'Chhattisgarh Adivasis insecure': Failing to get mass support, Maoists go on rampage

By Harsh Thakor*

A gun battle took place between security personnel and armed cadres of the CPI (Maoist) in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district,on January 28th. Several Maoists may have been injured during the skirmish, though no injured persons or bodies were found at the site of the encounter, a police official commented. The firefight took place on the same day when three CRPF personnel were killed and 15 others injured in a separate exchange of fire between security forces and cadres of the Maoist party on the borders of Sukma and Bijapur districts in the state.

On the 30th of January, Indian paramilitaries tried to plant a new camp for their troops in the area. A few hours later they faced a jolt of an intense attack with improvised grenade launchers and with heavy machine-gun fire. The attack left three paramilitaries killed and another 15 injured. After this attack, a commander of the paramilitary forces stated that it “has taken many fatal and non-fatal casualties while creating forward operating bases called FOBs. This incident is an addition to that”. These actions of the Maoists were part of their People’s War strategy.

Ramesh Poyam from Bodga village of Bastar was killed by the bullets of the police and paramilitary on 30th January 2024 when he went to take bath in the nearby river. The Forces were reportedly returning from Abujhmad region after eradicating a 130-meter-long Maoist tunnel and razing to the ground a “Martyrs Memorial” of the Maoists when they met retaliation with the Maoist forces. After the firing stopped Ramesh went to take bath, and he was reportedly shot by the forces. The killing has been justified with the camouflage of “crossfire with Naxalites”.

After the operation, the paramilitaries and the police declared that they undertook a search and attack operation against the Maoist guerrillas, but they did not recover the bodies and there is no evidence of their existence. The establishment of military, paramilitary and police camps, and frequent attacks are part of the usual actions in the Bastar region, considered a stronghold of the Maoists.

This is the second time in less than two weeks that we have witnessed another wave of offensive actions challenging the security forces. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had declared that he planned to extinguish Maoism from the face of India in the next three years. Ironically, the beginning of 2024 has seen the Maoists' activity escalating.

Inspector killed

An Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was injured in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast sparked by cadres of the CPI (Maoist) in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district on February 1st, a police official announced to a press conference. The blast occurred near Ghotia under Malewahi police station limits of the district when a joint team of the CRPF’s 195th battalion and local police were conducting a road security operation.

A cadre of the CPI (Maoist) was killed in a gun battle with security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district on February 3rd, a police official announced. Earlier, an exchange of fire occurred in a forest between Nagaram and Pantabheji villages under Bheji police station limits when security forces were thirsty to liquidate the Maoists.

The operation was launched with the aid of intelligence inputs on the presence of a member of the Konta Area Committee of the CPI (Maoist), Sodhi Gajendra, and other leaders of the Maoist party, along with 15-20 armed Maoist cadres in the forest. In the aftermath of the skirmish, the body of a Maoist, a 12 bore rifle, a pistol and Maoist-related materials were recovered from the site of the encounter, the official commented.

The identity of the slain Maoist has not yet been verified. Personnel belonging to the District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters, (both units of the state police), and the 219th battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were involved in the operation.

The newly formed BJP government in Chhattisgarh has opened some new police stations to extinguish the Maoist party. Similar steps are being adopted in other states like Maharashtra, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Bihar, etc. The Central government has set out on a new military operation in the name of Operation Kagaar (Final War). The objective of this military operation is said to be to seize control of the Maad hills to eliminate the central leadership of the Maoist party and is to allow corporates to exploit the natural resources.

The tussle between security forces and Maoists is escalating, with the Adivasi peasants becoming easy victim. The Indian state has used drones for aerial bombings in Mettaguda, Errapali and Bottethong which lie on the borders of Sukma-Bijapur districts in Chhattisgarh

The Maoists have tried to challenge to aerial bombings, Operation Kagar and Operation Samadhan-Prahar and sharpen their striking capacity. However, there is hardly any presence of people in the Maoists’ retaliatory actions.

---

*Freelance journalist

Comments

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

Jayanthi Natarajan "never stood by tribals' rights" in MNC Vedanta's move to mine Niyamigiri Hills in Odisha

By A Representative The Odisha Chapter of the Campaign for Survival and Dignity (CSD), which played a vital role in the struggle for the enactment of historic Forest Rights Act, 2006 has blamed former Union environment minister Jaynaynthi Natarjan for failing to play any vital role to defend the tribals' rights in the forest areas during her tenure under the former UPA government. Countering her recent statement that she rejected environmental clearance to Vendanta, the top UK-based NMC, despite tremendous pressure from her colleagues in Cabinet and huge criticism from industry, and the claim that her decision was “upheld by the Supreme Court”, the CSD said this is simply not true, and actually she "disrespected" FRA.

Urgent need to study cause of large number of natural deaths in Gulf countries

By Venkatesh Nayak* According to data tabled in Parliament in April 2018, there are 87.76 lakh (8.77 million) Indians in six Gulf countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While replying to an Unstarred Question (#6091) raised in the Lok Sabha, the Union Minister of State for External Affairs said, during the first half of this financial year alone (between April-September 2018), blue-collared Indian workers in these countries had remitted USD 33.47 Billion back home. Not much is known about the human cost of such earnings which swell up the country’s forex reserves quietly. My recent RTI intervention and research of proceedings in Parliament has revealed that between 2012 and mid-2018 more than 24,570 Indian Workers died in these Gulf countries. This works out to an average of more than 10 deaths per day. For every US$ 1 Billion they remitted to India during the same period there were at least 117 deaths of Indian Workers in Gulf ...

Stands 'exposed': Cavalier attitude towards rushed construction of Char Dham project

By Bharat Dogra* The nation heaved a big sigh of relief when the 41 workers trapped in the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel (Uttarkashi district of Uttarakhand) were finally rescued on November 28 after a 17-day rescue effort. All those involved in the rescue effort deserve a big thanks of the entire country. The government deserves appreciation for providing all-round support.

Uttarakhand tunnel disaster: 'Question mark' on rescue plan, appraisal, construction

By Bhim Singh Rawat* As many as 40 workers were trapped inside Barkot-Silkyara tunnel in Uttarkashi after a portion of the 4.5 km long, supposedly completed portion of the tunnel, collapsed early morning on Sunday, Nov 12, 2023. The incident has once again raised several questions over negligence in planning, appraisal and construction, absence of emergency rescue plan, violations of labour laws and environmental norms resulting in this avoidable accident.

Celebrating 125 yr old legacy of healthcare work of missionaries

Vilas Shende, director, Mure Memorial Hospital By Moin Qazi* Central India has been one of the most fertile belts for several unique experiments undertaken by missionaries in the field of education and healthcare. The result is a network of several well-known schools, colleges and hospitals that have woven themselves into the social landscape of the region. They have also become a byword for quality and affordable services delivered to all sections of the society. These institutions are characterised by committed and compassionate staff driven by the selfless pursuit of improving the well-being of society. This is the reason why the region has nursed and nurtured so many eminent people who occupy high positions in varied fields across the country as well as beyond. One of the fruits of this legacy is a more than century old iconic hospital that nestles in the heart of Nagpur city. Named as Mure Memorial Hospital after a British warrior who lost his life in a war while defending his cou...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

Dowry over duty: How material greed shattered a seven-year bond

By Archana Kumar* This account does not seek to expose names or tarnish identities. Its purpose is not to cast blame, but to articulate—with dignity—the silent suffering of a woman who lived her life anchored in love, trust, and duty, only to be ultimately abandoned.

Pairing not with law but with perpetrators: Pavlovian response to lynchings in India

By Vikash Narain Rai* Lynch-law owes its name to James Lynch, the legendary Warden of Galway, Ireland, who tried, condemned and executed his own son in 1493 for defrauding and killing strangers. But, today, what kind of a person will justify the lynching for any reason whatsoever? Will perhaps resemble the proverbial ‘wrong man to meet at wrong road at night!’

Search This Blog