The government says there is no 'war' against Naxals - yet it's preparing for one. However, Operation Green Hunt is a disaster in the making. Why? Because the government has so far failed to identify the root of the Naxal problem - namely itself. As with numbers - P. Chidambaram has his way with words too. "We do not wage war against our own people," said the enlightened Home Minister; this even after it became evident that the Naxals were on a warpath against the Union of India, their orgy of mass killings and beheadings continuing unabated. But away from the preying microphones, the minister wasn't exactly walking the talk; on the contrary, he was busy charting out the largest military operation against the Naxals ever undertaken by any government. True that Chidambaram's ambitious plan of a virtual blitzkrieg against the Naxals was pruned down by the CCS - but even in its abridged form, it's a mobilization of massive proportions. Sample this - New Delhi is sending 27,000 troops to the Naxal-hit areas, six (or more) Mi-17 choppers will provide air support (with special forces guards on board), a special forces school and a brigade HQ to be set up in Chhattisgarh (add to this, the local state forces and specialized anti-Naxal forces who will join in). The Home Minister might not want to admit it - but the 'war' it's denying is set to break out in November. The first theatre of action is likely to be Gadchiroli in Maharashtra and Kanker in Chhattisgarh. Forces will try to push the Maoists into 'Abuj Marh' (literally 'unknown jungle' in the local dialect) area of Chhattisgarh, an old Maoist stronghold, and it's here that Naxals are trained to this day. It's here where the decisive battle may be fought. Now all this sounds great on paper - but the only problem is that - the forces don't know who they are supposed to be fighting against. Since the distinction between a Maoist and a tribal is vague - the job of dealing with them becomes all the more challenging. So it brings us to three questions that must be answered by the government, before any more blood is spilt. Honestly the answer is a big NO. Call me a Naxal sympathizer, but like me, if you ever face the brutal wrath of the local police in heartland India - your world view will witness a paradigm shift within seconds. I was in West Bengal last July - covering the offensive launched by the state administration to counter the Naxals in Lalgarh. It was here, during one of the shoots that my cameraperson and I were chased down a road in Midnapore district by the West Bengal police and hit with sticks. Our crime??? We had dared to shoot the police breaking down doors and hauling up village youngsters for 'questioning'. (What happens in these 'questionings' I don't need to tell you) When journalists could be treated like dogs by the police - I began to grasp the plight of the local villagers who don't have a voice - or redressal system of any sort. The moral of the story is very simple - between the two evils of Naxalism and Police, the tribals choose the former. At least Naxals don't rape, maim and kill without reason. source : Ashish BenarJee - India Today Group , Blog
All Maoists/Naxals are not tribals nor are they sympathizers of the tribal. Maoists/Naxals are not for development. Under the garb of fighting exploitation of the tribal, a group of criminals have just joined hands with some disgruntled people claiming to be with leftist ideology. No socialist ideology can today be supportive of violence. Any body who does that is a criminal and he must be dealt with in accordance with law. If the Maoists/or so called Naxals are to work in the interest of tribal and underdeveloped, better let them take care of health and education of the tribal and empower them and not pose a threat to the society in which they are living. Because this weakens the very foundation of the country, it sovereignty and rule of law. Educated people voicing sympathy with criminals for their violent activity must understand their social and moral responsibility. They must understand the railway lines, bridges, roads are being built by tax payers money. They must understand that doctors and teachers are not able to perform in Naxal affected areas out of fear and the consumers of their performance are prevented from their legitimate right to education and health care. Today in the country more people are dying in Maoist menace than terrorist activities being unleashed by people from across the border. Dictionary meaning of Terrorism is any body who resorts to violence and throws a challenge to the establishment/ state administration. Whether a person is a Maoist/Naxal or common man, if he kills a person, he needs to be dealt with in accordance with law. If there is a suspicion on any body being a party to a particular crime, he has to be investigated. Public opinion cannot substitute the truth and cannot be the basis of the truth. Naxals , Naxalites , Maoist , Marxist , Red terror in India , Mao Forum ,
I am really not angry with Mahapatras and the likes, believe me.... These are babus whose horizon ends perhaps with the wealth and growth of a few. I guess they have never witnessed the daily struggles of the village Adivasis, especially in the Jungles.... I do not blame them, but pity my country and my brothers and sisters of this great land, we have many many such narrow and selfish living and even propagating their selfish mindset. I do not advocate violence at all! but tell me how do we account for this backwardness specially in the tribal and dalit areas of our country? What do you suggest to curb corruption which has become the synonym of India? Why the so called development not reached those areas from where the so called Naxals fire at corrupt force? You find for yourself and give little more time to reflect deeply and do not go by hearsay.. all the best
why do you think people get angry with naxals? This is primarily because of following reasons. a) They don't believe the constitution of India. b) They have taken up arms against the state and in extension the complete people of India. c) They don't allow any development in their dominated areas. d) Forget allowing development they harm whatever minimial infrastructure which is present in their areas. ex. roads,schools, transport services etc. e) There are enough incidents of their having exploited tribals too. One example : http://www.deccanhe rald.com/ content/52385/ we-were-sexually -exploited- comrades. html You have asked a few questions. Let us try to answer them properly beyond any rhetoric. a) You have spoken about the backwardness of dalits and tribals of this country. How does one explain the fact, that , naxal groups are not allowing infrastructure growth in their areas? The Ranchi-Vijayawada Highway is supposed to go via naxal hit regions. There are enough reports that contractors have been threatened from working in these places. What problem will naxals have in these places? b) You have spoken about corruption. It exists in every country in this planet. Everyone of us has faced corruption in one from or another. Some a lot more than the rest. An ideology which preaches violence as a resort is never a solution. Just google these few lines below. 'in the blood of the class enemy' 'Power is won from the barrel of a gun' 'the armed struggle as opposed to parliamentary democracy' You will know who has spoken them The question is that, is ideology greater than human benefit? That is the problem facing the world today. It is important to distinguish between a tribal/dalit and an armed naxal. The former wants economic improvement, The latter wants a communist state. Both can easily be mutually exclusive. Regards Umashankar Das
We are aware of the problems. It is necessary to come up with small but viable plans which can be effective. From the grass root level onwards. Academic discussion cannot bring about any fruit till proposals are made in definitive terms. The issues have to be identified. Possible solutions have to be worked out. Plans for implementing them have to be outlined.
Futile expedition In my opinion…no. operation green hunt will never succeed as long as it carried on this way. The Maoists have a stronghold in their respective location and know the terrain too well. Sending jawans completely ignorant of the terrain will only result in more landmine blasts and mass killings. When we do have the option of using the air force and the armies why not go for immediate crackdown? These are terrorists that we are handling…only the difference that they are our own people. But that’s not a ground to show mercy.
i dont think this is gonna work because naxals cannot be uprooted from the ground level in this way. the problem is with their problems. if they feel the police are being so cruel then steps should be taken to make laws stringent against policemen so that they can be prosecuted without mercy. the naxalites should be assured for reasonable wants and a truce should be made.
