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case study On Maoists

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On Maoists
Introduction
Widespread violence by the Maoists in the recent period and their characterization as the
“biggest internal security threat” by the Union Government has brought the issue of
“Leftwing” extremism to the fore. According to the Union Home Ministry, 3338 persons
have died in 7806 incidents involving naxalite violence from 2004 to 2008. This year, 580
persons have died in 1405 incidents spread across 11 states, till August. The Union
Government has announced its intention of launching a security offensive against the
Maoists along with the concerned state governments in the Maoist infested areas. While
extremist violence needs to be dealt with firm administrative steps, a security centric
approach towards the Maoist violence would fail to end the problem. The Maoists need to
be ideologically confronted and politically exposed and isolated. The socio-economic
backwardness, especially in the Maoist infested areas also need to be addressed.
The CPI (M) cadres and supporters in West Bengal are being targeted by the Maoists,
particularly in the West Medinipur district, precisely because the CPI (M) is in the
forefront of the ideological-political battle against the Maoists. This year, over 130
members and activists of the CPI (M) have lost their lives across West Bengal, of which
more than half were victims of Maoist violence.
Lalgarh and the West Bengal Experience
Though Naxalbari in West Bengal has been the cradle of the ultra Left movement in the
country, West Bengal also witnessed the fading away of the ultra Left for a long time since
the seventies. There were several reasons. The ideological confusion and bankruptcy that it
based itself on resulted in the splintering of the movement. The nebulous framework and
the anti working class ideas that premised the naxalite movement was also bound to affect
its organization. The movement was infiltrated by alien elements of the ruling party and
became the major instrument to attack the CPI (M) and the organised Left. The
degeneration was so complete that it had no other go but to fade into oblivion. But what
proved decisive in the isolation of the naxalites was the successful and widespread land
reform that was led by the organised Left. This process got statutory backing when the Left
Front government came to power. So the combination of socio-economic development,
political and ideological interventions by the CPI (M) and the organised Left led to the
situation that prevailed in West Bengal during the last three decades. It is most
unfortunate that the present Home Minister of the country is unmindful of this history of
sacrifice and struggle by the organised Left in facing upto the challenge of ultra Left.
The present phase of Maoist activities began in Lalgarh and adjoining areas in the Binpur I
block of West Medinipur district which is situated along the Jharkhand border. In the last
three years there has been sporadic violence in the area with murderous attacks on
activists of the CPI (M) by armed squads who crossed over from Jharkhand. The presence
of Maoists was suspected when the Nandigram episode happened. Now the Maoist leaders
have themselves confirmed their involvement in Nandigram and have demanded a quid
pro quo from the Trinamul Congress vis-à-vis their activities in Lalgarh.

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The Lalgarh episode was sparked off following police actions in the area in the wake of a
mine blast which was intended to kill the West Bengal Chief Minister on 2
nd
November
2008, when he was returning from a programme in Salboni to inaugurate a steel plant.
Incidentally there was no agitation on land acquisition in the proposed site of the plant
neither was any SEZ proposal involved. The state government, in the wake of allegations
that the police had committed excesses while apprehending the culprits responsible for the
mine blast, had taken action on the basis of those allegations. Police officials were
transferred, injured persons were provided medical treatment and compensation and
some arrested persons released. But the so-called People’s Committee Against Police
Atrocities (PCAPA) which had been created was not interested in anything else but
disallowing the entry of the state administration and the police personnel into the area.
Though several rounds of discussions took place the stalemate continued. It was very clear
from their main demand, for a public apology by the District Superintendent of Police of
West Midnapore district and other policemen by holding their ears and crawling with their
nose to the ground, that the PCAPA was not interested in any resolution of the issue.
Subsequently, it became clear that they were acting as the front of the Maoists demanding
withdrawal of cases against the Maoist squad leader Shashadhar Mahato who had carried
out the assassination attempt on the West Bengal Chief Minister.
The link between the PCAPA and the Trinamul Congress was also clear from the very
beginning. The PCAPA spokesperson Chhatradhar Mahato, Sashadhar's brother, had been
a former Trinamul Congress local leader. Trinamul Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee and
other Trinamul leaders had also attended events organised by the PCAPA in Lalgarh
during this phase though these areas were otherwise out of bounds of the administration.
Now even the Home Minister has admitted in the Rajya Sabha (on 2
nd
December) that the
PCAPA is “only a front organisation to the CPI (Maoist)”.
Despite the best attempts of the administration to engage the PCAPA, the Lalgarh area was
blockaded and the administration was made out of bounds of the area since November
2008. This so-called liberated zone” was used to launch murderous attacks against the
CPI (M) activists and other political forces who are opposed to the Maoists. Over 80
persons have been killed by the Maoists in this area since November 2008, which includes
over 70 cadres and sympathisers of the CPI (M), activists of the Jharkhand Party (Naren)
and election commission personnel. The victims were mostly poor peasants or agricultural
workers from dalit or adivasi families. A CPI (M) supporter and agricultural worker Salku
Soren was killed by the Maoists and his corpse was kept in the open for several days in
order to terrorize the CPI (M) supporters. A 22 year old college student Abhijit Mahato
was assassinated alongwith other family members by a Maoist squads. All these massacres
were justified by the Maoists in the name of elimination of “class enemies”.
That the people were not with this targeted violence was clear from the thumping majority
with which the CPI (M) candidate won from the Jhargram (ST) Loksabha constituency,
securing 59 per cent of the polled votes and winning by a margin of nearly 3 lakhs, in an
election where the Left and the CPI (M) had otherwise suffered electoral reverses. Since
the Loksabha elections, the operations by the state police and the central paramilitary
forces have started and in the last four months large areas have been brought under the
control of the civil administration. The state administration has launched a programme of
development and reaching out essential services like food rations. The Trinamul Congress,
on the other hand, aided and abetted by sections of the media, indulged in stupendous

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On Maoists Introduction Widespread violence by the Maoists in the recent period and their characterization as the “biggest internal security threat” by the Union Government has brought the issue of “Leftwing” extremism to the fore. According to the Union Home Ministry, 3338 persons have died in 7806 incidents involving naxalite violence from 2004 to 2008. This year, 580 persons have died in 1405 incidents spread across 11 states, till August. The Union Government has announced its intention of launching a security offensive against the Maoists along with the concerned state governments in the Maoist infested areas. While extremist violence needs to be dealt with firm administrative steps, a security centric approach towards the Maoist violence would fail to end the problem. The Maoists need to be ideologically confronted and politically exposed and isolated. The socio-economic backwardness, especially in the Maoist infested areas also need to be addressed. The CPI (M) cadres and supporters in West Bengal are being targeted by the Maoists, particularly in the West Medinipur district, precisely because the CPI (M) is in the forefront of the ideological-political battle against the Maoists. This year, over 130 members and activists of the CPI (M) have lost their lives across West Bengal, of which more than half were victims of Maoist violence. Lalgarh and the West Bengal Experience Though Naxalbari in West Bengal has been the cradle of the ultra Left movement ...
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