NAXAL/ MAOISTS- 2010 - Indian Social Institute

the ambushes took place close to the proposed army training range - an intense debate has raged over
whether at all the army should be drawn into anti-Maoist operations. For the record, the government has
maintained that the army's role would be limited to training. The army itself has shown great reluctance
for the job. But sources indicate the army has begun mapping the contours of the conflict, preparing itself
for the eventuality of deployment, in case the government decides to declare Maoist affected territories as
disturbed areas, like parts of the North East, or Jammu and Kashmir. While one view is that the training
range in Bastar will bring the army tantalisingly close to the Maoists, and hence could be part of future
strategic positioning, another view is that the move is purely routine, linked to the army's needs. "Since
the army's counter-insurgency training centre in Vairengte in Mizoram is under great pressure, the army
has been scouting for training grounds in tropical forests, either in Orissa, Maharashtra, Jharkhand or
Chhattisgarh," said a security expert. Recently, the army also announced the setting up of a peace time
station, called a sub area command, near Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh, one of the few states where the army
has no presence. Whether strategic or routine, the army's move into Bastar would be significant, pointed
out a retired army officer: "Look at this in the light of psychological warfare. It is like telling the Maoists,
beware, the tiger is outside your den". (TOI, 14/12/2010)
Maoists raise Rs 2,500 crore
A corpus reaching up to a staggering Rs 2,500 crore is believed to have been raised by Naxalites to arm
themselves with a massive firepower and extend bases across as many as eight states across India, a
secret document of the Union Home Ministry has said. The corpus, raised largely through extortion,
ransom and other coercive methods in eight states over the past one and a half year, has enabled the
Maoists to keep the security forces engaged in fierce gun battles in the so-called “red territories,” a report
of the Intelligence Bureau circulated among the home departments of West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar,
Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu has revealed. Quoting the
report, informed sources said a portion of the corpus is being systematically utilised in procuring
sophisticated arms like Insas and AK-series rifles, besides explosives like RDX, various communication
gadgets and accessories from different parts of the country and abroad. Training recruits “A large part of
the funds is apparently used to run training camps for the new recruits,” the report said. The major chunk
of the collection comes from extortion, ransom and levies slapped on businessmen and traders. This
apart, the banned outfit has also taken to illegal opium farming over vast tracts of land, which adds to its
coffers. Going by the break-up of collection, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Chhattisgarh—three worst
affected states—are said to have contributed more than 80 per cent of the total fund raised over the
period. While the Maoists have reportedly collected Rs 1,000 crore from Jharkhand, Rs 550 crore has
come from West Bengal while Chhattisgarh has contributed about Rs 500 crore, the report said. A total of
Rs 200 crore has been collected from Bihar, Rs 100 crore from Andhra Pradesh followed by Maharashtra
(Rs 78 crore), Orissa (Rs 37 crore) and Tamil Nadu (Rs 35 crore), sources said. What has set alarm bells
ringing in the Home Ministry is the confirmation of firming up of ties with the banned Kashmiri jehadi
groups by these Naxalite groups. A case in point is the recent invitation extended to separatist Kashmiri
leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani by the Naxalite union at Jadavpur University in Kolkata. “Apart from
sending a signal to the minorities living in this part of the country, they (Maoists) have been steadily
building their communication channel with the Jammu and Kashmir militants. In fact, recovery of
sophisticated communication equipment from the West Bengal state secretary of the Maoists speaks
volumes about their strategic gameplan,” sources told Deccan Herald here on Tuesday. The report said
the Maoists had forged links with their counterparts and several other extremist organisations in Nepal,
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Phillippines. (Deccan herald, 16/12/2010)
Maoists trigger blast in Koraput
The Maoists blew up a culvert in Naryanapatna block of Koraput district to protest against the presence of
the BSF in the area. The explosion which took around 10 pm on Sunday night was so powerful that it
created ditches of four metre depth and the sound was heard about seven to eight km from the spot. The
incident has triggered panic in the area though no causality has been reported yet. Meanwhile, during
combing operations in Saanda jungle the security forces have arrested four Maoists including a woman
and seized two landmines from their possession. In another case three rebels were held from Suliapada
in Mayurbhanj and a gun ,21 gelatin sticks and 21 live bullets were seized from their possession, said
Mayurbhanj SP Dayal Gangwar. (Pioneer, 21/12/2010)
Four Maoists surrender in Andhra
Four top Maoists, two of them active in Maharashtra, surrendered before the Andhra Pradesh Police here
on Tuesday. All the four underground Maoists, including a couple hailing from Adilabad in the State,