NAXAL/ MAOISTS- 2009 - Indian Social Institute

iggest non-violent movement of the country after Independence and has garnered widesupport.(Hindustan Times 15/9/09)Fight against Maoists failing, admits PM (12)New Delhi: India is failing to curb a growing Maoist insurgency, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saidTuesday, while warning of a “worrisome” upswing in cross-border infiltration by Pak-based militants.Addressing State police chiefs on the second day of their three-day conclave, Singh at the outset pointedto the increasing influence of Maoist rebels in vast swathes of India. “I would like to say frankly that wehave not achieved as much success as we would have liked in containing this menace,” he said. India’sMaoist insurgency, which started as a peasant uprising in 1967, spread to 20 of the 29 States andclaimed 580 lives this year. The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of neglected tribals. “I haveconsistently held that Left Wing extremism is, perhaps, the gravest internal security threat we face. Wehave not achieved as much success in containing it. It is a matter of concern that despite efforts, theviolence continues to rise.” “As I said, dealing with Left Wing extremism requires a nuanced strategy - itcannot be treated simply as a law and order problem. Despite its sanguinary nature, it manages to retainthe support of a section of tribals and the poorest of the poor. “I expect you to keep this in mind as youdevise newer and better strategies to deal with the problem.” A day earlier, Chidambaram had said thatso far this year there had been 1,405 incidents, resulting in 580 deaths spread over 11 States. Singh alsohighlighted militant infiltration across the border. “There are developments that are worrisome. Infiltrationacross LoC and other routes is going up,” he said. “Encounters with militants have become morefrequent in recent weeks and months,” he added. (Mumbai Mirror 16/9/09)Maoists on back foot, planning human shields? (12)DANTEWADA (Chhattisgarh): In the face of a sustained assault by securityforces, Maoist leaders have begun fleeing their landmine-protected hideouts in the Chhattisgarh junglesand could use human shields to protect themselves, top officials disclosed Saturday. At least two dozenultras were killed in the operation Friday. Reports that the government is preparing for the biggest assaulton the Maoists has unsettled the rebels, the officials say. The Maoist militants hold sway over much of theiron-ore rich Bastar region - spread over 40,000 sq km in the five districts of Dantewada, Bijapur,Narayanpur, Kanker, and Bastar. Reports coming in from the interiors of restive Bastar region - where theultras have set up a massive infrastructure to carry out insurgency in several states - indicate that theoutlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) politburo members, including general secretaryGanapathi, have started moving out from their base in the Abujhmar forest to cross over to AndhraPradesh to avoid an aerial attack the government may be planning. On Friday, in one of Chhattisgarh'sbiggest drives against Maoist insurgents, over 500 policemen led by the elite Commando Battalion forResolute Action (Cobra), an anti-Maoist force drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF),attacked rebel hideouts in several locations in Bastar's Dantewada district. Officials claimed to have killedat least two dozen insurgents though some 10 bodies have been recovered so far. An assistantcommandant of the Cobra battalion, Manoranjan Singh, and five other personnel were also killed in theoperation. "The CPI-Maoist politburo members have instructed their military wing, People's Liberation ofGuerrilla Army (PLGA), to avoid a direct fight with troopers to prevent losses of their skilled fighters andput up human shields before the forces in order to make the battle a long-drawn-out affair," a top policeofficer involved in drawing up the anti-Maoist combat strategy told IANS. He was speaking after receivingfresh inputs from the Maoist-controlled Bastar jungles. The source said: "They (Maoists) have begun toput up boys and girls drawn from their two units - the Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangh and the KrantikariAdivasi Balak Sangh - to prevent troopers from moving into the territory commanded by ultras and alsogive a chance to their urban sympathisers and human rights activists to whip up a global campaign overthe killing of minors and abuse of human rights." A CRPF commandant posted at Bijapur's war zoneremarked: "Maoists know they can't withstand the attacks of Indian troopers for a long time. Once theirarmed force is shaken, the Maoists will be reduced to the strength they had almost two decades back. Sothe only option left before them is to engage child soldiers recruited forcibly in the past five years to makethe battle a lengthy one." A top counter-terrorism expert said: "The forces should not go to the jungles justto hunt and recapture the areas being held by Maoists. After pushing back the Maoists, the governmentmust have a quick plan to create livelihood for the local populace being misled by the rebels for years.This is a must to erase the sympathy among them for the ultras. "Once you capture the Maoist bases inChhattisgarh which are deprived of economic prosperity, the government must take care of the