Naxalite an emerging threat and Defence Policy | UPSC Mains: Internal Security & Disaster Management PDF Download

Literature Review

• The word Naxalite came from the name of a village called Naxalbari in West Bengal.
• It emerged as a rebellion against the local landlords who hit a peasant over a land dispute.
• It started in West Bengal and soon spread to the Eastern Zone.
• The Naxalites are scrutinised as far-left communists sensitive to Maoism.
• Their emergence can be traced back to the split of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1967 followed by the Naxalbari peasant uprising which resulted in the formation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) after two years.
• The Naxalite-Maoist insurgency is an ongoing conflict between the Naxalites, also known as Maoist Groups, and the Indian Government.
• The insurgency started after the formation of the CPI-Maoist in 2004, a rebel group consisting of the Maoist Communist Centre and the People’s War Group.
• The 2005 January rebellion between the CPI-Maoist and the Andhra Pradesh Government broke out due to a lack of communication regarding the written demand for the release of prisoners and redistribution of land.
• The conflict has spread across 28 Indian states and since 2005 hundreds of people have been killed in this conflict between the CPI-Maoist and the government.
• The Naxalites are present in 60 districts in India, mainly in the states of Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Andhra Pradesh.
• Areas administrated by the Communist Party of India, especially in West Bengal, are the worst affected by the anti-state violence of the Maoist group.
• This violence is aided by a commend assemblage of unaccounted-for wealth in the hands of CPI-M leaders and a failure to address and resolve problems for which they have been elected, such as caste discrimination and poverty.
• Naxalites are found in less developed areas due to several reasons, including the apathy towards the tribal community, which can be considered one of the biggest reasons for such uprisings.
• Other reasons include the lack of ability of the political authority to uplift the vulnerable and deprived sections of society, poverty, and economic inequality towards the poor and disadvantaged sections of society.
• Factors such as mining companies entering tribal-resisting regions and taking away their land and forest are hampering their livelihood.
• The tribal population is deprived of their lands, capturing their traditional sources of livelihood.
• Environmental destruction due to deforestation for development projects and land used for mining purposes also affects them.
• There is a lack of basic facilities provided to these people, such as education, sanitation, health, and freedom.
• The socially and economically backward classes, the disadvantaged, the tribal population, and the vulnerable sector act as the main supports of the Naxalite movement because of the inequalities they face, illiteracy, and poverty.
• These people don’t have access to basic political, economic, and social rights.

Naxalite the Biggest Threat to Internal Security

• Naxal violence has spread its tentacles from 156 districts in 13 states in 2004 to 170 districts in 15 states in 2005 affecting 40% of the geographical area and 35% of the population.
• With every attack on our forces and institutions, the Naxalites have been penetrating organisations in striking their chosen targets as well.
• Transforming themselves into a modern guerrilla force, Naxals today are equipped with better weapons and communication systems, along with the formation of a united outfit namely CPI (Maoist) along with the raising of an armed wing i.e. People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army through the merger of Maoist Communist Centre and People’s group.
• The movement has not only been successful in getting over the problem of crimson infighting amongst them but has also witnessed a shift in focus and strategy.
• Today, they are not only logically better trained and equipped but also better motivated and better–led.
• With the programme of the new Democratic Revolution, the Naxals wished to attain their goals through the spread of disaffection amongst the rural poor.
• By creating an influence that the economic policy was hegemonic and imperialist, they argue it is against their interest.
• The newly acquired propensity by the landlords, bourgeois traders and bureaucrats further vexes and frustrates.
• They believe that the benefits of the Panchayati Raj have been concerned by a handful of well-to-do peasants.
• Hence, they have declared that all landlords, big or small, and all bourgeois or petty class enemies have been working to eradicate them through violence.

The Naxalite Strategy

The Naxalite movement operates on the premise of a protracted armed struggle, with its ultimate goal being the seizure of state power. Unlike traditional insurgencies that seek immediate goals like acquiring land or crops, their focus lies in undermining the state through revolutionary activities. They avoid participation in elections or engagement with the prevailing democratic system, which they regard as "bourgeois democracy."

Their strategy includes:

• Targeting symbols of authority such as feudalism, imperialism, and comprador bureaucratic capitalism.
• Supporting movements for self-determination and mobilizing marginalized groups, particularly women, as a revolutionary force.
• Expanding their base by engaging in populist mass movements against issues like globalization, privatization, and liberalization.
• Moving from guerrilla warfare to mobile warfare, focusing on industrial areas for urban expansion.
• Using local grievances, such as displacement, caste oppression, and lack of development, to gain support in new regions.

Naxalite Tactics

The Naxalites operate with well-planned methods:

• Conducting preliminary studies of the local social, economic, and political vulnerabilities.
• Maintaining a low profile in adverse conditions, particularly in border regions, to avoid police attention.
• Flexibly adjusting tactics, including restricting their movement during intense police operations and mobilizing politically when necessary.
• Engaging in jailbreaks to free their cadres, such as the Jehanabad Jailbreak (2005), Gajapati Jail Raid (2006), and Dantewada Jailbreak (2007), highlighting the prison security weaknesses in the country.

Growing Threat

The Naxalite insurgency has become a major internal security challenge for India. Key aspects include:

• Their ability to recruit dedicated cadres from marginalized sections, especially tribals and peasants.
• Use of sophisticated weaponry and guerrilla warfare tactics, alongside an excellent intelligence network.
• Exploitation of agrarian distress, displacement due to mining and infrastructure projects, and destruction of forests.
• Coordination with Nepal's Maoists and external actors like Pakistan’s ISI, which provide arms and funding for disruptive activities, including drug trafficking and fake currency rackets.

Impact of Naxalism

The insurgency's impact spans across the "Red Corridor", which stretches from Nepal through the most backward regions of India, covering states such as:

• Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu.

These regions, characterized by poverty, illiteracy, and underdevelopment, provide fertile ground for Naxalite propaganda. Their cadres primarily consist of marginalized individuals, including tribals, but also include doctors, engineers, and educated individuals providing technical expertise for their activities.

Government Response

The Indian government has adopted a two-pronged approach to tackle the Naxalite issue:

1. Security Measures:

   • Formation of specialized anti-Naxal forces.
   • Enhanced jail security systems, including:
     • Biometric access control in prisons.
     • CCTV cameras, metal detectors, and automatic security locks.
   • Improved coordination between the Centre and state governments to implement a synergized anti-Naxal policy.

2. Development Initiatives: Recognizing the development deficit as a root cause, the government has launched several schemes for rural and tribal development:

   • MGNREGA: Employment guarantee for rural areas.
   • Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan: Universal primary education.
   • National Rural Health Mission (NRHM): Access to quality healthcare.
   • Integrated Tribal Development Plan (ITDP): Focused development in tribal areas.
   • Indira Awas Yojana: Housing for the poor.
   • Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY): Rural connectivity.

The government aims to bridge the trust deficit between itself and the public in Naxalite-affected regions through governance improvements and better public perception management.

Conclusion

Naxalism has been termed as the biggest threat to the national security of India.CPI (Maoist) has been declared as a banned organisation by the Centre, while there still seem to be no consensus on banning the Naxals, the time definitely has come that we take the Naxal threat more seriously than has been felt so far.The ban and the branding of Maoist as terrorist should further convince the sceptics about their insidious design on the Indian Nation.We need to find out better wa ys to deal with this internal adversar y left Radicals. There is a need for better infrastructure upgradation in terms of better logistics, equipments and arms there is also need for better and more scientific methods for gathering information, the training needs to be customised to make the force understand the various nuances of anti-insurgency operations and provide the police with better equipments and training facilities.