Naxalism (Left Wing Extremism)

• Between 2004 to 2023 (till 15 July 23) Naxal incidents came down from 1533 to 63 and deaths from 566 to 69.

Or

• The number of Left wing extremism (LWE)-hit districts in the country covered under the special SRE funding scheme has come down to 42 in 2023 from 180 in 2010

Or

• As of July 9, 162 Maoist deaths were reported in India in 2024. Of these, 141 deaths were reported from Chhattisgarh alone.

• Naxalism is a Left Wing Extremist ideology which doesn‘t beliefs in the ideology of democracy and democratic process.
• It is a form of terrorism which disguises itself with terms like class war, social justice, land to the tiller etc.

1. Failure of states to implement land reforms particularly after 1968
2. Development activities in back ward areas – mines, dams, steel plants, fertilizer plants – leading to alienation of rights of the forest dwellers
3. Displacement of 5 crore tribals since independence due to hydro projects.
4. States failed maintain law and order and social infrastructure.
5. Failure to provide relief during the epidemics and disasters in the remote areas.
6. Aversion to the state due to indoctrination of the youth.
7. Failure of democratic institutions.
8. Construction of dams created a sanctuary for Naxalites.

Example: Jalaput Dam in the AP and Orissa border isolated 160 villages in Orissa which can be accessible only from AP

1. Resentment of tribes due to preservation of forests and wildlife, particularly in the sanctuaries and national parks.
2. Exploitation of tribes and villagers by the land lords and informal money lenders.
3. Youth indoctrinated by Marxist or Maoist ideology.
4. Forest conservation act 1980 prohibits the tribals from using the forest produce. It led to tribal discontent.
5. Massive displacement of tribal population in the naxalism-affected states due to development projects, mining operations and other reasons.
6. The tribal people are easy to be convinced to join the naxalism.
7. Absence of strong technical intelligence to fight with naxalites.
8. Administration fails to provide essential services to the people of the RCZ region even after the police taken control over those areas.
9. Confusion over tackling naxalism as a social issue or as a security threat.
10. State governments considering naxalism as the central government’s issue and thus are not taking any initiatives to fight it.

1. In 1967 LWE movement in Naxalbari village in West Bengal, led to the emergence of Naxalites.
2. In 1970s it spread to Srikakulam in AP
3. In 1980 Konda Palli Seetha Ramaiah founded People’s War Group.
4. By 1990s popular support to Maoist movement waned in backward districts, coupled with disintegration of USSR and diversion of China towards market economy.
5. Merger of CPI and CPI – ML in 2004.
6. Number of red corridor states reduced from 19 in 2004 to 10 in 2024.

1. Chhattisgarh
2. Jharkhand

1. Extortion
2. Murders
3. Kidnaps
4. Blasting
5. Ambush
6. Guerilla attacks
7. Smuggling
8. People’s courts

1. Establishing an alternative state structure in India
2. Creating a “red corridor” in Naxalite-affected states
3. Stretching the Maoist influence from the border of Nepal to central India to Karnataka in the south through violent struggle.

1. Enlisting Local support
2. Taking up causes like protecting people’s rights of Jal, Jangal and Jamin.
3. Justice through their committees/ kangaroo courts.
4. Cadre recruitment, intelligence, logistics and territorial control through local support.

1. Consolidation of regional base in the difficult terrain
2. Attacks on police
3. Sabotage
4. Terror tactics
5. Convention battles
6. Guerilla attacks
7. Brutal killing of the informers
8. Preventing and destroying the attempts to build roads.
9. Killing people who hoists the Indian Tri color

1. ISI
2. Chinese Communist Party
3. Extortion
4. Drug smuggling

1. Support from retired armed forces personnel or some foreign powers.
2. Elaborate training programs from 4 to 6 years.
3. Coordination with terrorist outfits in other countries.
4. Nexus with any anti – India agencies – terrorist organization, organized crime mafias, Human/animal traffickers, smugglers or any foreign state enemy of India
5. Exchanging counterfeit notes, provide passage to illicit materials, give refuge to anti national elements and carry out contract killings to get what they want in return.
6. Thriving in the thick forests.

Example:

a.     Dantewada

b.     Bijapur

c.     Sukma

d.     Bastar

e.      Kanker

1. Negligence by the state government

Ex: Chhattisgarh is getting 1800 crore per annum for anti – naxal operations.

1. Support from the local people
2. Advancing the exploitative narrative of development.

Ex: Protests against dams, SEZs,

1. Compulsory service of one member from every Adivasi family in the red corridor region.
2. Political indoctrination
3. Promises of better future
4. Offering high Remuneration
5. Ethnical, tribal and religious identities also propel recruitment.
6. Alliances with other violent groups etc.
7. Shared identities and social networks
8. Rich recruits who are highly committed to ideology

1. Maoist activity would not be possible without adequate work on ground in urban areas.
2. It is a long-term strategy.
3. Traditionally there are underground urban networks, providing logistic supplies to interior bases, providing shelter in case of medical emergencies etc.
4. There are front organizations keep alive anti state ideology in the media.

Example:

a.      Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF)

b.     The People’s Democratic Front of India (PDFI)

c.      The Committee against Violence on Women (CAVOW)

d.     The Committee for the Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP).

1. Support from the intellectuals

a.      Varavara Rao

b.      Arun Ferreira

c.      Vernon Gonsalves

d.      Sudha Bharadwaj

e.      Gautam Navlakha

f.       Romila Thapar

g.      Arundhati Roy

1. Administrative vacuum
2. Developmental vacuum
3. Absence of trickle down in the backward districts
4. Failure of the development programs
5. Failure to implement the 5^th Schedule states status.
6. Duality of command and ego problems among the local police, state police and central police.
7. Inspectors who are in their 50s have no experience in the guerilla and hill warfare.
8. Protocol compromises by the police forces.

2.      PESA 1996

3.      NREGP 2006

4.      Forest Rights Act 2006

5.      Land Acquisition act 2013

6.      PM GSY 1990

7.      Aspirational Districts Programme 2018

1. State Police
2. Special forces like Gray Hounds
3. Deployment of CRPF
4. CoBRA – Commando Battalion for Resolute Actions

1. They are an elite commando force of Andhra Pradesh
2. They are created to combat left wing extremists.
3. It is considered the best anti Naxalite force in the country, even above the CRPF’s CoBRA which has more men, budget and better arms than the Greyhounds.
4. Greyhound is a simple but effective organization and recruits the best of the best from the Andhra Pradesh Police.
5. The Force is known for its guerrilla approach which is near similar to that of the Maoists.
6. Their strength lies in being a guerrilla force than a special force.
7. The commandos of Greyhounds undergo rigorous training and have a strict day to day combat regime.
8. They are highly paid, motivated and well-armed.

1. It was the name used by the Indian media to describe the “all-out offensive” by government of India’s paramilitary forces and the state’s forces against the Naxalites.
2. The operation is believed to have begun in November 2009 along five states in the Red Corridor.
3. It was primarily undertaken in the states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, and Maharashtra.

1. Operation Anaconda (2010): Jharkhand
2. Operation Hakka (2011): Abujhmad region of Chhattisgarh
3. Operation Thunder (2013): Bastar region of Chhattisgarh
4. Operation Prahaar (2017): Sukma district of Chhattisgarh
5. Operation Prahar (2018): Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.
6. Operation Basalt (2019): Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh.
7. Operation Hill Vijay (2020): Jharkhand
8. Operation Rang (2021): Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.

1. A long-term counter-insurgency strategy
2. Initiative of the Indian government
3. Involves a combination of military operations, development initiatives, and efforts to win hearts and minds in affected communities.

1. It is considered as the People’s movement against naxals.
2. It implies “Peace hunt” in the local Gondi tribal dialect.
3. The movement was launched by a few villagers angered by Naxal interference in the local trade of tendu leaves (used for making bidis).
4. Later, it was alleged that maintaining law and order in Dantewada and Bastar was outsourced to the Salwa Judum cadres, some of them as young as 15–16 years in age.
5. Some 5000 such cadres were made Special Police Officer s (SPOs)
6. They are given a rifle each and paid Rs 3,000/- per month.
7. They are trained for 15 days and used in the anti naxal operations.
8. In 2011 Supreme Court in the Nandini Sundar vs. State of Chhattisgarh ruled that this movement is unconstitutional and only state has responsibility of maintaining law and order.

1. In 2004, Andhra Pradesh government entered into peace talks with the Maoist.
2. Maoist put up strange conditions, like they should be allowed to wield arms wherever they like, state should call back troops from their areas etc.
3. They just wanted to buy time to strengthen themselves.
4. During this time their Leader (kishenji) addressed huge rally in Hyderabad (attended by approx. 1.5 lakh people).
5. Soon after this, merger of two parties (MCC & PWG) surprised everyone.
6. Again in 2009, Home Minister P. Chidambaram called for ceasefire and peace talks, Maoist first accepted cease fire, but within few hours there was an attack on paramilitary battalion, killing them, which belied all expectations of peace with Maoists.

1. Jharkhand:

a.      One-time payment of Rs 50000

b.     Monthly allowance of Rs.2000

c.      One acre of agricultural land

d.     Educational and health benefits to their children.

1. Chhattisgarh:

Rs.3 lakh for weapon surrender.

1. Orissa:

a.      Rs. 10,000 for surrender

b.     Rs.20,000 for arms surrender

c.      Rs 2 lakh of bank loan without interest for two years.

It involves –

1. Security related measures
2. Development interventions
3. Ensuring rights and entitlements of local communities etc.

1. At ideological level:

Delivering good governance through education, health and improving standard of life.

1. At physical level:

Law and order approach to crack down the naxals brutally.

a.      Charu Majumdar

b.     Kanu Sanyal

c.      Santosh Rana

d.     Kondapalli Seetha Ramaiah

e.      Naga Bhushan

f.      Patnaik

g.     T. Nagi Reddy

2.      Decline of strong ideological moorings.

3.      No proper guiding system.

4.      The movement became a business.

5.      Losing support from the poor and tribals

6.      LPG based economy reduced the leftist ideology among the youth.

7.      Change in the mindset of the people.

8.      Steadfast implementation of National Policy and Action Plan 2015

Sri Krishna Committee 2013 apprehended the revival of the Naxalism in Telangana if a separate state is carved because of the proximity to the live Red Zones.

Reasons:

1. Surrender policy.
2. Entry of naxals or their sympathizers in to state movement
3. Development of the state
4. Mission Bhagiradha and mission Kakatiya provided adequate water resources.
5. Cash transfer schemes.
6. Extensive grey hound operations
7. Naxals or their supporters entered into politics after the formation of state.

Examples:

a.      Dasari Anasuya, MLA Mulugu (Seetakka)

b.     Anasuya’s opponent Nagajyothi’s father Nageswara Rao was also a Naxalite. (Killed in a police encounter)

c.      Minister G Jagadish Reddy in BRS (sympathizer)

d.     Manakondur MLA R Bala kishan (supporter)

e.      MLC N Laxman Rao (Sympathizer)

f.      Etala Rajendra, BJP

g.     Gadar’s Daughter Venela contested for MLA from Cantonment

b.     Naxalite ideas have once again become fashionable among college and university students.

c.      Success of the terrorist activities in Lebanon may motivate the naxalites.

d.     Failure to implement the 5^th schedule state policies.

e.      Funding revival from Chinese, Pakistani and other spying agencies to destabilize the nation.

f.      Government Crack down over the civil society.

LWE is not merely a law and order issue. It is a socio – economic and political issue.

1. Involving the ministry of women child development to deal with issues of women and children in RCZs
2. Involving the ministry of social justice and empowerment to eradicate the untouchability and atrocities against the schedule castes in the RCZs
3. Involving the Ministry of Tribal Affairs to prevent the exploitation of schedule tribes.

1. Initiating the political dialogue with naxal leaders and their sympathizers
2. Encouraging the surrender policy
3. Naxalism is a problem to be resolved by the State governments. They should not shift the onus to the union government.
4. The union government may play supporting role.

1. Modern weapons
2. More involvement of the local people in the anti naxal squads.
3. Adopting the grey hounds model in every state.
4. Effective implementation of 5^th schedule
5. Share to the tribal development council from the revenue generated from the mining areas.

1. Expanding the Ekalavya model schools
2. Skill development of the youth in the forest areas