touted to be one of the biggest Maoist catch in recent times,
63-year-old Kobad Ghandy used to write for economic journals and
prominent newspapers using a pseudonym, Arvind.
Ghandy was head of the publication division of the Communist Part of
India (Maoist) as well.
“During investigations, we found that till some time back, he used to
write for prominent economic dailies and journals using the pseudonym
Arvind,” said a senior police officer on the condition of anonymity as
he is not authorised to speak to the media.
“He has immense knowledge on economic issues and used his work to
promote his Maoists’ ideologue,” the officer said.
Ghandy, who was arrested in a joint operation of the Andhra Pradesh
Police and Delhi Police on Saturday, was produced at the Tis Hazari
Court on Tuesday and sent to judicial custody for 14 days.
In Tihar, Ghandy was sent to the jail hospital for a check-up. When
arrested, he had claimed that he came to the Capital for treatment.
Jail doctors said initial checkups revealed he was suffering from some
kind of heart ailment.
Tihar Jail spokesperson Sunil Gupta said: Jail doctors and doctors
from outside are treating him. He is hale and hearty right now.”
Ghandy has been kept in the high-security jail number 3.
Jail officials who refused to be named said Ghandy asked for books
from the library, which were provided to him.
They said a few high ranking members of People’s Union for Democratic
Rights (PUDR) also came to meet Ghandy.
http://news.rediff.com/special/2009/sep/23/kobad-ghandy-the-gentle-revolutionary.htm
Kobad Ghandy: The gentle revolutionary
Last updated on: September 23, 2009 14:17 IST
Tags: Kobad Ghandy, Ghandy, Kobad, Anuradha Shanbag, Subhas Chandra
Bose's Indian National Army
Sheela Bhatt reveals a side of Maoist ideologue Kobad Ghandy -- who
the Delhi [ Images ] police arrested on Sunday -- that only members of
his family know.
"Kobad is extremely determined, tremendously self-disciplined, and a
person with simple habits and lifestyle," says Sunil Shanbag, the well-
known theatre personality and Ghandy's brother-in-law.
Ghandy, a member of the Communist Party of India-Maoist Politburo, was
arrested in New Delhi on September 21 and has been sent to 14 days
judicial custody.
His arrest has created a sensation, given his affluent origins in
Mumbai [ Images ] and his elite Doon School -- where he was Congress
leader Sanjay Gandhi's [ Images ] classmate -- and London [ Images ]
education. Ghandy is an intellectual supporting the Maoists in various
ways, and has no criminal record whatsoever.
Shanbag's sister Anuradha married Ghandy in 1983. Sunil has not met
Kobad for many years. His sister and her husband were underground for
more than 15 years.
Many years ago, Anuradha -- a graduate of Mumbai's Elphinstone College
-- had told her family: 'Don't ask me about what I do and where I go.'
When she died of malaria last year her family did not even know about
it. The Ghandys lived life dangerously and on their own terms. Their
commitment to the cause of the deprived classes was total and
unshakeable.
Kobad's father was a senior executive at Glaxo, the pharmaceutical
family. The Parsi family lived in an apartment on the posh Worli
seaface. The Ghandys owned a hotel in Mahableshwar and a sprawling
bungalow in Panchgani, both popular hill stations in Maharashtra, as
well as the Kentucky's fresh-fruit ice cream brand.
Kobad did his chartered accountancy from London where he was bitten by
the revolutionary bug. When his family told him to start practising
accountancy he simply said, 'I want to understand my India.' He
started visiting Mumbai's slums to understand slumdwellers's issues.
It is here he met Anuradha Shanbag, who was also committed to the
revolutionary line of thought.
Like him Anuradha too came from a remarkable background. Her parents
Ganesh and Kumud Shanbag owned coffee plantations in Coorg. Her father
ran away from a life of luxury to join Subhas Chandra Bose's Indian
National Army during the freedom struggle.
In the late 1970s Kobad and Anuradha helped set up the Committee for
the Protection of Democratic Rights in Mumbai and after establishing
CPDR the couple shifted to Nagpur in the 1980s where they went
underground. Both their families had no idea about their whereabouts.
How did this amazing metamorphosis take place in Ghandy's life?
Says Sunil, "In Europe the 1970s were a turbulent time. There was a
wave of hope for those who were fighting for justice. I can only
speculate that Kobad must have been inspired while studying in London.
During those years he or she could personally continue the struggle,
but today it is a difficult situation."
Ghandy is a disciplined individual who would read and write regularly
regardless of whether he lived in a jungle or village, even during the
years when he suffered from amoebic dysentery. He was strict about his
health and exercised regularly.
Anuradha and Kobad decided to not have children so they could devote
their life full-time to the cause. His family members say he is gentle
and affectionate, and doesn't discuss his revolutionairy work with
them.
His arrest is not totally unexpected, and always lurked in the
background. "His arrest is a blow, but not unexpected. It was part of
our mindspace," says a family member.
Someone who sympathises with him is livid that a television news
channel compared him on Tuesday night to Lashkar-e-Tayiba [ Images ]
founder Mohammad Sayeed.
"It is ridiculous," this individual said, "TV is helping whitewash the
State's violence. There is no comparison between the two. The Maoist
movement is against State violence. TV anchors, who do not believe in
anything but provocative news, are defending the State's
unconstitutional acts. Are they not supporting violence themselves?"
Across India Kobad Ghandy's many supporters and friends are watching
the situation closely in the hope that he will not end up the next
Binayak Sen. Will he?
Sheela Bhatt in New Delhi
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8270400.stm
India's unlikely Maoist revolutionary
Mr Ghandy went to one of India's best known schools
Kobad Ghandy, a top Maoist leader in India, came from an upper class
background before he become one of the country's most wanted rebels.
He was arrested in the capital, Delhi, on Monday. The BBC's Prachi
Pinglay has this profile.
Kobad Ghandy is an "unlikely revolutionary" - a foreign educated
urbanite, he is reputed to like joking and socialising.
But not for him the life of a middle class city professional. Instead
he has remained committed to the Maoist cause with "discipline and
perseverance" for over 30 years - with over a decade spent underground
in various tribal areas, his friends say.
Maoist-linked violence across central and eastern India has killed at
least 6,000 people over the past 20 years. The rebels say they
represent the rights of landless farmhands and tribal communities.
Mr Ghandy is wanted in various cases, accused of being a member of a
banned group, organising demonstrations and writing publicity material
for the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
He first became active in socio-political activities in Mumbai (then
called Bombay) during the tenure of then Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi.
While his initial years are fairly well documented, very little is
known about him in later years.
He spoke to the BBC in 2008, describing Indian society as "semi-
feudal, semi-colonial" and saying it needed to be "democratised".
Political activities
A Khoja-Parsi by birth, Kobad Ghandy completed his schooling in
India's elite Doon school and St Xavier's College in Bombay. He went
to London to pursue studies in chartered accountancy.
Our fight is against land grab and exploitation of the poor,
especially focusing on rural India
Kobad Ghandy
Kobad Ghandy 2008 interview
His friend PA Sebastian told the BBC that it was in England that Mr
Ghandy first became involved in political activities.
After returning to Bombay, he was active during Mrs Gandhi's emergency
(from 1975-1977), when democracy was suspended.
Mr Ghandy set up the leading rights group, the Committee for
Protection of Democratic Rights (CPDR), along with activist friends
like Mr Sebastian and reformer Asghar Ali Engineer.
Mr Engineer remembers how they used to meet at the convocation hall of
Bombay University once a week at six pm after office hours.
"He was a thorough gentleman and was very strong in his convictions
even then. He regarded the ruling Congress party as a clever bourgeois
and capitalist party."
Throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s Mr Ghandy's support of
communism seemed to increase.
He married activist-academic Anuradha Shanbag and decided to move to
Nagpur with her - dedicating themselves entirely to the cause of
tribal rights, women's issues and campaigns on behalf of lower caste
people and women.
India says Maoists are present in 182 districts, a third of the
country
Anuradha, also a staunch activist, lecturer and member of the
Communist Party of India (Maoist) died in April last year after a bout
of cerebral malaria.
Her brother, the well-known theatre personality Sunil Shanbag,
remembers how the couple made the difficult decision to leave Mumbai
as "they felt they were needed more in those areas".
"The atmosphere of those days was different. There was a great sense
of liberation and all of us were swept in. The CPDR used to book
tickets in bulk for our plays and there would [always] be a discussion
[afterwards]. There was a bridging at this time between art and
politics and Anuradha and Kobad were not narrow-minded ideologues.
They were very non-judgmental."
Mr Shanbag said: "His father Adi Ghandy worked in a pharmaceutical
company and they lived in an old sprawling flat in Worli. His father
was in fact extremely supportive of the cause. He too led a simple
life inspired by his son. Kobad had complete support from his
family."
'Inequality'
Susan Abraham, another long time friend of the couple, said: "He was
committed to the revolution and revolutionary ideals. He came from an
upper class background but led a Spartan life. He was tuned with his
surroundings. When you see so much inequality, you want so much to
change things.
"In the days after the emergency everyone was influenced by activism,"
she said, explaining the apparent difference between Mr Ghandy's
background and the life he chose to live.
Activist and writer Jyoti Punwani says it was far from obvious that he
had had an elite schooling or foreign education.
Mr Ghandy's wife, Anuradha, died last year
"We could not have guessed he was from all these places. His behaviour
was very normal and he even laughed about his time spent at the Doon
school. They had a huge house but never showed off money. He was
leftist and committed to changing the system. He did all his work by
himself and did not keep a servant."
While his jhola (cotton shoulder bag), his self-discipline and his
commitment come up often in his friends' memories, they also mention
how he loved mixing with people from all walks of life.
"Kobad and Anuradha gave up their lives to work with the poor but
never said anything about it. He was always enthusiastic and he liked
to mix with people. He could interact with people from every class and
make friends and joke about many things. He is the most unlikely
revolutionary, he liked to have fun - he was an ideologue but not an
intellectual," Ms Punwani reminisces.
A police official who has investigated several cases in areas of
Maharashtra state where Maoist rebels are active said that Mr Ghandy
was also known by the names Kamal and Azad.
"He is a strong ideologue. He has organised demonstrations and written
articles and other publicity material," he said.
"He is a senior in their ranks. Cases are registered against him in
Nagpur and Chandrapur. However, charges against him are not of a
serious nature," he said.
Mr Ghandy has been remanded in custody and it is not clear if he will
be transferred out of Delhi.
Activists who campaign for the release of political prisoners have
started rallying to demand that he is given his legal rights.
Mr Shanbag says some sections of the media may have got it wrong about
Mr Ghandy.
"Kobad cannot be called a blood-thirsty terrorist as some in the media
are calling him. Somebody has to get real."
http://www.outlookindia.com/taghome.aspx?tag=259&name=Naxals%2fMaoists
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?261531
Sandipan Chatterjee
Into battle: Security forces in Kantapahari, Lalgarh
Politics: West Bengal
Ringed Red Theatre
As troops ready to crush Maoists, villagers feel pincer-trapped
Dola Mitra
Also In This Story
‘We Are For Non-Violence’The PCAPA alleges that police is trampling on
people’s rightsOutlook
In Lalgarh, the West Bengal police and central forces are raring to
go. The Union home ministry has declared that after the monsoon is
over, the joint forces that marched and rolled into Lalgarh in June
will again be unleashed on the Maoists in the next phase of Operation
Lalgarh. The local police and the central paramilitary forces promise
to go for the kill in order to “neutralise” the militants holding in
there. But for this, the rains have to pass—combing the Jangalmahal
region in the rain is near-impossible.
Unlike other parts of the country, West Midnapore district has largely
been spared the drought. The forests surrounding the CRPF camps are
green. On condition of anonymity, the commander of one of the first
battalions to enter Lalgarh in June and wrest large areas from Maoist
control told Outlook, “It’s a question of weeks. By October-November,
another offensive will be launched. The strategy has evolved based on
the experience of the last couple of months.” He refused to give
details for security reasons but said there would be “tactical
changes”.
The crucial difference between the June offensive and the one planned,
police and paramilitary officers in Lalgarh say, is that the forces
have managed to put in place an intelligence network. Not only are the
forces now able to gather intelligence through electronic surveillance—
towers have been erected to monitor mobile phone traffic in the region—
they have also roped in locals to provide crucial ground-level inputs.
A few weeks after Operation Lalgarh was launched, there was a lull in
Maoist activity in Jangalmahal, and they were believed to have fled to
the jungles near Jharkhand. But in the last couple of weeks, political
killings attributed to Maoists—and for which, in several instances,
they have claimed responsibility—has gone up. Midnapore district
magistrate N.S. Nigam admitted that there has been a spurt in killings
by the Maoists—“no less than five in just two weeks”—and that some of
the killings the Maoists haven’t taken responsibility for could also
have, in fact, been carried out by them.
Maoist leaders themselves say they are in fact acting against “a new
breed of police informers”, mostly CPI(M) workers and supporters. “We
aren’t killing them indiscriminately,” says wanted Maoist chief
Koteshwar Rao, aka Kishenji, in a telephone interview to Outlook.
“We’re only acting against those who are working against us by going
to the police. And we don’t deliver justice on our own. We do it
legally. We hold a court and a jury of villagers decides on the
verdict. It’s with their consent that we kill the informers.”
After the murder of two CPI(M) workers two weeks ago, the following
sms, signed off by Maoist leader Bikas, was sent to journalists: “We
are taking responsibility for what has happened in Belpahari. Rampada
was a police agent and Manik was a police informer.” Another sms,
after the murder of yet another CPI(M) leader in Lalgarh, read: “Last
night we delivered ultimate justice to CPI(M) leader Shanker Adikari
of Chilgoragram. Ever since the arrival of the joint forces, the
police camps had become his favourite haunt. He was also heavily into
exploitation and torture. Therefore, after taking public consent, we
have got rid of him.”
According to the security forces, the villagers live in terror of
rubbing the Maoists the wrong way. A battalion commander says, “We
have been able to instil some sense of security in them.” He dismisses
criticism of the presence of the joint forces in the area, saying,
“The Maoists dictate terms to them. They have to obey or they are
killed. If they tell them to fell trees and block the roads, they’d
better do it. If they force them to attend their rallies and meetings,
they’d better comply.”
Ask the villagers and they say little. “I don’t want to comment,” an
old man in Lalgarh says, looking around. “If I say anything I will be
killed.” But the Maoists point out that it’s the security forces that
have put terror in people’s hearts. This finds corroboration in some
voices from the villages. Shukumuli Nandi, a woman working in a paddy
field in Sukhi Shol village in Lalgarh, reluctantly comments, “We
women are really afraid of the police. Wouldn’t you be afraid too?
They come into our houses in the night and start searching. We are
petrified. We are scared for our sisters and our daughters.”
Caught between the security forces and the Maoists, thousands of
villagers like Shukumuli simply do not know whom to trust and whom to
turn to.
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?261532
National Magazine | Sep 07, 2009
Defiant: Mahato in his jungle hideout
‘We Are For Non-Violence’
The PCAPA alleges that police is trampling on people’s rights
For the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), it is
the “humiliation” of women which remains the main issue for its
agitation against the police and the administration. Outlook caught up
with Chhatradhar Mahato, the PCAPA head who’s on the run after an
arrest warrant was issued against him.
From his jungle hideout, Mahato hits out at the state and central
government. “We never demanded anything other than an apology for the
stripping and raping of our women in the name of searching for Maoists
after the Salboni blast,” he says. “Development is a word that had not
cropped up in our original list of demands. We chased out the police
and administration for this crime against our women. They branded us
Maoists and implicated us in the murders and violence taking place in
this area. Now they want my blood. But I will tell you that if I am
arrested, not just Lalgarh, but the state of West Bengal and the
entire country will bleed. Mark my words.”
With police and paramilitary on the lookout for him, Mahato likes the
world to know that his movement is non-violent and that it is not
linked to the Maoists. “We have always been non-violent. It has been a
people’s democratic movement from the word go. But our limits are
being pushed,” he says. “I was forced to break the so-called Section
144 imposed in the area and hold a rally...because it is the state
that is crushing our right to speak.”
Pointing out that the CPI(M) held a rally in the area recently, Mahato
asks, “Were they not in violation of Section 144?” He’s disdainful of
the government’s threat to arrest him. “Let’s see them try to do
that,” he says, throwing a challenge to the government of India and
the government of West Bengal.
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?262037
In a Hurry, Going Nowhere
The current anti-Naxalite operations, reflecting little by way of plan
or purpose, are at best a faith in demonstrative violence, based on
the hope that this will cow down the enemy. This is not a calculus of
war; it is sheer fantasy.
Ajai Sahni
The principal strategic challenge in any conflict comprises four
elements: a realistic and accurate assessment of the threat; an
objective assessment of the resources for an adequate, if not
overwhelming, response (including institutional, financial, manpower
and technological components); the acquisition of these resources
within timeframes imposed by the conflict; and the sagacious
deployment of these resources to secure the objectives of a coherent
and clearly defined strategy.
--"Trapped in the Past", India Today, September 25, 2008
Of the four elements of a strategic response to the ongoing Maoist
insurgency across wide areas in India, it has long been the case that
not even one was in place. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had, of
course, repeatedly emphasised the urgency of the Maoist threat ever
since his authoritative statement on terrorism in general and Naxalism
(Left Wing Extremism, LWE) in particular, at the Chief Minister’s
Conference on April 15, 2005. Regrettably, every time the Prime
Minister spoke in the past, his assessment was almost immediately
contradicted by his own then-home minister, Shivraj Patil (and by
other cabinet colleagues), who was inclined to systematically
underplay the threat, and to muddle issues by speaking of the Maoists
as "our brothers and sisters" and "our children", and by insisting
that the Maoist problem was ‘political’ or ‘developmental’ and not a
‘law and order issue’.
This manifest incoherence of perspective at the centre appears now to
be a thing of the past. A new realism is visible in political
assessments and, while addressing the Directors General of Police
(DGP) Conference on September 15, the Prime Minister not only
reiterated his contention that LWE was the ‘gravest internal security
threat’ confronting India, he went on to candidly admit, "We have not
achieved as much success as we would have liked in containing this
menace. It is a matter of concern that despite our efforts, the level
of violence in the affected states continues to rise."
Significantly, while speaking in the Rajya Sabha on July 15, the union
minister for home affairs (MHA) P. Chidambaram had conceded that the
government had failed to tackle the Communist Party of India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist) with the seriousness they deserve and had also failed to
assess the threat posed by the LWE. Crucially, while inaugurating the
DGP’s Conference on September 14, Chidambaram had indicated that the
Naxalites had "their pockets of influence" in as many as 20 states
across the country, with over 2,000 Police Station jurisdictions in
223 districts "partially or substantially affected by the menace."
Observing that the Communist Party of India – Maoist (CPI-Maoist) was
the "most potent of the Naxal (LWE) groups, with a presence in 17
states and a 90 per cent share in Naxal violence", the home minister
noted, further:
Recent decisions taken by its Politburo indicate that the CPI-Maoist
is determined to expand its activities into newer areas, on the one
hand, and intensify its ‘mass resistance’ in the existing areas, on
the other. Violence, the most visible aspect of Naxal menace, has been
consistently witnessed in about 400 Police station areas of around 90
districts in 13 of these states. Last year, a total of 1,591 incidents
of Naxalite violence resulting in 721 killings, were reported from 399
Police station areas of 87 districts of 13 states. This year (2009)
1,405 incidents of Naxal violence resulting in 580 killings have
already been reported (upto August 27) from 355 police stations in 78
districts in 11 states.
The home minister also noted that the CPI-Maoist had also "improved
upon its military wares and operational tactics":
With increasing sophistication in fabrication and deployment of
Improvised Explosive Devices, it has inflicted more casualties on the
Security Forces (SFs). As many as 80 SF personnel were killed in 53
landmine-based attacks by the CPI-Maoist in 2008. 123 SF personnel
have lost their lives so far in 61 landmine-based Maoist actions this
year. Altogether, 231 SF personnel were killed in Naxal violence in
2008 while 250 SF personnel have lost their lives this year.
On September 16, the union home secretary G.K. Pillai, went further to
inform the Parliament's Standing Committee on Home Affairs that the
Naxalites were ‘calling the shots’ across nearly 40,000 square
kilometres of Indian territory – mainly in parts of the dense forest
area in Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand – where the government had
‘virtually no control’.
It is regrettable, however, that the Prime Minister found it necessary
to continue to parrot the meaningless, though politically correct,
formulation that the Maoist threat "cannot be treated simply as a law
and order problem". This cliché has had a long and paralysing impact
on policy, strategy and SF responses, without, in any way, adding to
the state’s capabilities in dealing with the Maoists, or in augmenting
the spectrum of available policy alternatives. The ‘root causes’
formulation is sterile – development is not something that can be
ordered off a menu card, and there is no set of policies that can
‘wipe every tear from every eye’ in India, within any time-frame that
has relevance to counter-insurgency (CI). Crucially, no country in the
world has every ‘out-developed’ an ongoing insurgency. In any event,
development, public welfare and grievance redressal are fundamental
responsibilities of governance; they do not arise because of the
threat of insurgent violence. And finally, unless the state
establishes dominance over its territories, it cannot implement the
various other ‘solutions’ it may imagine. As one commentator noted in
a different context, "you can argue about whether security is 10 per
cent of the problem or 90 per cent of the problem, but it’s the first
10 per cent or the first 90 per cent." Without order, and without a
concomitant security of life and property, there can be no freedom, no
rights and no development. Unless this clarity of understanding and
purpose is secured, a coherence of response will remain elusive.
A consensual threat assessment would not, however, automatically yield
the remaining elements of a coherent CI response. For one thing, the
Centre’s assessment is not necessarily shared by leaderships in all
the afflicted states, most of whom remain mired in ‘root causes’
reasoning, and variously averse to any effective SF reform or action.
Worse, the cumulative deficits of decades of neglect of internal
security, the intelligence apparatus, and structures of governance
means that India simply does not have the capacities to launch the
comprehensive operations that are required to deal effectively with
the Maoist threat – even if it is universally recognized in its real
dimensions. While steps towards capacity augmentation have been
initiated at the Centre at a pace that is, perhaps, unprecedented in
the Indian bureaucracy, these are nowhere close to bridging the
yawning gaps that have consolidated themselves over more than half a
century of callous disregard. Some of the states have also begun
processes of capacity restoration after decades of uncomprehending
somnolence, but the gains remain marginal.
The impact of these various measures is, consequently and at best,
incremental. Nowhere are state capacities even approaching the
critical mass that is necessary to create the "situation of victory"
that could neutralize the rampaging ‘disruptive dominance’ currently
exercised by the Maoists.
This, however, is not deterring various states and the centre from
imagining grandiose campaigns in the ‘Maoist heartland’. There has
been much ill-advised kite flying about an attack on the Maoist
‘central guerrilla area’ in the Abujhmadh Forest in Chhattisgarh,
backed by sci-fi visions of high resolution aerial, satellite and
thermal imagery and air power backup. There has been talk of an
‘imminent’ and coordinated anti-Maoist ‘offensive’ across the four
worst affected states since July this year, with the rumoured deadline
(fortuitously) pushed back month after month.
It must be abundantly clear that, given the current availability and
disposition of forces, no decisive victory can be achieved over the
Maoists, and any such campaigns would, at best, be an exercise in
political posturing, serving no sustainable CI objective.
This does not, of course, mean that such campaigns will not be
attempted. There is now considerable political and media pressure to
‘do something’. The result can only be ruinous. It has, for instance,
been repeatedly emphasised that the force deployments in Chhattisgarh
are irrational, and cannot support effective offensive operations
against the Maoists. Some marginal increments of force, including the
deployment of ‘elite’ Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (COBRA)
units, has, however, encouraged the ill-conceived adventurism that
resulted in the death of six SF personnel, including two Deputy
Commandants, on September 18, in the Palachalma forest area of the
Dantewada region of south Chhattisgarh. Senior Police sources, of
course, claim this as a unique success, the culmination of an
operation that has been ongoing for the past one month. This operation
was "more focused" than any in the past, they say, and areas that were
earlier regarded as inaccessible had been entered. A training camp and
arms manufacturing unit had been destroyed. The Maoists had been
"restricted to smaller areas". Though just 10 bodies have been
recovered, communication intercepts suggest that 32 Maoists were
killed. And the Maoists have conceded, in communications chatter, that
this is one of their ‘worst reverses’ in the state.
It is useful to note, however, that, while the intelligence on the
target was clearly reliable and specific – resulting in the SFs
hitting the camp very effectively – there was clearly insufficient
intelligence on the wider ground situation, and far from adequate
force to hold the rebels down. The Maoist response was quick, and the
SF parties were attacked while withdrawing – and this will prove to be
a pattern in future operations as well. Crucially, no permanent
security presence has been established in the area through this
operation, and the Maoists will shortly restore there dominance in the
area.
It is an error to be consumed by the ‘numbers game’ of kills and
counter-kills, unless these yield a clear and enduring restoration of
the state’s authority in the region; unless, in other words, these are
an integral element in a comprehensive CI strategy. The documented
disaster at Lalgarh is another case in point, demonstrating the
futility of flailing about, without plan or purpose, with whatever
force is available, and without having created the "situation of
victory".
In this, the state can learn a lesson from its enemy. The Naxalite
movement of the 1967-73 phase was inspired by the Maoist notion that
"a single spark can light a prairie fire." The leaders of the ‘spring
thunder’ at Naxalbari believed that the ‘revolutionary situation’ was
so ripe that it would require only a handful of incidents of
demonstrative violence to inspire a massive uprising that would sweep
aside the detritus of the collapsing ancien régime. In the event,
however, the ancien regime proved far more robust than they imagined,
and the ‘revolutionary situation’ somewhat unripe. The errors of the
earlier movement have been closely studied by the new generation of
Maoists, and its ‘Left adventurism’ has been explicitly rejected in
favour of the ‘protracted war’ model, which relies on a gradual and
deliberate process of political, military and cultural consolidation,
that recognizes the superior power of the target systems, but seeks to
gradually whittle it away at the peripheries, to slowly approach the
core.
Unfortunately, the state and its agencies are still to internalise the
lessons of the past, and to understand the dangers of under-
preparation and partial perspectives. Even the most significant
successes against the Maoists have been strategically incomplete, and
replete with unintended consequences. It is useful to recall that, in
the end-1990s and early 2000s, it was the squeeze in the Telengana
heartland in Andhra Pradesh, without any corresponding strategy of
containment, which resulted in a tremendous acceleration of Maoist
mobilisation and expansion across Andhra Pradesh, and beyond its
borders, into the neighbouring states, including the benighted
Chhattisgarh. In the next and more successful phase after 2005, the
Maoist power in Andhra has been utterly decimated – but has grown
exponentially across India in what is, at least in part, a strategic
response to the imperatives of survival.
The current anti-Naxalite operations, reflecting little by way of plan
or purpose, are at best a faith in demonstrative violence, based on
the hope that this will cow down the enemy. This is not a calculus of
war; it is sheer fantasy. Even as colossal deficits in leadership,
manpower, training, technology and CI orientation persist in the SFs –
both central and state – operations are being intensified. The
consequence can only be that more SF personnel will lose their lives,
and the gains will remain dubious. This is more the case, since CI
campaigns are being initiated with a great measure of publicity, or
preceded by substantial information ‘leaks’, and the press – and
consequently and obviously the Maoists – appear to be aware of every
projected initiative well before it crystallizes on the ground.
Of course, a few months down the line, slanted interpretations of
evolving campaigns could give grounds for declaring a great success.
When no coherent objectives are defined, the outcome is irrelevant. As
the Cheshire Cat said to Alice, "If you don't know where you are
going, any road will take you there."
Ajai Sahni is Editor, SAIR; Executive Director, Institute for Conflict
Management. Courtesy the South Asia Intelligence Review of the South
Asia Terrorism Portal
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?261407
Illustration by Sandeep Adhwaryu
opinion
Waging Peace In Redland
Justice, development are bullets that will work against Maoists
Neelabh Mishra
A former professor of JNU recently went as part of a citizens’ fact-
finding team to a Maoist-dominated district where one of his former
students was the superintendent of police. It was a proud moment for
the officer, who touched his teacher’s feet and had photographs of
their meeting taken. But when the professor casually expressed his
desire to go across a river and meet the Maoist cadres for their
version of things, the team having already met government officials
and members of the local vigilante group, the officer curtly said,
“Sir, if you cross the river, you’ll be on the side of the enemy and
may get shot by us.” I have withheld the names of the professor and
the officer and of the place where this meeting took place to save
them public embarrassment from a private chat. But in their
conversation is a reflection of the accepted wisdom in all Naxalite-
ridden states, whether centrally-ruled Jharkhand, Left-ruled West
Bengal or BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh: there can be little or no scope for
a civil engagement with the Naxal militants, even through non-militant
albeit non-establishment groups.
That the State isn’t encouraging of such a middle ground was clear
from a) home minister P. Chidambaram’s speech to the Lok Sabha last
month that “clearing out” Maoist-held areas was a precondition for
initiating development work there, and b) the subsequent large-scale
redeployment of paramilitary forces and preparations for an army
offensive, beginning with Dantewada. The minister’s statement at the
chief ministers conference on August 17 seemed nuanced, but its offer
of talks with the ultra-left militants sounds more like an exhortation
to surrender than a proposal for political engagement through
structured dialogue of the kind that took place between Nepal’s
parliamentary parties and the Maoists. “Restoring order”, it seems, is
more important to Chidambaram than undertaking “development
activities”.
One does not have to be a Maoist supporter, or, for that matter, in
full agreement with Arundhati Roy at her subversive best to point out
the flaw in the approach. Just consult the report submitted last year
by a committee the UPA government itself appointed. Chaired by Debu
Bandopadhyay, a former rural development secretary, the Expert Group
on Development Issues to Deal with Causes of Discontent, Unrest and
Extremism said in its report that after the insurgency in Naxalbari
was crushed by force in the late 1960s, it has spread from one police
station, one district and one state to 560 police stations, 160
districts and 14 states even though the police budget to counter Naxal
activity has increased a thousand times during the decades since then.
This is because the basic craving for justice and equity, which
spawned far-left extremism in the first place, was never addressed.
Chidambaram’s proposed operations are going to cost much more in terms
of human lives and resources, but placing arms above amelioration, one
fears, will only escalate the insurgency, even spread it further to
newer territories.
The expert group also noted that, besides the ideological motivation
for violence, it is the craving for equity and justice, denied by a
brutish State, that propels Maoist expansion. Its report suggests that
if exploitative land relations were a trigger for Naxalbari, the
massive displacements caused by mega projects, often with unfair
compensation packages, is the trigger for the current phase of Naxal
expansion. Some six crore people have been coercively displaced by
mega projects since 1951, of whom not more than 20 per cent were
properly rehabilitated. The Maoist-dominated areas in central India
are coterminous with areas of massive forcible displacement. The
expert group has clearly identified equity and justice issues relating
to land, forced displacement and evictions, extreme poverty and social
oppression, livelihood, malgovernance and police brutality as being
behind Maoist expansion. More than development, this is also a
question of rights. Ensure that they have it and people will accept
these rights with both hands, dropping their arms, despite any
ideological prodding.
And an aside to the Maoists. If the State has failed for four decades
to repress by violence the people’s craving for justice, the number of
civilians killed in the “revolutionary war” every year remains three
to four times more than the number of policemen killed and about twice
more than their own armed or political cadres. Even so the post-
revolution utopia of Maoist dreams is not in sight. Meanwhile, a
spiral of violence triumphs over the quest for justice.
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?250483
Arts & Entertainment / Interviews / 10 Questions Magazine | Jul 20,
2009
10 Questions
Aparna Sen
The filmmaker and her group Swajan, currently facing charges of
violating Sec 144 in Lalgarh, West Bengal, spoke to Outlook about the
conflict in the region during her recent visit there
Dola Mitra Interviews Aparna Sen
What was the purpose of your visit to Lalgarh?
We wanted to see the ground realities. Our main concern is for the
poor villagers here.
And what did you find?
They are caught in the crossfire between the Maoists and police-
paramilitary action. It is shocking how vulnerable they are.
Can you explain?
On the one hand, the villagers are afraid to speak out against the
Maoists who are virtually holding them hostage for their own ends. On
the other hand, there is police terror.
You’ve been very vocal against alleged police brutality here.
After the landmine blast in Salboni last November—the Maoist
assassination attempt on the West Bengal CM—the police is supposed to
have terrorised the locals in search of militants. They dragged women
out, strip-searched them, beat them up.
In protest, the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA)
was formed. You met its leader Chhatradhar Mahato. But both are said
to have links with the Maoists.
It’s important to make a distinction between the two. The PCAPA is a
democratic protest movement. We appealed to Mahato to make a statement
through the press distancing PCAPA from the Maoists.
But he said he was unable to do so.
We can go extract a statement and come back to our safe homes. But the
locals have to live there under threat from armed militants.
The PCAPA’s movement is confused with the Maoists because for over
seven months they kept the administration out of the area.
That’s why we appealed to the police and the administration to take
their roles as protectors of the people seriously. Why should a
condition arise where poor villagers would be so petrified of the
police that they would want to keep them out by blocking roads?
Your group Swajan, formed after Nandigram, comprises intellectuals. Do
thinking classes help in resolving conflicts such as this?
It is incumbent upon us to try to do so. We cannot turn our backs on
the people. It is our collective responsibility to address their
plight.
How does Swajan plan to extend support to the people?
Right now the focus is on the immediate crisis. However, we’re happy
to invite people to join us to uphold human rights and dignity. The
only criterion is that you cannot have any political affiliation.
According to the police, Section 144 was imposed in the area you
visited. You’ve been charged with violation of the section.
We had informed the administration about our visit. We were not told
about the imposition of Section 144.
http://www.outlookindia.com/article.aspx?250356
National Magazine | Jul 06, 2009
Red lava: PCAPA activists at a rally in Lalgarh
west bengal: lalgarh
The People, The Enemy?
Take out the Maoists, take back the people. The Left Front has a plan
for Lalgarh, but can it overcome past mistakes?
Smita Gupta , Dola Mitra
Also In This Story
west bengal: lalgarhThe Arrows In Our QuiversThe Centre wants a three-
pronged approach, for different sections of the Red Corridor
In its seeming reluctance to enforce the Central ban on the Communist
Party of India (Maoist) lies the key to the Left Front government's
new politics in West Bengal. The ghosts of Nandigram continue to haunt
chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya: now he's wary of anything that
could smack of strong-arm tactics. The LF government here says it
wants to "gradually, imperceptibly regain" the political ground it has
lost to the Maoists, perhaps achievable given that their presence in
the state is still marginal.
The longer forces stay, the more stories of police atrocities will
emanate from the area. Bengal is in a quandary.
Simultaneously, by prolonging the action, it hopes that faultlines
will develop in the rebel movement, especially in the People's
Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) led by Chhatradhar Mahato,
widely regarded as the mouthpiece of the Maoists. There's also the
hope that this will make it difficult for its chief political rival in
the state, the Trinamool Congress, to take any clear position on the
issue. The TMC had shared a platform with the PCAPA in February; today
it is part of the UPA government, which has sent forces to fight the
Maoists in Lalgarh.
Currently, the major Maoist base is limited to one block in the
district of West Midnapore, Lalgarh (it has around 40,000 voters),
apart from a gradual build-up in the neighbouring districts of Bankura
and Purulia. And the CPI(M) still has support here. Despite the anti-
Left wave in the state, it retained the five LS seats of Midnapore,
Ghatal, Purulia, Bankura and Bishnupur in these three Maoist-affected
districts. The LF leadership, sources say, is determined not to repeat
the mistakes of Nandigram and Singur, which were but two blocks in
East Midnapore and Hooghly districts respectively, but went on to
consume the region, wiping the CPI(M) out of six districts and 19 LS
seats.
With a range of forces backing the PCAPA—ranging from the TMC to some
Calcutta-based intellectuals—and building public opinion against the
LF government, one false move could leave the LF with no opportunity
to regroup. Already, complaints against the ongoing police action are
coming in. Calcutta celebrities, including filmmaker Aparna Sen, poet
Joy Goswami, and theatre persons Kaushik Sen and Shaonli Mitra, met
Chhatradhar Mahato recently at Pathordanga, beyond Lalgarh, an area
still out of bounds for the police and paramilitary forces. They came
to ask him to broker peace, end the misery of the people. Sen told
Outlook that she had met women in the villages who told her how police
had strip-searched them and defecated and urinated on stored drinking
water.
Clearly, the longer the forces stay the more such stories will emanate
from the area, even though the police have been given strict
instructions to conduct operations with minimum collateral damage. But
swift action, too, has its downside: it would mean less care, more
force. State home secretary Ardhendu Sen says Operation Lalgarh will
continue "for an indefinite period, if necessary. We won't stop until
our forces have flushed out every last Maoist from there. In this kind
of guerrilla warfare, time limits cannot be set. The enemy is not easy
to detect." Memories of Nandigram, though, still seem to be fresh for
he hastened to add, "Our strategy is to slowly win back the confidence
of the people. We have to make them understand that the forces are not
there to capture their land but to protect them. We have also
airdropped leaflets in a bid to dissuade them from helping the
Maoists...."
Meanwhile, the LF plans to let party cadres use the cover the central
and state forces are providing to re-enter the lost areas and persuade
people to return to the fold. But it wants to do it gradually, with no
retribution in mind. It's not going to be easy, for there's much
antagonism in the air. The LF knows that Lalgarh was of its own
making, an over-reaction to the landmine blast in Salboni—the site of
a new Rs 350-billion Jindal steel project—last November. CM Buddhadeb
and then Union steel minister Ram Vilas Paswan had escaped the attack
narrowly. Tribal youths from Lalgarh, 40 km from Salboni, were
indiscriminately picked up which had led to protests, initially led by
tribal elders who formed the Bharat Jakat Majhi Marwa (BJMM). The BJMM
later reached an agreement with the government but it was challenged
by a rival group—which is how the PCAPA took birth under Chhatradhar
Mahato. Mahato, curiously, was a TMC member till two years ago when he
was "expelled"; his brother, Sasadhar Mahato is a Maoist leader, and
the prime accused in the Salboni incident.
Peace pipe?: Aparna Sen and other Calcutta artistes meet with
Chhatradhar Mahato
Clearly, Salboni and the events that followed provided the Maoists
with the entry point they were looking for in West Bengal, and they
rapidly took it over. Especially, as in the initial phase, the state
government "abdicated" its authority in the area, giving in to the
PCAPA's writ that police would not be permitted in the area during the
recent elections. Today, villagers in the area refer to Chhatradhar as
the "loudspeaker" of the Maoists. In Malida village, Sontu Soren, a
Santhali who collects and sells firewood for a living, talked of his
"fear of the Maoists": "They will kill us if we disobey. If they tell
us to boycott the police, we have no choice but to do that. If they
tell us to attend meetings, we have to listen to them." Clearly, in
his mind the Maoists and the PCAPA are now one entity. Meanwhile, at
Pirakata market, villagers from Malida, now at a relief camp, recount
the "horror of being in the house when the police come at night,
kicking your door open, dragging you out and beating you, demanding
information". Caught between the Maoists and the state forces, the
story of Lalgarh's people is the same oft-heard version from other
Maoist-affected areas.
For the LF, however, the real concern is not the size of the Maoist
presence in the state, but that it is at all there. For about three
decades, it had succeeded in keeping West Bengal, an extreme Left
bastion once, free from their influence. A brutal police offensive in
the early 1970s, combined with a split in the ranks of the Naxalites,
saw the movement collapsing by 1972. The Maoist Coordination Committee
(MCC) had made an attempt, around 1974, launching guerrilla activities
in Burdwan district, where it sought to organise the poor tribal and
Dalit agricultural labourers. But by the end of the '70s, coinciding
with the LF coming to power in the state, the MCC was compelled to
move to neighbouring Bihar mostly as a result of the land reforms
programme, Operation Barga. The beneficiaries began to distance
themselves from the Naxalite movement, and it eventually dissolved.
Today, the impact of the incomplete land reforms programme from the
first decade of LF rule is beginning to be felt. Across the state, the
state government virtually abdicated its authority, allowing local CPI
(M) strongmen to treat their areas of influence like personal
fiefdoms. In the tribal belt, the neglect was sharper, allowing the
Maoists to return to their hunting grounds. Can the Left Front now
find a way out of this cycle of violence and abject neglect that it
has perpetuated for three decades?
By Smita Gupta in Delhi and Dola Mitra in Lalgarh
bademiyansubhanallah
KOLKATA, September 26, 2009
Ready to face any offensive: Maoist leader
Raktima Bose
“The Centre and the West Bengal government willing, our movement in
Lalgarh on people’s behalf will continue for another three years or
maybe even 30 years. The onus is on the government to choose what it
wants,” said the top Maoist leader Koteswar Molajella Rao, alias
Kishanji.
He was responding to the State government’s decision to seek
additional Central forces to flush out Maoists from the Lalgarh
region.
Speaking to The Hindu over telephone from an undisclosed spot in the
Lalgarh area on Friday, Kishanji, who is a member of the Polit Bureau
of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), said: “Let the State
government send as many contingents of Central forces as they want to
to Lalgarh, I can assure them that none in the force will go back
home.”
On the Centre’s decision to escalate its war against the Maoists, he
said: “The decision was made public immediately after Union Home
Minister P. Chidambaram’s return from his recent U.S.A visit.
“It indicates that the Pentagon has dictated the decision and we have
evidence to support that… I want to tell the Centre that we are
prepared to face any offensive at any moment.”
Refutes reports
Refuting reports that the Maoists suffered a major setback following
the death of several cadres in the recent Operation Greenhunt in
Chhattisgarh’s South Bastar district, Kishanji claimed, “only three
Maoists were killed as opposed to the 30 declared [dead] by the
police.”
“The police is running a misinformation campaign. Out of the seven
bodies recovered, three belonged to our comrades while the remaining
four were innocent villagers killed purposely by the forces. If the
police is claiming to have killed 30 of us, where are the rest of the
bodies?”
‘Arrest created some disturbances’
Admitting that the arrest of Kobad Gandhy, a Polit Bureau member, who
has been entrusted with spreading the revolutionary movement to urban
areas, created “some disturbance in the party’s activities,” Kishanji
said it would be “overcome” soon.
“We will need some time to overcome the blow and re-arrange the set-
up. The party general secretary will elect a member for the post
soon.”
chhotemianinshallah
CM wants Central teeth against Naxals
Sandeep Mishra, TNN 25 September 2009, 07:32am IST
BHUBANESWAR: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday requested Union
home minister P Chidambaram to immediately deploy additional central
forces
in Orissa "so that simultaneous operations could be carried out in all
the affected states".
During his meeting with Chidambaram at New Delhi, Naveen, discussed
issues pertaining to internal security in the state and pointed out
that during the last chief ministers' conference on August 17 it had
been decided to send extra central forces to Orissa for carrying out
sustained operations along with the neighbouring states. Orissa
however is yet to receive any force so far, according to an official
release.
Naveen also reiterated the state's demand for deployment of a
dedicated helicopter from the Union government for anti-naxalite
operations. The Centre had earlier sanctioned a sum for deployment of
a helicopter in the ongoing fiscal, but the CM told the Home minister
that the money was "not adequate for the purpose". He further pressed
for the demand for enhancement in funding under the security related
expenditure (SRE) scheme for 2009-10 from Rs 24 to Rs 64 crore to the
state.
Naveen also repeated his demand for training slots for about 1500
personnel recruited recently for the fourth and fifth India Reserve
Battalions at training institutions of the central para military
forces. "The Union home minister assured to look into the matter and
offered to extend full cooperation of the Union government for the
initiatives taken by the Orissa government for dealing with left wing
extremism," said the official release.
Meanwhile, Naveen also met Union minister for tribal affairs Kanti Lal
Bhuria and urged him to ensure early release of central assistance for
undertaking various tribal welfare activities in the state. The state
government had earlier submitted a proposal seeking a grant of Rs
64.26 crore for the purpose. Lal, according to a release issued by the
CM's office here, acceded to the request. The CM further stressed upon
the need for inclusion of more eligible communities from Orissa in the
SC, ST list so that deserving people could benefit from government
programmes and informed that 167 such proposals from the state are
pending before the Centre. He also sought establishment of a tribal
university in Kandhmal district and release of Rs 140 crore during the
current fiscal for construction of 400 new 100 bedded ST girls'
hostels in Orissa.
The CM, the release informed, also expressed the need for hike in
amount of post-matric scholarships for SC, ST students. He also asked
requested for a grant of Rs five crore for modernization of the
existing tribal museum at Bhubaneswar and separate funds for opening
of tribal museums in all the 17 micro project areas (covering
primitive tribal groups) in the state. He further asked for sanction
of four more Ekalabya model residential schools in the four uncovered
KBK districts, namely, Nuapada, Malkangiri, Sonepur and Bolangir, in
the current academic session. Naveen also requested Lal for
augmentation of the DFID assistance to $40 million for the Orissa
Tribal Empowerment and Livelihoods Project.
chhotemianinshallah
Violence is a zero-sum game
Pratik Kanjilal, Hindustan Times
September 25, 2009
First Published: 23:33 IST(25/9/2009)
Last Updated: 23:36 IST(25/9/2009)
Could the government please stop congratulating itself for collaring
soft targets, superannuated Maoist thinkers like Kobad Ghandy and Gour
Chakraborty, and neutralise the underground fighters who have wrested
away its territory? The State has lost ground like an absentee
landlord who materialises only to display his majestic wrath and
collect tribute. The Naxal belt needs more government presence in the
form of welfare, justice and professional policing. The Home Ministry
has proposed police reform — which has languished in the proposal
stage for decades — but nothing more. As usual, it believes that
sending in the paramilitaries will solve everything. Even though they
failed in West Bengal, where the Maoists are back with a loud bang
after Operation Lalgarh.
And the Home Ministry has launched an expensive and useless
advertising campaign against Maoism during an austerity drive. It may
have worked four decades ago, when the Naxalite movement enjoyed an
intellectual leadership recruited from the urban newspaper-reading
classes. Now, it draws its strength from the rural poor. How many
Chhattisgarh villagers were affected by the ads which appeared this
week? Did they see them at all? Ironically, their real target audience
is the ageing Naxals whom the State has jailed, and the poets and
troubadours who defend the movement on TV. Excellent creative people,
but they aren’t the people who mine police convoys, are they?
When will we citizens take a mature stand on Maoism? I am depressed by
the childish, churlish opinions being bandied about. Naxals, I hear,
are no better than terrorists, and it’s apparently a scandal that
Ghandy had the gall to raise slogans invoking the great freedom
fighter Bhagat Singh. Excuse me, but Bhagat Singh was reviled as a
terrorist by the Raj, which represented the State at the time. And he
considered himself a revolutionary, just as Ghandy does. Whom you
consider a terrorist depends on who you are.
Meanwhile, far Left ideologues and public figures are refusing to
accept that Maoists support murder. Let’s set aside the gory pictures
of corpses in the Home Ministry’s ridiculous ad. A victim of Maoist
violence is indistinguishable from a victim of the Salwa Judum. Even
so, there is overwhelming evidence that the Maoists have behaved like
an army of occupation. They claim to eliminate State terror but they
often supplant it with their own version. On the other hand, the
belief that they want to eliminate the State is a generalisation. Many
Naxalites actually support the democratic process.
Confusing, isn’t it, so shall we cut the crap? What we’re seeing is a
contest between State violence and extremist violence. At some point
in our lives, I’m sure every one of us has seen the ugly, feral aspect
of the State. A few of us have been assaulted by it. Some of us have
been moved to action. Very, very few of us have the moral resolve of
Irom Sharmila, or of the Manipuri women who shamed the Army instead of
fighting it. Taking up the gun is madness, but one understands why
people do it.
There are no easy answers here, but ambivalence isn’t necessarily a
weakness. The ability to acknowledge conflicting truths is actually a
sign of humanity. And without a little humanity, the Maoist problem
will remain a zero-sum game.
Pratik Kanjilal is publisher of The Little Magazine
bademiyansubhanallah
bademiyansubhanallah
Naxals shoot Chhattisgarh MP’s son to death
Ejaz Kaiser, Hindustan Times
Raipur, September 26, 2009
First Published: 15:17 IST(26/9/2009)
Last Updated: 15:23 IST(26/9/2009)
A day after union home minister P Chidambaram’s visit to Chhattisgarh,
the suspected naxalites shot dead son of Bastar’s Lok Sabha member
Baliram Kashyap near Bhairaguda temple at Jagdalpur in Bastar around
300 km south of Raipur on Saturday. In the daring attack another son
of the MP was seriously injured.
Tansen Kashyap (33) who was president of Bastar Janpad Panchayat, went
to the temple to perform puja along with his two brothers Dinesh and
Kedar when the rebels fired from very close range. The incident
happened after Kedar, who is a cabinet minister in Raman Singh
government, left with his security guards after the religious ceremony
was over. Both Tansen and Dinesh were rushed to Maharani Hospital in
Jagdalpur in critical conditions.
According to the doctors, Tansen succumbed to the bullet injuries
however the condition of Dinesh who was immediately operated upon
remained stable. Dinesh, the eldest among the three brothers, is a
president of Jagdalpur central cooperative bank and a former MLA.
It was the religious ritual on the Maha-asthami puja celebration that
the Kashyap family annually performs at Bhairaguda temple, which is
barely two km from their ancestor home.
According to the eye witnesses, some unidentified persons fired on
Tansen and Dinesh barely couple of minutes after the state minister
left. “After the firing commotion resulted and the four persons who
fired managed to flee on cycles”, said Sudhir Kashyap, the eye
witness.
Reacting to the incident, the state home minister Nankiram Kanwar
reiterated his appeal to all elected representatives to remain
vigilant. “I had already asked the leaders to remain alert during
their visit to naxal-infested regions”, said Kanwar.
The Bastar Inspector General of Police TJ Longkumer told Hindustan
Times that the police had ensured tight security arrangement during
the programme however once Kedar left the place with his security
forces, the remaining two brothers were without any security cover.
“Apparently, there was no threat to Dinesh and Tansen so no police
protection were provided to them”, said the IGP and further added that
the police have launched search operation to track down the
assailants.
The sate police spokesperson RK Vij maintained there were security
arrangement and the incident occurred after the puja was over. “Only
after the investigation it would be known if any security lapses had
taken place”, said Vij.
Sid Harth
Varavara Rao expresses regrets
Staff Reporter
Vows to carry on united struggle against `State violence'
LAL SALAAM: Maoist ideologues -- Varavara Rao, Gadar and G. Kalyana
Rao - at a press conference in Hyderabad on Wednesday. Photo: K.
Ramesh Babu
HYDERABAD: The three former CPI (Maoist) emissaries on Wednesday
admitted that there were differences of opinion among them but
asserted that they would put up a united front to resist "State
violence."
Mr. Varavara Rao, who was at the centre of a storm over the letter he
shot off to the Maoist leadership levelling allegations of corruption
against another emissary, G. Kalyan Rao, expressed regrets for his
action. "I should have verified the facts from Mr. Kalyan Rao and
Gadar before writing the letter," he said. He also regretted the
remarks made by him against a leading cardiologist, a dentist and two
journalists.
Addressing a joint press conference here, the trio released a prepared
text in which they admitted to differences of opinion in their
functioning and certain other issues. "The differences will remain.
However, the goal of carrying forward revolutionary, literary and
cultural movement is primary to us," said Mr. Varavara Rao.
Charges denied
Mr. Kalyan Rao said that he had no financial dealings with any
official or person as mentioned in the letter. The State was mistaken
if it thought it could suppress their voice by highlighting the
contents of the letter. "They were mere allegations."
He had a clean record ever since joining the United Communist movement
at the age of 14. He never used the party for selfish ends nor used
his own popularity with the party to bestow favours on his son, Gopi,
a film personality.
Mr. Kalyan Rao said Gopi could have produced a couple of films,
including `Guerrilla', had he used his name. `Guerrilla' was abandoned
halfway due to funds crunch. Gopi had not applied for a Rs. 40-lakh
loan to complete the film as alleged.
Mr. Varavara Rao demanded that persons who released a forged letter in
the name of CPI (Maoist) State secretary, Ramakrishna, be punished.
Similar letters were released in name of another Maoist leader,
Balaram.
Gadar said the Government conspired to carry out character
assassination against Maoist leaders through these letters.
He admitted that he had not taken his colleagues into confidence when
he met the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, and suggested
resumption of dialogue with Naxal leaders.
Sid Harth
Varavara RaoJournalist and Author
Varavara Rao (born November 3, 1940) is a communist, activist,
naxalite sympathizer,renowned poet, journalist, literary critic, and
public speaker from Andhra Pradesh, India. During the last 40 years he
has been widely read and heard by millions of readers and audience. He
has been writing poetry for the last four decades. He is considered as
one of the best Marxist critics in Telugu literature and taught Telugu
literature to graduate and undergraduate students for about 40 years.
He is known as an orator and had addressed hundreds of public
gatherings. He founded Srjana (creation), a forum for modern
literature in Telugu, in 1966 as quarterly and later turned it into a
monthly and successfully brought it out till 1992. He was associated
with many a progressive and revolutionary journal in Telugu.
Description from Wikipedia
Gaddar
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gaddar (born as and also known as Gummadi Vittal Rao) (born 1949) is a
pseudonym of a revolutionary Telugu balladeer and vocal Naxalite
activist from the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. The name Gaddar was
adopted as a tribute to the pre-independence Gadar party which opposed
British colonial rule in Punjab during 1910s.
Gaddar in a meeting in Nizam College Grounds- 2005
Early years
He was born in 1949 in Toopran village of Medak district. He comes
from a poor dalit family and his parents Seshaiah and Lachumamma
worked as labourers to earn a living. After completing PUC (then
equivalent of 12th class) from a government junior college in
Hyderabad he joined the Osmania University Engineering College to
pursue a Bachelors degree in engineering but dropped out after the
first year to earn a living.
Gaddar married Vimala. He has two sons, called Sureedu and Chandrudu
(died of illness in 2003) and a daughter Vennela.
Gaddar protests against arrest of Varavara Rao- 2005[edit] Separate
Telangana Movement
In 1969, Vittal Rao (Gaddar) joined the struggle for separate
Telangana state. He formed a burrakatha (a kind of folk art in Andhra
Pradesh, India) troupe named after Mahatma Gandhi to spread awareness
about Telangana issue. He was soon disillusioned. For a while, he gave
performances on family planning and other social themes for the Indian
government's information and broadcasting ministry.
Gaddar once again for separate State of Telanagana
With the resurgence of Telangana movement, Gadar once again started to
express his support for the cause of Telangana and expressed his
strong vocal support for all those fighting for a separate Telangana
state. Despite being a hardcore communist, he doesn't share the ideas
of some communist parties of India that oppose separate Telangana
state. In recent interviews on TV9, NTV, ETV he came out clearly that
he is strongly with those who are for telangana. Even he expressed his
solidarity with Devendar Gouds NNTP in spite of being shot at by the
police during Goud's term as AP Home Minister.Quoting in his own words
from various interviews on News channels "Even though telangana can be
achieved only by political process through a bill at the center, it
lies not only with the leaders of telangana parties but all those who
have their lives at stake to bring about a people's movement. For a
beginning let us take a big march. I Would lead the march and would be
the first to take any bullets if fired at" [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
[8]
Art Lovers Association
B.Narsing Rao, film director and founder of a forum called 'Art Lovers
Association' noticed Vittal Rao and was impressed by his performance.
He invited him to perform at a program on Bhagat Singh's anniversary.
After this program, Vittal Rao began attending the weekly meetings of
Art Lovers Forum on Sundays. B. Narsing Rao also asked him to write
and bring something along. At the next Sunday meet, Vittal brought his
first song — Apuro Rickshaw (stop rickshaw). Narsing Rao suggested
changes to link the song to their lives and their labour. With that,
got produced the famous song:
Stop Rickshaw-walla; I am coming; You work from morning to night, but
your stomach cannot be filled; So much blood and sweat, yet you earn
hardly anything…
This song, written in about 1971, became a massive hit, specifically
amongst rickshaw drivers.
Then Vittal came regularly to the Sunday meets. Numerous songs were
written, mostly by Vittal. They printed their first songbook. It was
entitled "GADDAR"; after the famous Gadar Party of Punjab. Soon,
whenever they went to perform on streets, the people began to say that
the "Gaddar people have come". The name stuck, and from then on
Vittalrao is known as Gaddar. Meanwhile Gaddar came to know that B
Narsing Rao was linked to the Communist Party of India (Marxist-
Leninist). Slowly Gaddar also came close to the Party.
Jana Natya Mandali
The Art Lovers Association was renamed the Jana Natya Mandali in 1972.
Even while he was singing of revolution in the villages, Gaddar took a
banking recruitment exam and got the post of a clerk at Canara Bank in
1975. He quit his bank job in 1984 and concentrated on Jana Natya
Mandali. After he voiced his protest against the killing of several
Dalits by upper caste landlords in Karamchedu village in Prakasam
district in July 1985, the police raided Gaddar's house. He went
underground.
Underground
In exile, Gaddar roamed through the forests of Andhra Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Orissa, spreading the revolutionary
ideology through folk arts. Gaddar and his troupe adapted folk forms
such as Oggu Katha, Veedhi Bhagotham (vernacular ballets using a
combination of song, dialogue and dance) and Yellamma Katha (the story
of the local deity) to revolutionary themes depicting the travails of
peasants, labourers and other weaker sections. Jana Natya Mandali was
soon regarded as the cultural wing of the Communist Party of India
(Marxist-Leninist) People's War, a Maoist party active in Andhra
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar and Orissa.
With his revolutionary songs catching the imagination of the masses,
Gaddar became a legend. Hundreds of thousands of printed copies and
thousands of cassettes of his songs have been distributed and sold
over the last two decades.
Gaddar's attire is as well known as his songs. In his own words, 'in
the beginning, we used to perform wearing lungis. But then, since
women too formed a part of the audience, we thought that costume was
not appropriate. Therefore, we preferred gochis (dhotis). In the same
way, gongali (a thick blanket made of rough wool) worn across the
chest had its own advantages. It is in the jungles that we first took
to wearing anklets and a loaded rifle on the right shoulder. On the
left one, we had a dolu (drum).' He sticks to the same gochi and
gongali, anklets and dolu. The loaded rifle has given way to a lathi
in the right hand.
After four-and-a-half years of exile, Gaddar emerged from hiding when
the then Congress government led by Dr Marri Chenna Reddy adopted a
'liberal attitude' towards the Naxalites. On February 18, 1990, Gaddar
met the media. Two days later, Jana Natya Mandali celebrated its 19th
anniversary at Nizam College Grounds in Hyderabad. A staggering
200,000 people came to watch Gaddar.
In the last 15 years since he surfaced from self-imposed exile, Gaddar
has seen six chief ministers blow hot and cold on the Naxalite
movement. During this period, he has launched campaigns to protest
against State repression in the countryside and killings of scores of
Naxalites by the police in what he calls 'fake encounters.'
Gaddar believes those wielding political and administrative power
will, one day, realise that the Naxalite issue can be tackled only by
addressing the socio-economic issues in the countryside, and not
through 'State terror.'
Assassination attempt
On April 6, 1997 there was an assassination bid on Gaddar. While two
of the three bullets the assailants fired into him were removed, one
was left untouched because of medical complications. The near-fatal
attack, which the balladeer believes was engineered by the police, did
not deter Gaddar from being a champion of the downtrodden.
Peace Emissary
In 2001, the Telugu Desam government accepted a proposal to have peace
negotiations with Naxalites and the then Communist Party of India
(Marxist-Leninist) People's War announced the names of Varavara Rao
and Gaddar as its emissaries to work out modalities for the proposed
talks. The Naxalite party was under ban at that time and these two
writers were chosen as emissaries, keeping in view their yeomen
services in people's causes for over three decades then. The
government had also named two ministers as its representatives and
after three sittings held at a time of unabated encounter killings,
Varavara Rao and Gaddar pulled out of the talks’ process, that went on
between May and July 2002.
The then opposition Indian National Congress criticized the stand of
the Telugu Desam Party with regard to the talks and made a categorical
promise in its Election Manifesto 2004 to hold talks to arrive at a
meaningful peace. The Congress came to power in May 2004 and initiated
the talks’ process in June. This time around the then Communist Party
of India (Marxist-Leninist) People's War named Varavara Rao, Gaddar
and novelist Kalyana Rao as its emissaries. The emissaries assumed
their position on 13 July 2004 and had involved themselves in several
rounds of discussions on modalities with the government including the
Home Minister and the government representatives. Finally, leaders of
two Naxalite parties (by then Communist Party of India (Marxist-
Leninist) Janashakti also joined the talks process and the Communist
Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Peoples War became Communist Party
of India (Maoist)) came for the talks held between 15 October and 18
October 2004. After this first round of talks, the negotiating parties
had to meet for subsequent rounds but after the encounter killings of
some naxalites in January 2005, the Naxalite parties withdrew from the
process on 16 January. After some failed attempts to revive the
process, Varavara Rao and other emissaries withdrew from their
positions on 4 April 2005. The peace process ended with the imposition
of ban on CPI (Maoist), Revolutionary Writer’s Association (Virasam)
and some other people’s organizations on 18 August 2005.
Within 24 hours of imposition of ban on Virasam, Varavara Rao and
Kalyana Rao, were arrested on 19 August 2005 under AP Public Security
Act. The police did not arrest Gaddar though they say they have
evidence against him. The police accuse Gaddar of inciting violence
and propagating the Naxalite ideology of 'power through the barrel of
the gun.'
Unlike other left-wing revolutionary writers and poets, Gaddar is
equally well known in rural and urban Andhra Pradesh. He is a familiar
face on television screens, participating in protest programmes or
spirited debates. His songs cut across the barriers of region,
religion, dialect, caste and social status.
In the words of prominent academic Dr. Kancha Ilaiah, 'Gaddar was the
first Telangana intellectual who established a link between the
productive masses and the literary text and, of course, that text
established a link between the masses and educational institutions.'
References
1.^ http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/01/18/stories/2008011851710300.htm
2.^ http://www.hindu.com/2008/01/20/stories/2008012058190600.htm
3.^ http://www.thehindu.com/2008/02/05/stories/2008020558860400.htm
4.^ http://www.hinduonnet.com/2008/01/09/stories/2008010955840300.htm
5.^ http://in.youtube.com/watch?v=ULv0MBRedk4&feature=related
6.^ http://www.andhrajyothy.com/mainshow.asp?qry=/2008/dist/jan/23mdk4
7.^ http://www.andhrajyothy.com/mainshow.asp?qry=/2008/jan/17main40
8.^ http://www.andhrajyothy.com/mainshow.asp?qry=/2008/jan/22main31
External links
Gaddar songs in allindiasite.com
Gaddar songs in movie Rangulakala
Gaddar songs in movie maa bhoomi
Gaddar songs in www.TeluguFolkSongs.com
Sid Harth
Rights group claim Maoist leaders killed in 'fake' gun battle
Hyderabad, May 24: Human rights groups and Maoist sympathisers Sunday
said that police had killed two most wanted rebel leaders in a fake
and stage managed gun battle.
The police Sunday said Patel Sudhakar Reddy, central committee and
central military commission member and allegedly involved in an
assassination attempt on then chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in
2003, and K. Venkataiah, state committee member of the Communist Party
of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) were killed in a gun battle with the
police in Tadvai forests in Warangal district,
Alleging that the Maoist leaders were killed in cold blood, they
demanded that the names of the policemen involved in the gun battle be
made public and they be booked for murder.
Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee (APCLC), Human Rights Forum
(HRF) and Revolutionary Writers' Association condemned the killing of
Sudhakar Reddy and Venkataiah by the police.
The groups refuted the police claim that the Maoist leaders were
killed in a gun fight and suspect that the police arrested them four
days ago in neighbouring Maharashtra, brought them to Warangal
district and killed them in a "stage managed" gun battle.
APCLC general secretary Seshaiah said his group would be approaching
the Andhra Pradesh High Court to demand arrest of the policemen
involved and a case of murder against them as the court had recently
gave clear directions in this regard.
HRF leader K. Balagopal said the police claims raise serious doubts.
He was not ready to believe that a top leader like Sudhakar Reddy was
found in the forests of Warangal district.
Sudhakar Reddy's brother Prabhakar Reddy suspects that the Maoist
leaders were arrested in Nashik four days ago. He said had it been a
real gun battle, police would have also faced three armed Maoists who
always accompany Sudhakar Reddy for his security.
Revolutionary balladeer Gaddar said killing top leaders was the policy
of Congress government in the state.
"During Chandrababu Naidu's rule, police used to kill each and every
cadre but ever since Rajasekhara Reddy took over he is selectively
targeting Maoist leaders," said Gaddar, who had participated in the
first ever peace talks between the extremists and Maoists in 2004.
Another Maoist sympathiser Varavara Rao said there was no doubt that
it was a "fake" gun battle. He also demanded that the policemen
involved in the encounter be booked for murder.
--IANS
Sid Harth
bademiyansubhanallah
Police stunt nets Mahato
- Cops in media garb draw criticism
OUR CORRESPONDENT
Midnapore, Sept. 26: Interview over, the “reporter” pulled out a
revolver and pointed it at Lalgarh tribal leader Chhatradhar Mahato.
Two police officers disguised as journalists “from Singapore” today
arrested the spearhead of the Lalgarh agitation at last, one holding
him at gunpoint while the other grabbed him from behind.
The head of the Maoist-backed People’s Committee Against Police
Atrocities had “eluded” the cops for nearly three months while moving
freely around Lalgarh, giving sundry media interviews and even
appearing on TV.
It was apparently one interview too many he gave at his hideout near
his home village of Amlia in Lalgarh today. Maoist guerrilla chief
Kishanji told The Telegraph the police had tried to trap him the same
way but he had rejected their request for an interview and thus had
had a “narrow escape”.
The Maoists have called a 24-hour countrywide bandh on October 3 to
protest the arrest, according to PTI.
Mahato’s arrest apparently came under ally pressure, with Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee facing tough questions from RSP minister Kshiti Goswami
at the last cabinet meeting.
The move also appeared to be in line with the Centre’s apparent
strategy of picking up Maoist leaders in the run-up to a planned
countrywide offensive this winter, although Mahato isn’t a Maoist
himself.
However, the tactic of posing as journalists, though perhaps not
illegal, may be ethically questionable. At least one media association
has condemned the tactic.
The media in the US and Canada, where police do dress up as reporters
to arrest strike leaders or keep a tab on white supremacists, say the
practice threatens the safety of real journalists.
West Midnapore police chief Manoj Verma said Mahato faced “at least 15
cases, including murder, sedition and abduction”, all relating to the
Lalgarh agitation. It will be decided later whether to book him under
the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
Sources said the trap had been laid with care. Six officers, drawn
from the CID and district police, had been camping in Jhargram since
Tuesday. “They collected the names of reporters who were in regular
touch with Mahato and Kishanji,” an officer said.
“They convinced two of these reporters that they were journalists from
a TV channel in Singapore. One officer identified himself as Anirban
Roy and contacted Mahato with the help of these two Jhargram-based
reporters.”
Two officers, posing as reporter and cameraman, travelled to Lalgarh
from Jhargram on two motorcycles along with the two journalists.
Within five minutes of the arrest, a police team stationed nearby
arrived at the spot, and Mahato was taken to Midnapore town for
interrogation.
As the news of Mahato’s arrest spread, the Maoists exploded a landmine
at Dalilpur. No one was injured.
bademiyansubhanallah
Exploited tribals being forced into revolt
Ashish Tripathi, TNN 27 September 2009, 04:41am IST
LUCKNOW: Even as naxal leader Kobad Ghandy's arrest has kick-started a
debate in the country on "justification of violence to oppose an
oppressive
state", tribals in the naxal-infested Kaimoor range of UP have
launched an aggressive but peaceful struggle against both the
"oppressive state" and the "exploiting Ultras".
After holding a series of protests in their area, under the banner of
Kaimoor Kshetra Mahila Mazdoor Kisan Sangharsh Samiti (KKMMKSS) and
National Forum for Forest People and Forest Workers (NFFPFW), these
tribals have now decided to write to the chief minister Mayawati about
their plight. For long, tribals here have been exploited both by the
Left Ultras and the local police in the region.
While naxals and Maoists operating in the area force tribals to give
them shelter and food, local police allegedly supports local mafia,
landlords and companies which are exploiting natural resources spread
over Robertsganj, Mirzapur, Sonebhadra, Chandauli and other forests in
UP bordering Bihar. A new dimension has been added in this oppression
by criminal gangs who operate in the garb of naxals. These gangs
mostly comprise those who have fallen out of Ultra groups and are now
running their own extortion racket and working for mafia.
The latest incident which sparked the protest was the arrest of two
innocent tribal men from Brahmori village under Kon police station in
Sonebhadra. The village is in a dense forest bordering Bihar. The
pradhan is from Thakur caste and controls the public distribution shop
(PDS). Tribals complaint that they don't get foodgrains from the PDS.
Laksham and Ram Lakhan from Brahmori came to the city on August 3 to
buy ration. They also lodged a complaint with the district
administration about "unavailability of food". On August 4, when the
two were returning home, their ration was snatched by a group claiming
to be Maoists. On August 11, the two youth were called again by the
same group to supply food. On August 12, police arrested the two
tribal men on charges of helping naxals triggering protests in the
area by tribals. A joint KKMMKSS and NFFPFW delegation also met senior
district officers to inform them about reality.
Significantly, on August 11, Roma, a NFFPFW steering committee member,
got a threatening call "for misguiding tribals''. The call came from
the same number from which the two tribals were called by the group on
the same day to supply food. Roma reported the matter to district
magistrate and the district police chief but no action has been taken
so far. But tribals claim that the group claiming to be naxal is
actually a criminal gang which thrived on extortion and works for
local mafia and land owners. The members of the gang are former naxals
but had no commitment to any ideology. Some of them are also said to
be working as an informer for the police. "We suspect that the gang,
which works for landlords, informed police to teach the two tribals a
lesson and threatened me for lodging complaint against village
pradhan," Roma told TOI. This, she said, also points towards a nexus
of local police, landlords and criminals.
While district magistrate Sonebhadra, Pandhari Yadav, when contacted,
said that administration is taking steps to help tribals, the latter
say that arrest of the two youth is not the first case of tribals
being victimised by naxals as well as police. They have decided to
narrate everything in a memorandum to the chief minister. Their main
grievance is that local landlords, mafia and mining companies are
conspiring with government/forest officers to take over forest land.
Activists warn that any attempt to dislodge tribals, who so far have
adopted peaceful measures to protest, may lead to violence
strengthening Ultras operating in naxal-infested districts. The
tribals want implementation of the Forest Act, 2006, which gives the
community rights to tribals over forest land for livelihood. The said
right was enjoyed by tribals since ages but was taken away by the
British rulers.
bademiyansubhanallah
Lalgarh tribal leader held, Maoists rage
TNN 27 September 2009, 02:56am IST
LALGARH/KOLKATA: Policemen posing as reporters for a foreign news
channel managed to enter the Kantapahari (West Midnapore) hideout of
tribal leader
Chhatradhar Mahato on Saturday and arrest him.
Mahto, the face of tribal protest has Maoist backing.
He launched the tribal movement against alleged police excesses in
November. His arrest is a major breakthrough but could ratchet up
tensions. The Maoists have called a 24-hour all-India bandh for
October 3.
More than 60 people have been killed in the area since Mahato’s
People’s Committee against Police Atrocities began to protest.
With Naxal leader Chhatradhar Mahato’s arrest, Jangalmahal is likely
to see a major bloodbath, sources said. Shortly after the arrest,
Maoists and PCPA members exploded a bomb at Dalilpur near Kantapahari
when security personnel were on patrol. While Maoists claimed five
policemen were killed, West Midnapore SP Manoj Verma said there was no
casualty. Villagers, however, said they saw policemen carrying away
injured colleagues.
IG (western range) Kuldeep Singh said permission has been sought from
the West Bengal home secretary to charge Mahato under Unlawful
Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). ‘‘There are a number of cases under
IPC against Mahato and he will be charged accordingly. We are prepared
to handle any trouble that erupts after his arrest,’’ said chief
secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti.
Mahato had managed to slip past security agencies consistently in the
last three months. It was his habit of keeping in touch with the media
and briefing them about the goings-on in Lalgarh that finally turned
out to be his undoing. Police and CID officers posed as journalists
from a Singapore-based TV channel and lured him out of hiding.
chhotemianinshallah
MP Police detains seven suspected Naxals in Shahdol
STAFF WRITER 21:26 HRS IST
Shahdol, Sep 27 (PTI) Seven suspected Naxals posing as labourers have
been detained by Madhya Pradesh police in Shahdol district, about 450
kms from here, officials said today.
"We picked up seven persons after they alighted from a train following
a tip off from our counterparts in Chhattisgarh," Shahdol
Superintendent of Police (SP) Lakhanlal Ahirwar said.
Four of them have admitted that they are Naxals, and their three
associates too have been found to be involved in Naxal activities, he
said.
Ahirwar said that all seven accused came in a group and were picked up
from the station after they alighted from Durg-Gorakhpur Express even
though they were in the guise of labourers.
He said they were going to hand over seven of them to a team of
Chhattisgarh police, which is on its way to Shahdol.
chhotemianinshallah
Maoist killing of MP's son has Chhattisgarh leaders worried
Indo-Asian News Service
Raipur, September 27, 2009
First Published: 16:37 IST(27/9/2009)
Last Updated: 16:43 IST(27/9/2009)
A day after Maoists carried out a deadly assault on Lok Sabha MP
Baliram Kashyap's family, Chhattisgarh politicians, especially
legislators from the rebel-affected Bastar region, have sought
enhanced security cover from the police.
Sources say a majority of MLAs of the restive Bastar region, that has
12 assembly seats of which 11 belong to the ruling Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP), have cancelled their public engagements for the next few
days. They have appealed to the district police authorities for their
security cover to be increased.
On Saturday, Maoists stunned the political fraternity in the mineral-
rich state when four cycle-borne cadres, described by a few eye-
witnesses as minors, opened fire on Baliram Kashyap's two sons -
Dinesh and Tansen - in full public view. Kashyap is the Bastar Lok
Sabha MP and BJP tribal leader.
The 33-year-old Tansen succumbed to injuries in the attack which took
place at a temple, 300 km from here, in Bastar district. The Maoists
struck after another brother, Kedar Kashyap, a state cabinet minister,
left the temple with his security guards.
"The attack on the Bastar MP's family has created a scare. I have
spoken to senior police officers to strengthen my security because I
am bound to attend several public functions everyday. As an MLA of the
Maoist-hit region I always run a high security risk," a BJP MLA of
Bastar region told IANS, requesting his name be withheld.
Bastar region is spread out over 40,000 sq km area and is considered
the rebels bastion since the late 1980s.
Another BJP MLA of Bastar commented: "Soon after the report of the
killing was flashed, I spoke to the police department. They advised me
to be cautious while picking up locations and programmes to visit and
avoid revealing the schedule to the local media."
In capital Raipur, police Sunday reviewed the security arrangements of
VIPs and at important locations such as the MLA rest house, ministers'
bungalows and key government buildings.
Meanwhile, police said they had "sealed off" Bastar district and
launched a massive search to apprehend the attackers of the MP's
family. However, they are yet to make any breakthrough.
chhotemianinshallah
Make special efforts to guard borders with C'garh: DGP
STAFF WRITER 19:22 HRS IST
Medininagar (Jharkhand), Sep 27 (PTI) Two days after the Centre
described Jharkhand along with Chhattisgarh as the epicentre of
Naxalism, the state police chief today gave instructions to conduct
long range patrolling (LRP) against the left-wing Maoists.
"I told the SPs of Palamau, Latehar and Garhwa districts to restart
LRP, make special efforts in monitoring state's borders with
Chhattisgarh and strengthen intelligence network to stem Naxal
movement," DGP V D Ram told reporters.
He also asked the police officers to be alert during the ongoing
Dussehra festivities in order to foil any Naxal violence.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram had on Friday said in Ranchi that
Jharkhand along with Chhattisgarh was the epicentre of the left-wing
Maoists and that the state would continue to fight the menace.
chhotemianinshallah
The onward march of Naxal juggernaut
Starting from 2005 till date, there have been 7404 Naxal terror
attacks in various parts of the country. 1007 police personnel's and
2250 Indian citizens have died in these attacks. This year alone, the
Naxals have killed 269 police people.
CJ: Brigadier Arun.. Sun, Sep 27, 2009 15:31:35 IST
Can development be compatible with Naxalism? AFTER HOME Minister of
India, P Chidambaram candidly conceded in the Delhi Conference of
Internal Security held on August 17, 2009, that the Naxal threat to
the security and integrity of the country has been underestimated in
last so many years, one cannot be faulted if one assumed that now at
last, the Indian political masters are really serious in curbing this
menace once for all. Specially so, when all the seven chief ministers
of the Naxal affected states of India, attending the said conference
promised him full cooperation in his drive against the Naxal terror in
the country. However, the unchecked chaos that followed in the two
days bandh called by these Naxals in the five most Naxal affected
states on August 24 and 25, 2009, have once again put a question mark
on the capability of Indian state to firmly deal with this terror
movement.
During this two days bandh period, large numbers of these Naxal cadres
moved up and down these affected states unchecked and unstopped. They
burnt the railway stations of Roxy and Bhalulata in Jharkhand and
Ismailpur in Bihar. They torched large number of trucks on national
highway 215 in Jharkhand and near Ranchi in Bihar. Numbers of signal
towers were destroyed and the community hall of Irky town ship of
Aurangabad district was blown up. In the small town of Bindu located
35 kms from Ranchi, a young woman and three students were murdered by
these Naxals under the suspicion that they were police informers. In
other words, the law and order had totally broken down and the police
was infective. The mayhem was complete and wide spread.
In the year 2004, The Peoples War Group (PWG) and Maoist Communist
Centre (MCC) merged to form Communist Party of India (Maoist) which
now controls the entire Naxal movement in the country. Unlike the
earlier Naxal movement of seventies, these gentlemen are highly
organised. Their leaders are young. They have 22000 well armed cadres
spread over seven states (West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra, Orissa,
Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh) of India. They control 180 out 630
districts and 40 thousand sq kilometers of land mass of India. They
are currently running 100 training camps for their cadres. Their
declared aim is not to usurp power at the Centre by dint of arms
albeit they intend to break India in 30 small independent countries.
Starting from 2005 till date, there have been 7404 Naxal terror
attacks in various parts of the country. 1007 police personnel’s and
2250 Indian citizens have died in these attacks. This year alone in
last seven months the Naxals have killed 269 police people. In Naxal
affected districts the police lock themselves up in their respective
thanas come night fall and the Naxal cadres rule the roost. Every
contractor big or small has to pay a price for all construction works
that he does to the Naxals at the scale of 10 per cent for pukka
roads, seven per cent for village roads and five per cent for bridges
and culverts. Rs 15000 and Rs 25000 per year respectively has to be
paid by the owners for running of brick kilns and petrol pumps. The
list goes on and on. Whether it is a big company or small, levies have
also been fixed by these naxals for mining iron ore, coal, gold and
diamond, stones and sand. In contraband cultivation of opium also
Naxals dip their hands deep. All these activities fetches them a
yearly sum of 151000 million rupees which they use for running their
organisation and purchase of latest weapons.
To facilitate the smooth transport of weapons from one state to
another, starting from the port city of Vishakhapatnam in Andhra
Pradesh, through the thick forests of Koraput and Malkangiri of Orissa
and ending in the Dante Wada district of Chhattisgarh, the naxals have
created a safe red corridor. Nobody dares disobey the dictates of the
Naxal cadres. The punishment is immediate and is awarded in kangaroo
courts. It ranges from lashings to monitory fines to even death
sentences. The offender is charged with a proper charge sheet carrying
a file number. Location and meeting times of these Kangaroo courts are
always known to Aam Admi but it is a strange coincidence that local
police and the administration never get a clue. Same is the case with
weapon hiding places of these Naxal cadres. On which trees they are
hidden are known to local people but again not to the police.
When Chidambaram said that the Naxal threat has been underestimated,
this itself is an understatement. The truth of the matter is that in
the Naxal affected districts of India, the Naxals are running a
parallel government right under the nose of the respective state
governments. The situation is serious and warrants immediate counter
measures before it is too late lest we get involved in a full blown
insurgency. To start with, the Centre must pressurise these Naxal
affected states to immediately implement the police reforms as
directed by the Supreme Court in the year 2006. The large sale
deficiency existing in the ranks of state police and para military
forces must be made up. All these severely affected districts must be
identified and should be declared disturbed. It is not possible for
the security forces to deal with these Naxals who are actually waging
a war against the nation with the existing normal civil laws. The
'Armed Forces special Powers Act 1958' must be enacted in these
disturbed areas.
As seven states are seriously involved, the senior elected
representatives from these states must be selected to form an ‘action
council’ on the lines of North East Council. This council comprising
of elected representatives from each affected state should be the
supreme decision making body in the anti-Naxal operations. All the
special police forces of the respective states involved and the
central paramilitary forces must be pooled in to form a joint command
to operate in these Naxal affect areas. These police and paramilitary
forces must be trained in elite army training institutions in the art
of guerrilla and terror warfare. Senoir army officers must be deputed
as advisors to respective state governments involved and to this joint
command.
The development work especially of the infrastructure in these Naxal
affected areas must go on along side the police operations. This
developmental works must get full security protection so that no money
gets siphoned off to Naxals. Local people must get involved in this
infrastructure development work. Government officials with high
honesty quotient should only be posted in these Naxal affected areas.
The corrupt must be dealt with in a heavy hand. The Naxal cadres who
want to shun violence and join main stream must be encouraged. They
should be offered lucrative packages. It must be realised that anti-
Naxal operation will be long haul. The need of the hour is to resolute
political leadership, strong police action and a responsive
administration. If even now we do not wake up then very soon we will
have in India the same situation which Pakistan is facing with Taliban
in their FATA area.
Sid Harth
Centre ignoring naxal problems: BJP
Posted On Sunday, September 27, 2009
By Our Staff Reporter
Bhopal, Sept 27:
BJP State General Secretary Bhupendra Singh has expressed sorrow over
the untimely death of Tansen, BJP senior leader and MP Baliram Kashyap
in naxal attack.
He said that the Central Government was not serious about the unwanted
and dangerous spreading of naxal problems since the beginning. Due to
this terrorism and naxalism spread roots in the country. Former home
minister of UPA Government Shivraj Singh had termed terrorists and
naxalites as the misguided sons of the country and had advised the
security forces about zero tolerance about human rights. Due to this
the security forces became disheartened and at the same time anti-
national elements became more courageous. This helped spreading of
'red corridor' in the country, he said.
Bhupendra Singh policies of foreign minister SM Krishna is
questionable. Krishna suggests dialogue with the Taliban for peace in
Afghanistan. He said that Krishna forgot that when Indian Airlines
plain with 150 passengers was hijacked and took them to Kandhar,
Taliban was ruling Afghanistam.
He said that the Central Government has failed in giving protection to
naxal-affected states. Withdrawing of security forces from the naxal
affected areas is an example of this, he said
Sid Harth
No hard disk in Kobad's laptop, probe hits a wall
Rahul Tripathi27 September 2009, 10:57pm IST
NEW DELHI: The laptop seized from CPI (Maoist) politburo member Kobad
Ghandy (58) does not contain a hard disk. The Delhi Police special
cell and
Andhra Police, who hoped to learn more about attacks being planned by
the naxals following Ghandy's arrest on September 22, have now hit a
wall.
The laptop was sent for forensic tests which revealed that the device
did not contain a hard disk and therefore, no information could be
obtained from it. "It is possible that the hard disk of the laptop was
taken away by Ghandy's accomplice who was staying with him in the
Badarpur area," an official said. The Delhi Police plans to seek his
remand on Wednesday for further questioning. Cops claimed that Ghandy
was in Delhi for treatment of prostrate cancer.
Police alleged that Ghandy is part of the conspiracy of major naxal
strikes in India. "He is one of the top members of CPI (Maoist) and
his arrest will affect naxal operations in north India. We have learnt
about his involvement in the Nayagarh naxal attack in February 2008 in
which 14 policemen were killed. They took away arms and ammunition
worth several crores of rupees from the police stations and police
training college," said a senior Andhra Pradesh police official.
Sources also claimed that Ghandy had been liaising with revolutionary
parties in various countries and authored a document titled Post
Election Situation - Our Tasks seized by security agencies from a
laptop. "Ghandy is also believed to have ordered the attack on
policemen in Rajnandgaon in Chhatisgarh in July this year. In this
attack 30 policemen including a superintendent of police were killed,"
said an official.
"His role in major naxals attack can be gauged from the fact that he
is part of the politburo which has only nine members. These members
are tasked to plan such large operations without any direct
involvement. In their language it is referred to as tactical counter
offensive campaign (TCOC) which is aimed at gaining stronghold in
areas where they strike," explained a senior official from Andhra
Pradesh's intelligence wing.
The police also added that to prove that Ghandy conspired in these
attacks will be a herculean task as there is no direct involvement of
Ghandy in these cases. "He was the member of central committee of CPI
(Maoist) which mainly looked into planning and execution and were
never involved in direct action," said a AP cop.
The police also said Ghandy had been diagnosed with prostrate cancer a
year ago around the same time his wife Anuradha was suffering from
malaria. The couple had been underground since the 1980s. Anuradha
later died due to cerebral malaria.
Sid Harth
.A counterview: War on naxalism
by lostpatrol, September 27, 2009 20:42
.The most popular splash for more than a day had a title "poverty
feeds naxal cadres and to some extent jihadi cadres in India". Our
most prolific cplasher concluded that poverty can be ended if the
government eliminates corruption by sending corrupt and tax evaders to
the gallows. There is no denying that naxalism appeals to the poor,
who have a sense of deprivation and being wronged by the society at
large. From such resentment, the radical goal of 'shock and awe' it
and dismantle its existing administrative structures is annunciated.
India is neither the first nor the only nation state that faces(d) the
peril of ultra-leftist extremism. Nations in Latin America have long
struggled with its 'curse'. Even several priests of the Catholic
church- the predominant faith there- belong to the cadre and advocate
'activist faith' painting Jesus as the foremost rebel in one breath,
but renouncing His aborrance of violent means by the other breath.
Bolshevic revolution of 1917 against the feudal kulaks of Tzarist
Russia sprung from the passionate belly of the sense of deprivation
and alienation. Did it solve the problems it set out to resolve? That
another model- Karl Marx as its Guru- leninism succeeded it, only to
be suplanted one after another by troskyism, stalinism, and breznovism
(if there is such a term) and its avatars until Gorby said 'enough is
enough'. The poor Russians in 1989 were worse off than their ancestors
were in 1919.
Another model of 'dismantling the evil feudal structures' took over
the largest nation state on this planet and baptized as 'maoism', it
killed several million citizens in the great march. Did it alleviate
poverty, the raison de etre for launching a revolution? Until, the
leading dissident within the model-who survived to learn the right
lessons-took charge and reinstated the 'evil structures' under the
maoist-communist registry of baptism. This so called 'liberalization'
on similar lines as Gorby's 'glasnost' has worked in China, and is
threatening to 'change the world economic order'.
The elite intellectuals of spearheading the marxist-leninist and
maoist visions of revolutionary social structures in India (and to
some extent Nepal) are clinging to their oldest faith, in my view,
largely because they are successful in cultivating and sustain their
constituency. What charecterizes their constituency?
The counterview that I project through this post goes beyond the
poverty angle. Poverty in itself does not alianate people. It is an
urban interpretation that the poor resent the rich. The landlords,
merchants, judges, lawyers, priests, doctors and politicans are
revered in most villages. They are routinely feated, invited to be
chief guests at social events and religious festivals, fairs, and
melas. They patronize charities; are founders of orphanages and old
age homes. They bring educational and cultural institutions to the
villages and help transform the landscape and alleviate poverty.
Even with rising income levels and improving standards of living,
naxalism appeals. It appeals because the transformation of civil
socity is only materialistic. It is not spiritual; its is not super-
conscious; it is not conscious; it is not intellectual; it is not
emotional. Where Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism
have genuinely achieved five level transformation of their own
following, the naxals have not made any in roads. Where these faiths
have failed- and despite belonging to the faiths- they continue to be
social outcasts, dalits, tribals, adivasis, scavengers, wanderers, and
belonging to what ever 'neechch' segregationist regsiter in the eyes
of the ruling social strata, the naxalism appeals. In the Hindu
society, to which 80% of our national populace belong, such a
transformation efforts-attempted several times by several saints and
philosophers-have fossilized and not borne the fruit with the required
pace.
The proponents of Hindutva, from which our main national opposition
draws its nourishment, have to introspect if the psuedo-secularism of
its chief rival, the Indian National Congress, is greater threat or
its on revisionist agenda. While successive INC governments have
failed to bring about the transformation- because it sees the remedy
in materialistic terms and not the holistic terms expounded above- and
will continue to fail because it now sees it as a law and order
problem. Can government alons succeed in dealing with the 'menace'?
Is this a menace? Depending on where one stands, it is a cry, a
viloent one at that, for reaching out. Is anyone reaching out? Do we
know how to reach out? And if we should reach out?
Sid Harth
No halo around this Ghandy’s head
Kobad Ghandy… less of a Buddha, more of a Bin Laden.
The evil that is in the world almost always comes of ignorance and
good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence if they come from
lack of understanding. ~Albert Camus
Kobad Ghandy’s is a story tailor-made for today’s mainstream media and
the Indian media has gleefully obliged. Reams of articles — from old
interviews and shallow psychoanalyses to political judgements — have
been written and spoken about the Naxal ideologue. As the modern media
barons never fail to remind us, this is a “human interest” story which
justifies the extensive coverage; as if all the other stories are
broadcast or printed to interest the Martians.
Why this pique against the “human interest” stories? The stories that
take a clear political position on Kobad Ghandy are fine — as in a
Tehelka or a Pioneer piece — but these humanistic portraits are
insidious — usually inadvertently — in their messaging. This Sunday
Express piece containing portrayal of regular guys-turned-Naxal
ideologues makes for a perfect example. This politically indifferent
portrayal — with huge dollops of romanticism — makes Ghandy out to be
a kind of an ascetic, a spiritual person devoted to his cause, a
dedicated soul who sacrificed all good things of life to pursue his
chosen path. More dangerously, moral high ground has been yielded to
him by not only humanising him, but rather bringing him out as someone
way above other mere mortals, someone who could make those difficult
choices that others cannot. In fact devoid of the political context,
Kobad Ghandy comes out as some kind of a modern day Gautam Buddha, who
willingly kicked away all materialistic pursuits and a family legacy
to choose a life of constant deprivation and impoverishments for his
cause.
But it is this cause which makes Ghandy what he is — evil and
pernicious in his influence and actions. Ghandy and other Regular
Rebels — to borrow the Express terminology — have provided ideological
and intellectual nourishment to the violence perpetuated by the Naxals
(or Maoists or Left Wing Extremists, whatever you wish to call them).
It is these english speaking, regular middle class people who have
provided a respectability to mass murderers and terrorist violence in
the name of an outdated ideology. No one denies that there is poverty,
under-development and inequality in certain parts of India but that is
no justification for organised violence attempting to overthrow the
state. It will offend many bleeding liberal hearts but once you put
Ghandy’s life in this context, he resembles Osama Bin Laden in most
respects, far more than he can ever resemble a Buddha.
Bin Laden, who also belonged to a wealthy business family with close
ties to the Saudi Royal family, left a life of comfort to join the
Mujahideens and further became the chief ideologue and world-wide
symbol of al Qaeda. His followers, and supporters — and he has many,
far more than Kobad Ghandy has — often invoke Osama’s courage in
making the tough choice of leaving a life of comfort to pursue his
cause in the rugged mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Replace the
Salafist-Qutubism ideology of Bin Laden with the Maoist ideology and
the green colour of jehad with the red of the Left, and there is
little difference left between Ghandy and Bin Laden.
Human interest or no human interest, the media cannot tell the tale of
a Naxal ideologue in soft focus by covering only his personal life
story. There is a social and political context to his actions which
determine the legal and moral tenability of his positions. Rather than
the halo being inadvertently placed around his head by the media, it
is the halter which would perhaps fit this Ghandy better.
bademiyansubhanallah
Police target Naxal support base
Thu, Sep 24 05:57 AM
Stepping up the anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh, police have
begun targeting supporters of the rebels to strike at the root of the
popular support they enjoy in their strongholds. The police have
started a crackdown on 'sangam' members — village-level supporters of
Maoists, Jan militia (platoons of armed village sympathisers) members
and local leaders of its frontal organisations even as paramilitary
forces continue intensive patrolling for "area domination and surgical
strikes" to target the rebels within and outside the tribal Bastar
region in the state.
Security forces in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Maharashtra
and Madhya Pradesh bordering the Bastar region and in areas of
Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district are on high alert. The police have
gone as far as to ask boat owners to stop plying their boats in the
Sabri and Indravati rivers to prevent the Maoist cadres from entering
the state through the river routes.
Union Home Minister P Chidambaram is likely to visit the state capital
on Thursday to review the ongoing joint operations against the Naxals
at a high-level meeting to be attended by the state's senior civil and
police officers and top officers of the paramilitary forces engaged in
the operations, official sources said. "We cannot disclose the
operational details. I can only say that the morale of forces is high
and lots of things are happening," Director General of Police
Vishwaranjan told The Indian Express. However, he confirmed that the
police had begun detaining active members of 'sangam', Jan militia and
its local leaders who extend support to the rebels besides
intensifying efforts to locate and strike Naxal hideouts.
"The Peoples' Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the military wing of
the Maoists, has clearly defined the role of everyone supporting them.
Even its "Bal Sangam" members (group of children) are found to be
acting as couriers to carry ammunition and weapons. They also cook
food for them. Similarly, sangam members and other Maoist sympathisers
perform other task assigned to them," says Inspector General of police
(Bastar range) T J Longkumer.
Meanwhile, the police have got information that Naxalites have set up
few factories for manufacture of muzzle loading guns, country-made
pistols and explosive devises in the isolated and dense Abujmarh
mountain ranges spread over an area of more than 1,500 square miles.
The Maoists have a strong presence in the area and have been running
training camps here for many years.
Express News Service
bademiyansubhanallah
Home Minister rules out army for Jharkhand naxalite problem
NAXAL THREAT ON RISE
Tapan Chakravorti / Kolkata/ Ranchi September 28, 2009, 0:43 IST
The Union home minister P Chindambarm feels Jharkhand has turned into
a Naxal epicenter like Chattisgarh and in order to tackle the violent
acts of the banned Maoist outfit, the Union government’s has enough
strength to fight back. He ruled out the chances of roping in the Army
for the purpose.
The home minister held a press conference in the state capital Ranchi
on Friday where he said that the Centre was worried about the threat
posed by the Naxals to the internal security of the country. The
Centre was ready to provide paramilitary force to tackle the situation
to all the state governments who were fighting against the Maoists
menace.
The Union home minister called a high-level meeting at Raj Bhavan to
take stock of the security scenario and steps taken by the state
administration to combat the violent activities of the Maoists.
Chiambaram said Centre has been closely monitoring the violent
activities of the Maoists in Jharkhand and is ready to extend all
possible assistance to wipe out any kind of armed rising in the name
of liberation.
The home minister said, “We oppose and reject so called armed struggle
for liberation in a democratic republic society. Violence has no place
in a democracy. Any outfit, which indulges in violent acts would be
dealt with firmly. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) is a banned
organization and the government has enough strength to fight back.”
It may be mentioned that till August, 2009, Jharkhand witnessed as
many as 250 Naxal incidents in which 130 persons, including 60
security personnel were killed.
After lapse of several years since the constitution of Jharkhand as a
separate state bifurcating Bihar in November, 2000, the state
government could frame a surrender policy for Naxalites in February,
2009 to bring the surrendered ultras into the mainstream.
But not a single extremists responded to it and surrendered, save and
except the periods of former chief ministers, Babulal Marandi and
Arjun Munda when altogether 38 Naxalite rebels had surrendered.
chhotemianinshallah
India is Red blind
By focussing entirely on the misdeeds of its incorrigible neighbours,
the Indian nation seems to be in grave danger of overlooking a home-
grown fungus, naxalism.
Two biggest and very recent examples of the Indian nation’s nonchalant
approach to the issue have been the arrest of a lady naxalite from, of
all places in India, Karnal (Haryana) and this week’s throwing out of
CPM workers and torching of their offices by naxalites in Lalgarh,
West Bengal.
In a status paper submitted in Parliament in 2006 by the then Union
Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, it was noted that in 2005, naxal
violence was been reported from 509 police stations in 11 states,
which works out to 5.8% of the total number of police station in these
states. Further, reports suggest that CPI (Maoists) have been trying
to increase their influence and act in parts of Kamataka, Kerala,
Tamil Nadu and Uttranchal and also in new areas in some of the already
affected states.
As per the status paper, the latest tactics adopted by the naxal
outfits are to engage in simultaneous multiple attacks in large
numbers particularly against police forces and police establishments.
This has led to increased casualties of police personnel in 2005
mainly due to IED/landmine blasts by the naxalites. A total of 153
police personnel have laid down their lives in 2005 in 194 attacks by
naxalites on the police as against 100 in 232 such attacks in 2004.
Clearly, the might, the ambition and the operations of the scourge is
increasing by the day.
Irrespective of whether the problem is largely socio-political or not,
the first real step can only be reining the rogue elements through
effective policing. Recent events in Nepal, where the Maoists are
threatening to return to taking up arms, have proved it again that
those who have tasted the potion of gun, find it difficult to adjust
to the patience of a pen.
It is already a bit too late in the day, but just as the West Bengal
is sending more troops Lalgarh, India should give a more urgent
thought to the issue of taking the battle to the naxalites’ homes. The
idea should not be to kill naxals. The idea should be to keep arms
from reaching them. While doing good for a larger cause, sometimes
mishaps happen; as it does in life of each one of us. Do we stop
living for the fear or hurt of the same?
Sid Harth
'Police probing whether Dalit outfit has terror links'
STAFF WRITER 16:57 HRS IST
Kochi, Sept 28 (PTI) A Dalit outfit, which was under scanner in
connection with a murder near Thiruvananthapuram last week, is being
investigated to ascertain whether it has any terror links, a top
police official said today.
"We are aware of the organisation. But we are probing whether the
outfit has any terror links," Director General of Police Jacob
Punnoose told reporters here.
The DGP said he was not aware of any report from Central Intelligence
agencies that Kerala was facing threats from terrorists.
Yesterday, two suspected activists of the outfit, Dalit Human Rights
Movement, were taken into custody in connection with the murder of the
60-year-old man at Varkala town on Wednesday last.
There had been tension between Dalits and a particular backward
community in Varkala area over desecration of a statue of a saint
reformer, revered by the latter.
bademiyansubhanallah
The Times of India Indiatimes Web (by Google) Video Photos Advanced
Search
Maoist nabbed in Malkangiri
TNN 27 September 2009, 10:22pm IST
KORAPUT: A hardcore Maoist was arrested during an anti-Naxalite
operation in Malkangiri district on Saturday evening. The arrested
Maoist has been identified as Katam Jaga.
"We were tipped off regarding Jaga's movement and he was arrested near
Sudhakonda forests. We recovered a grenade from his possession," said
superintendent of police, Malkangiri, Satyabrata Bhoi.
According to Bhoi, the 28-year-old Jaga was on the police wanted list
since long for his involvement in a series of Maoist-related acts of
violence, including the murder of Somnath Madkami, across Malkangiri
over the last few months.
Madkami, who was the Samdrudha Odisha candidate from Malkangiri
Assembly seat, was gunned down by Maoists a few days before the April
elections.
"During interrogation, Jaga admitted to his involvement in the killing
of Madkami. He has also confessed to the killing of a civilian on the
suspicion of police informer at MV 79 in June. This apart, he was
involved in several Naxal-related incidents in the district," the SP
said.
Police said Jaga belongs to the armed squad of Motu Dalam of CPI
(Maoist). He had joined the Naxalite movement about seven years
back.
chhotemianinshallah
Maoist Rebellion: Why Is India Helpless?
By Swaraaj Chauhan • Sep 29th, 2009
Prof. John K. Galbraith, a former US ambassador, once described India
as a “functioning anarchy”. Galbraith’s famous quote comes to mind on
hearing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s recent helpless cry that the
country’s fight against Maoists/Naxalites is failing.
Such public display of vulnerability appears pathetic, although it is
a fact that governing a large democratic and diverse country like
India is a big challenge. This strange admission came when the Prime
Minister was speaking to the heads of police forces from different
States and Union Territories in India.
Agreed that the challenges are mighty (what with 20 out of 28 States
under the shadow of Maoist/Naxalite movement), but one is tempted to
ask why this concern and alarm now. Four decades ago, the Maoist
rebellion began in Naxalbari in the east. It has now spread as a major
rebellion that champions the cause of extremely poor peasants in
several States.
Is this alarm because of the Western nations’ pressure that the
foreign investments would be hurt in this uncertain environment? Has
this rebellion virtually put a “vast swathe of the countryside rich in
minerals out of official control, hurting potential business worth
billions of dollars?”
To quote the Prime Minister again: “Despite its sanguinary nature, the
movement manages to retain the support of a section of the tribal
communities and the poorest of the poor in many affected areas. It has
influence among certain sections of the civil society, the
intelligentsia … all this adds to the complexity of the problem.” (See
here…)
If the Maoist/Naxalite movement enjoys the support of the poorest of
the poor, as well as the intelligentsia, as Mr. Manmohan Singh admits,
then the question arises what were the Federal and the State
governments doing to address issues of public concern, and to
alleviate the poverty and suffering of the people in the past 40
years.
By this inference, the rebel movement has become the voice of the
suffering people. The respective governments, by abdicating their
responsibilities, have themselves contributed to the strengthening of
the mass rebellion. Over the years, the legitimate public protests
were generally ignored (as it is New Delhi seems so far away, and
caught up in its own machinations/corruption).
Unfortunately, the political leadership generally wakes up when the
situation appears to be spiraling out of control. Then the typical
response is to use the “danda” (or the stick) in a liberal fashion in
the hope that the rebellion would fizzle out by the use of sheer
force.
Obviously, this has not happened this time. To quote the Prime
Minister again: “I would like to state frankly that we have not
achieved as much success as we would have liked in containing this
menace. It is a matter of concern that despite our efforts the level
of violence in the affected states continues to rise.”
This movement has become the “biggest home-grown threat to India’s
internal security” and, in the words of India’s Home Minister
Palaniappan Chidambaram, the rebels have “increased attacks on
railways, power and telecommunication networks to halt economic
development.”
Earlier Chidambaram had said that last year alone there were 1,591
incidents of Maoist violence resulting in 721 killings; this year
until August there had been 1,405 incidents, resulting in 580 deaths
spread over 11 states.
What Mr. Manmohan Singh and Mr. P. Chidambaram seem to be implying is
the State force/tyranny is now no match to Rebels force/tyranny.
Another spell of The Emergency in the offing (just a wicked thought)?
The leadership has opted for a Western model of armed solution to a
highly complex problem/challenge. They have not learnt the lesson
despite the West’s mindless intervention in Afghanistan/Pakistan (not
to forget Iraq).
What causes great worry is that the top leadership is prone to rushing
to Washington to sort out any (including the country’s) problems.
However, Maoists/Naxalites are no militants/terrorists from
Afghanistan/Pakistan. They are home-grown manifestations of the deep
grievances of a large section of the Indian population.
Poverty and hunger are big issues and no cosmetic relief measures,
announced periodically with great fanfare, are going to help. In an
interview with The Times of London, the director of the British-based
Institute of Development Studies (IDS) said: “It’s the contrast
between India’s fantastic economic growth and its persistent
malnutrition which is so shocking. An average of 6,000 children died
every day in India; 2,000-3,000 of them from malnutrition.”
India’s economic boom has “enriched a consumer class of about 50
million people, but an estimated 880 million still live on less than
$2 (Rs 100) a day, many of them in conditions worse than those found
in sub-Saharan Africa.”
The Times reports: “Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister, described
malnutrition as ‘a curse that we must remove’ in an Independence Day
speech last year. Since then his Government has quadrupled funding to
tackle the problem — but the IDS report said that the money would be
wasted unless steps were taken to improve governance at every level.”
The IDS report can be read at this website…
However, the point is that India has survived (and progressed) despite
mind-blowing challenges. The country has gone through traumas such as
the Partition, the Emergency, and the Babri Masjid demolition (and in
recent times the Mumbai terror attacks), and still retained its unity.
The challenges will always remain in this highly complex and diverse
country. Yet, the nation expects the political leadership to build
public morale and exhort people and public servants to meet those
challenges, and not cry out publicly and express helplessness.
Well, if a leader appears so helpless, then perhaps it is time for him/
her to pack up the bags and let someone else pick up the baton. Who
will it be?
Meanwhile as long as India is a functioning democracy/anarchy (as
aptly described by Prof Galbraith), so be it.
Here is BBC article on “India’s unlikely Maoist revolutionary”…Please
click here to read…
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6837585.ece?&EMC-Bltn=GEQ9FB
From The Times September 17, 2009
India's damned generation: young go hungry despite economic boom
(Ruth Fremson/New York Times/Redux/eyevine)
As many as 3,000 children die every day in India as a result of
malnutrition
Jeremy Page in Delhi
India is condemning another generation to brain damage, poor education
and early death by failing to meet its targets for tackling the
malnutrition that affects almost half of its children, a study backed
by the British Government concluded yesterday.
The country is an “economic powerhouse but a nutritional weakling”,
said the report by the British-based Institute of Development Studies
(IDS), which incorporated papers by more than 20 India analysts. It
said that despite India’s recent economic boom, at least 46 per cent
of children up to the age of 3 still suffer from malnutrition, making
the country home to a third of the world’s malnourished children. The
UN defines malnutrition as a state in which an individual can no
longer maintain natural bodily capacities such as growth, pregnancy,
lactation, learning abilities, physical work and resisting and
recovering from disease.
In 2001, India committed to the UN Millennium Development Goal of
halving its number of hungry by 2015. China has already met its
target. India, though, will not meet its goal until 2043, based on its
current rate of progress, the IDS report concluded.
“It’s the contrast between India’s fantastic economic growth and its
persistent malnutrition which is so shocking,” Lawrence Haddad,
director of the IDS, told The Times. He said that an average of 6,000
children died every day in India; 2,000-3,000 of them from
malnutrition.
There was no immediate response from the Indian Government. The report
highlights its failure to improve basic living standards for most
Indians despite presiding over an unprecedented period of economic
growth since coming to power in 2004.
The boom has enriched a consumer class of about 50 million people, but
an estimated 880 million still live on less than $2 a day, many of
them in conditions worse than those found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister, described malnutrition as “a curse
that we must remove” in an Independence Day speech last year. Since
then his Government has quadrupled funding to tackle the problem — but
the IDS report said that the money would be wasted unless steps were
taken to improve governance at every level.
In most developing countries, malnutrition drops as GDP rises, because
parents earn more money with which to buy more and better food for
their children, according to the report. India’s real GDP per capita
grew by 3.95 per cent a year from 1980-2005, it said — yet the
percentage of underweight children under 3 in India dropped only from
52 to 46 per cent between 1992 and 2006.
The report said one of the main problems was that millions of Indians
were unable to hold government officials to account for delivering
government feeding programmes, with bureaucrats frequently excluding
large groups of individuals — including lower castes and women — from
government initiatives.
Another problem not mentioned in the report is that India opposes the
import of high-energy food supplements.
The report was part-funded by Britain’s Department for International
Development (DfID), which will spend £500 million on health and
nutrition in India between 2008 and 2012.
“There is no shortage of ideas about what to do to tackle
malnutrition,” said Michael Anderson, the head of DfID in India. “But
leadership from the top and joint action across government are needed
to turn these ideas into practical solutions. The challenge is urgent:
the lives of millions of children depend on it.”
Varsha Mehta wrote:
I have gone through every single comment here...as an Indian, I am
saddened by both the information in the article as well as some of the
comments from fellow Indians/ people of Indian origin.
When are we (the large majority) going to stop playing this blame
game, I wonder? Putting the politics of development aid aside, I would
like to share here with readers my thoughts about ailing India.
IDS has highlighted but one of the many issues and challenges facing
the country today. And they have (very correctly in my opinion)
identified (poor) governance as an issue requiring improvement for
development funding to be effective. My experience working with
development projects and programmes in India suggests that improving
governance is not a simple matter of education, awareness and
decentralisation of power. The problems are rooted deeper - in the
deeply and hierarchically divided society, a legacy that cannot
unfortunately be blamed on the "West". For all the 'development' that
India is witnessing, there is another deeply distressing social
backwardness that one sees everywhere, particularly in rural areas of
the country.
Specific comments for dilli6: I am sorry that you are able to rattle
off statistics like you do, and yet unable to see the complete
picture, my friend! I'll suggest you to visit Haryana to find out how
the educated "upper castes" are sticking to your 2-child policy! And
why do you not reveal your true identity, I wonder??
And let me add here that being in a spot "better than China" is no
place to be proud of! Being better than the neighbour will not make
the problems disappear!
September 22, 2009 3:44 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (2)
Varsha Mehta wrote:
I have gone through every single comment here...as an Indian, I am
saddened by both the information in the article as well as some of the
comments from fellow Indians/ people of Indian origin.
When are we (the large majority) going to stop playing this blame
game, I wonder? Putting the politics of development aid aside, I would
like to share here with readers my thoughts about ailing India.
IDS has highlighted but one of the many issues and challenges facing
the country today. And they have (very correctly in my opinion)
identified (poor) governance as an issue requiring improvement for
development funding to be effective. My experience working with
development projects and programmes in India suggests that improving
governance is not a simple matter of education, awareness and
decentralisation of power. The problems are rooted deeper - in the
deeply and hierarchically divided society, a legacy that cannot
unfortunately be blamed on the "West". For all the 'development' that
India is witnessing, there is another deeply distressing social
backwardness that one sees everywhere, particularly in rural areas of
the country.
Specific comments for dilli6: I am sorry that you are able to rattle
off statistics like you do, and yet unable to see the complete
picture, my friend! I'll suggest you to visit Haryana to find out how
the educated "upper castes" are sticking to your 2-child policy! And
why do you not reveal your true identity, I wonder??
And let me add here that being in a spot "better than China" is no
place to be proud of! Being better than the neighbour will not make
the problems disappear!
September 22, 2009 3:36 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (1)
David Glen wrote:
dilli6 kumar: You tell them kiddo. As child survival rates improve
then population growth must be restrained so sensible Family Planning
is required. This means (among other things)a vast increase in
Educational spending.
B Phillips: Some contribution. Try making a point.
September 20, 2009 5:12 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend?
David Glen wrote:
The Indian government admits to 12,000 girl babies murdered by parents
in 207.
How many are never found out!
We in the West are often accused of racism by people who have the
caste system in their own country. Now we see half the children are
suffering malnutrition. The benefits for poor families are denied or
re-directed by corrupt officials. I know the cause! It's our fault.
Yes! Us in the West!
Well, that's that sorted then. Trying changing your culture. Do they
still step over the bodies in the street in early morning Calcutta?
September 20, 2009 4:34 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (1)
GD Shah wrote:
This is addressed to those in the west who complain about India
spending money on Space projects, a super wealthy elite etc.
Let me tell you as a British Indian as to how I see the above:
Capitalism takes time to work. First the Indians will take your jobs.
They're smarter and they work harder. After that they'll take over
your companies. Wealth flows from top to bottom.
India will never be rich while those in the west continue to
discriminate against ethnic minorities in senior positions.
India must encourage its rich to get richer, its companies to get
larger. Move the senior jobs back to India.
Wealth will flow from top to bottom and we can then solve the poverty
problem.
If we solve the poverty problem first, India will always be a slave to
the west.
We will do it the way the British know best. Steal your wealth from
right under your own eyes.
September 17, 2009 1:25 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (6)
Danny Teale wrote:
James Smith
Well said...we in the west always argue the case for democracy...each
contry has its own identity and culture...this is a typical example
where democracy is not working..
September 17, 2009 12:08 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (6)
Hari Krishnan wrote:
Thanks to Timeonline for this good story.We are spending too much on
Cricket,Space explorations etc.Its the respondibilty of the Govt and
Corporates to act jointly and to see that our fellowbeing too have
proper nourishments.
Its sad and I feel shame on us.One or two or Hundreds or Lakhs may not
be able to anything.Its us to take initative and move forward.
May good and peace happen to all.
Hari.
September 17, 2009 11:56 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (5)
Universal Citizen wrote:
As an Indian, I am ashamed of both the reality of malnutrition in
India - which this article reflects - and people like dilli6 kumar
with their insensitive, ignorant, and caste-ist views. His views are
representative of no one but himself.
In recent years, there's been a worrisome hubris building up in India,
a "we're a superpower in waiting" mentality and an unwillingness to
reflect on the country's many failings. Barring notable exceptions,
the media in India, which should be playing a bigger role in inducing
introspection and holding leaders accountable for colossal ineptitude,
is happy to feed readers and viewes feel-good stories about the
growing number of millionaires (which too is a reality, but which
means not a jot to 99% of the population) and wilfully ignoring
serious social issues such as this.
Bharathiar, a revolutionary poet from a southern Indian state, once
said: "If even one man goes hungry, it's reason enough to destroy this
world." (Sure, there's a bit of hyperbole there, but you know what he
meant...) If that same sense of compassion and empathy doesn't pass on
to India's leaders and ordinary folks alike, the "world's largest
democracy" is at risk of becoming the "world's largest basket case".
September 17, 2009 11:38 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (10)
dilli6 kumar wrote:
And my tone was harsh in first article because these data were known
by indian people 2 years ago and we have already allocated 21 billion
$ for poverty alleviation in this financial year. Your research is
pretty much copy- paste.
So need to show to british people that it is due to your aid poor in
india are surviving.You have done far more good things for india
during 1858-1947.About 12 million people died due to hunger in that
period of 1858-1947. We know how much you are interested in removing
poverty in india.You are simply bribing our corrupt govt.
September 17, 2009 10:57 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (2)
dilli6 kumar wrote:
To Melanie Hamill:
While i agree our government is corrupt WE need to have a proper
family planning. I can tell you we were a poor family 20 years ago and
my father had only 2 child and now we are not poor any more through
our education. So people need to understand that govt. can't help
beyond a certain point. wE must control our population. In last 10
years we have spent 150 billion $ for poverty removal but still it has
shown little result. We can only reduce poverty not eliminate it. You
are lucky your population is too less . Even in china 300 million
people still live below 2 $ per day.
We simply can't sustain 16% of world population. Somebody has to give
up.
We have to make a law making 2 child policy mandatory otherwise every
poverty alleviation measure will fail.
From The Times September 17, 2009
India's damned generation: young go hungry despite economic boom
(Ruth Fremson/New York Times/Redux/eyevine)
As many as 3,000 children die every day in India as a result of
malnutrition
Jeremy Page in Delhi
34 Comments
Recommend? (27)
India is condemning another generation to brain damage, poor education
and early death by failing to meet its targets for tackling the
malnutrition that affects almost half of its children, a study backed
by the British Government concluded yesterday.
The country is an “economic powerhouse but a nutritional weakling”,
said the report by the British-based Institute of Development Studies
(IDS), which incorporated papers by more than 20 India analysts. It
said that despite India’s recent economic boom, at least 46 per cent
of children up to the age of 3 still suffer from malnutrition, making
the country home to a third of the world’s malnourished children. The
UN defines malnutrition as a state in which an individual can no
longer maintain natural bodily capacities such as growth, pregnancy,
lactation, learning abilities, physical work and resisting and
recovering from disease.
In 2001, India committed to the UN Millennium Development Goal of
halving its number of hungry by 2015. China has already met its
target. India, though, will not meet its goal until 2043, based on its
current rate of progress, the IDS report concluded.
“It’s the contrast between India’s fantastic economic growth and its
persistent malnutrition which is so shocking,” Lawrence Haddad,
director of the IDS, told The Times. He said that an average of 6,000
children died every day in India; 2,000-3,000 of them from
malnutrition.
There was no immediate response from the Indian Government. The report
highlights its failure to improve basic living standards for most
Indians despite presiding over an unprecedented period of economic
growth since coming to power in 2004.
The boom has enriched a consumer class of about 50 million people, but
an estimated 880 million still live on less than $2 a day, many of
them in conditions worse than those found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister, described malnutrition as “a curse
that we must remove” in an Independence Day speech last year. Since
then his Government has quadrupled funding to tackle the problem — but
the IDS report said that the money would be wasted unless steps were
taken to improve governance at every level.
In most developing countries, malnutrition drops as GDP rises, because
parents earn more money with which to buy more and better food for
their children, according to the report. India’s real GDP per capita
grew by 3.95 per cent a year from 1980-2005, it said — yet the
percentage of underweight children under 3 in India dropped only from
52 to 46 per cent between 1992 and 2006.
The report said one of the main problems was that millions of Indians
were unable to hold government officials to account for delivering
government feeding programmes, with bureaucrats frequently excluding
large groups of individuals — including lower castes and women — from
government initiatives.
Another problem not mentioned in the report is that India opposes the
import of high-energy food supplements.
The report was part-funded by Britain’s Department for International
Development (DfID), which will spend £500 million on health and
nutrition in India between 2008 and 2012.
“There is no shortage of ideas about what to do to tackle
malnutrition,” said Michael Anderson, the head of DfID in India. “But
leadership from the top and joint action across government are needed
to turn these ideas into practical solutions. The challenge is urgent:
the lives of millions of children depend on it.”
34 Comments
Varsha Mehta wrote:
I have gone through every single comment here...as an Indian, I am
saddened by both the information in the article as well as some of the
comments from fellow Indians/ people of Indian origin.
When are we (the large majority) going to stop playing this blame
game, I wonder? Putting the politics of development aid aside, I would
like to share here with readers my thoughts about ailing India.
IDS has highlighted but one of the many issues and challenges facing
the country today. And they have (very correctly in my opinion)
identified (poor) governance as an issue requiring improvement for
development funding to be effective. My experience working with
development projects and programmes in India suggests that improving
governance is not a simple matter of education, awareness and
decentralisation of power. The problems are rooted deeper - in the
deeply and hierarchically divided society, a legacy that cannot
unfortunately be blamed on the "West". For all the 'development' that
India is witnessing, there is another deeply distressing social
backwardness that one sees everywhere, particularly in rural areas of
the country.
Specific comments for dilli6: I am sorry that you are able to rattle
off statistics like you do, and yet unable to see the complete
picture, my friend! I'll suggest you to visit Haryana to find out how
the educated "upper castes" are sticking to your 2-child policy! And
why do you not reveal your true identity, I wonder??
And let me add here that being in a spot "better than China" is no
place to be proud of! Being better than the neighbour will not make
the problems disappear!
September 22, 2009 3:44 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (2)
Varsha Mehta wrote:
I have gone through every single comment here...as an Indian, I am
saddened by both the information in the article as well as some of the
comments from fellow Indians/ people of Indian origin.
When are we (the large majority) going to stop playing this blame
game, I wonder? Putting the politics of development aid aside, I would
like to share here with readers my thoughts about ailing India.
IDS has highlighted but one of the many issues and challenges facing
the country today. And they have (very correctly in my opinion)
identified (poor) governance as an issue requiring improvement for
development funding to be effective. My experience working with
development projects and programmes in India suggests that improving
governance is not a simple matter of education, awareness and
decentralisation of power. The problems are rooted deeper - in the
deeply and hierarchically divided society, a legacy that cannot
unfortunately be blamed on the "West". For all the 'development' that
India is witnessing, there is another deeply distressing social
backwardness that one sees everywhere, particularly in rural areas of
the country.
Specific comments for dilli6: I am sorry that you are able to rattle
off statistics like you do, and yet unable to see the complete
picture, my friend! I'll suggest you to visit Haryana to find out how
the educated "upper castes" are sticking to your 2-child policy! And
why do you not reveal your true identity, I wonder??
And let me add here that being in a spot "better than China" is no
place to be proud of! Being better than the neighbour will not make
the problems disappear!
September 22, 2009 3:36 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (1)
David Glen wrote:
dilli6 kumar: You tell them kiddo. As child survival rates improve
then population growth must be restrained so sensible Family Planning
is required. This means (among other things)a vast increase in
Educational spending.
B Phillips: Some contribution. Try making a point.
September 20, 2009 5:12 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend?
David Glen wrote:
The Indian government admits to 12,000 girl babies murdered by parents
in 207.
How many are never found out!
We in the West are often accused of racism by people who have the
caste system in their own country. Now we see half the children are
suffering malnutrition. The benefits for poor families are denied or
re-directed by corrupt officials. I know the cause! It's our fault.
Yes! Us in the West!
Well, that's that sorted then. Trying changing your culture. Do they
still step over the bodies in the street in early morning Calcutta?
September 20, 2009 4:34 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (1)
GD Shah wrote:
This is addressed to those in the west who complain about India
spending money on Space projects, a super wealthy elite etc.
Let me tell you as a British Indian as to how I see the above:
Capitalism takes time to work. First the Indians will take your jobs.
They're smarter and they work harder. After that they'll take over
your companies. Wealth flows from top to bottom.
India will never be rich while those in the west continue to
discriminate against ethnic minorities in senior positions.
India must encourage its rich to get richer, its companies to get
larger. Move the senior jobs back to India.
Wealth will flow from top to bottom and we can then solve the poverty
problem.
If we solve the poverty problem first, India will always be a slave to
the west.
We will do it the way the British know best. Steal your wealth from
right under your own eyes.
September 17, 2009 1:25 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (6)
Danny Teale wrote:
James Smith
Well said...we in the west always argue the case for democracy...each
contry has its own identity and culture...this is a typical example
where democracy is not working..
September 17, 2009 12:08 PM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (6)
Hari Krishnan wrote:
Thanks to Timeonline for this good story.We are spending too much on
Cricket,Space explorations etc.Its the respondibilty of the Govt and
Corporates to act jointly and to see that our fellowbeing too have
proper nourishments.
Its sad and I feel shame on us.One or two or Hundreds or Lakhs may not
be able to anything.Its us to take initative and move forward.
May good and peace happen to all.
Hari.
September 17, 2009 11:56 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
Recommend? (5)
Universal Citizen wrote:
As an Indian, I am ashamed of both the reality of malnutrition in
India - which this article reflects - and people like dilli6 kumar
with their insensitive, ignorant, and caste-ist views. His views are
representative of no one but himself.
In recent years, there's been a worrisome hubris building up in India,
a "we're a superpower in waiting" mentality and an unwillingness to
reflect on the country's many failings. Barring notable exceptions,
the media in India, which should be playing a bigger role in inducing
introspection and holding leaders accountable for colossal ineptitude,
is happy to feed readers and viewes feel-good stories about the
growing number of millionaires (which too is a reality, but which
means not a jot to 99% of the population) and wilfully ignoring
serious social issues such as this.
Bharathiar, a revolutionary poet from a southern Indian state, once
said: "If even one man goes hungry, it's reason enough to destroy this
world." (Sure, there's a bit of hyperbole there, but you know what he
meant...) If that same sense of compassion and empathy doesn't pass on
to India's leaders and ordinary folks alike, the "world's largest
democracy" is at risk of becoming the "world's largest basket case".
September 17, 2009 11:38 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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dilli6 kumar wrote:
And my tone was harsh in first article because these data were known
by indian people 2 years ago and we have already allocated 21 billion
$ for poverty alleviation in this financial year. Your research is
pretty much copy- paste.
So need to show to british people that it is due to your aid poor in
india are surviving.You have done far more good things for india
during 1858-1947.About 12 million people died due to hunger in that
period of 1858-1947. We know how much you are interested in removing
poverty in india.You are simply bribing our corrupt govt.
September 17, 2009 10:57 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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dilli6 kumar wrote:
To Melanie Hamill:
While i agree our government is corrupt WE need to have a proper
family planning. I can tell you we were a poor family 20 years ago and
my father had only 2 child and now we are not poor any more through
our education. So people need to understand that govt. can't help
beyond a certain point. wE must control our population. In last 10
years we have spent 150 billion $ for poverty removal but still it has
shown little result. We can only reduce poverty not eliminate it. You
are lucky your population is too less . Even in china 300 million
people still live below 2 $ per day.
We simply can't sustain 16% of world population. Somebody has to give
up.
We have to make a law making 2 child policy mandatory otherwise every
poverty alleviation measure will fail.
Ellie Ryans wrote:
The photograph by Fremson displayed up top is very disturbing and it
is a grim reality. I would like to applaud timesonline for posting it
and shedding light into the issue of Malnutrition and putting it back
into the forefront. It's often forgotten by the general population as
it is a slow death sentence that's very much overlooked.
September 17, 2009 10:31 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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B Phillips wrote:
dilli6, your comments are neither helpful, nor welcome.
September 17, 2009 10:05 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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James Smith wrote:
hmm maybe what this shows is that not every country needs democracy as
the solution. India is a young country. Have to say the Chinese
government despite their ruthlessness have been better at governance
for their people.
To reach goals in 2043 is just unacceptable.
September 17, 2009 10:04 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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Melanie Hamill wrote:
Really Dilli6? "These children NEED to die"? Shame on you.
If India had a Government that was not corrupt (or was just less so)
and enforced the payment of taxes from their own wealthy inhabitants,
there is little reason why improvements cannot be made to help sustain
a better environment for these "slumdog" people.
Basic sanitary provision, housing, proper sewage systems, clean
drinking water etc. Not much to ask, as those that have drive by in
their curtained Bentley..
Perhaps those "west friendly lower caste" have a much higher infant
mortality rate than the wealthy? Also it is well-documented that
higher education level results in a decrease in population growth.
Perhaps if provision was made for these people, their children would
not have to work, but can go to school, in future get better paid jobs
and therefore a resulting decrease in the number of children born in
future generations..
Come on Dilli6. These are your people. You help them, and the
"English" would not need to intervene.
September 17, 2009 10:02 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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dilli6 kumar wrote:
First of all i would like to congratulate British-based Institute of
Development Studies for their completely false study.
Well after all it is england. They will try their best to show that
india is far backward than it was in 1947.And it was their mistake to
leave india.
Wrong data 1:
The number of people living below 2 dollars is not 880 million. It is
610 million.I have done a project on this topic .
China have met their target through their 1 child policy. Perhaps i
need to inform the viewers that india was the second fastest growing
economy since 1982 after china.
China's population growth rate is 0.63% whereas india's is 1.58%. So
roughly for every 2 child born in china about 5 is born in india.So
one can clearly say india is overpopulated. And thus those children
need to die because you simply can't produce 4 child and feed them
all.
Also i would like to remind to english people that the so called upper
caste people have only 2 child per family and are very sincere towards
education. It is the west friendly lower caste people that produce 4
babies without caring for food and education. So please don't
blame upper caste people for everything.
In short we are overpopulated and these children need to die. No way
can a country can add 21 million child annually. That is one-third the
population of england every year.So we need to control population.
Rest will be taken care of.
And yes don't worry about the education of india. We have low literacy
rate but we still are able to win more medals at international
physics,chemistry , biology olympiad than your country.
We have nuclear programme so that you can't invade us like iraq or you
very much know the consequence.
Also england doesn't need to aid india. Please ask your company
vodafone which has annual revenue of 4.6 billion $ from india to pay
tax.It doesn't pay any tax.
From a slumdog indian.
September 17, 2009 9:18 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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Melanie Hamill wrote:
I have lived here in India for nearly 2 years.
Nathan Graf: you are aware that the story is about India, yes?
Chris Denning: you have hit the nail on the head..Government
corruption throughout the entire system, along with a mis-guided
inherent belief that karma has a major role to play in the state of
people's lives here (ie if you were a good person in your past life,
you shall reap the rewards in this..if not, reap the punishment)
results in a laissez-faire attitude, "this is just the way life is
here in India, we can't(or won't?) change it"..As many have pointed
out, India has a nuclear arsenal, as well as a Space program!! Just
incredible. The wealth of this country is immense. Dignity is needed.
Use your own resources India, and become the rich, vibrant, multi-
cultural and -lingual country that you are so capable of being, and
help these poor people of all castes rise and earn enough to provide
adequate sanitation, food, basic human rights for themselves. These
people all work, and work very hard, they just can't earn enough to
help themselves out of the shacks..Come on India. It's all in your
hands.
September 17, 2009 8:08 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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vikram reddy wrote:
thanks "times online" for letting us know the verity here in
India...people over here are often belied of the veracity and I hope
helping hands come forward..
September 17, 2009 7:38 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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t tharis wrote:
We can never call India as a united country. It s a forced union of
people from diffrent cultures and languages: there is only Pakistan to
united Indians on a same issue. Still political parties are caste
oriented , and suffering people are left alone because of thier caste
and laungages.
When one Indian student, obviously from uper caste and from North, was
attacked in Australia : it provoked a diplomatic issue between
Australia and India , but when more than 500 Indian tamil fishermen
were killed by Sri lankan army : no one seems to care about it.
India has money to do nasty cynical foreign policy and to support
genocidal regimes, like Sri lanka , and to suppress minorities , but
it has no money to feed its own people.
September 17, 2009 7:35 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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CHRIS xxxx wrote:
A country which spends millions of dollars on nuclear weapons but
cannot afford basic nutrition and amenities to its people.
And then I read how India will conquer the world along with China.
What a load of BS.
September 17, 2009 7:03 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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Depot Cat wrote:
But this is the country that has money to develop and explode a
nuclear device..Money to launch the Chandrayaan 1 spacecraft - the
country's first mission to the Moon [Aborted last month], and receives
millions in aid from the West..!! Pity the poor children of India. No
doubt it will be left to Western run charities to save them.
September 17, 2009 6:45 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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Lodger Moore wrote:
But they have a space program, something we've realised we can't
afford.
September 17, 2009 12:36 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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Keith Thomas wrote:
Such an amazing country, so beautiful yet so distressing.
September 17, 2009 12:30 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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kezzer kezzer wrote:
Never is a response from India...still shocking....people should be
fed in the 21st Century...the West have the means....and so do the
Indian Government...disgracefull...and India think they are a modern
democracy.....it stinks!!
September 17, 2009 12:20 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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Jeff Jackson wrote:
Somethings gotta give... Either India will become authortarian and
institute a one child policy, or the country will become the next
neomalthusian fetishsist epitome of "I told you so".
September 17, 2009 12:12 AM BST on community.timesonline.co.uk
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