The Modi Government’s recent emphasis on appealing to Maoists to shun violence is part of a new strategy aimed at providing the extremists a way out to join the societal mainstream, especially against the backdrop of inputs that the middle rung of Naxal leadership stands wiped out and the outfit facing arms and ammunition crunch.
The policy has taken into account that the fact that the top leadership of the Maoists is ageing and the “demoralised” cadres are surrendering in large numbers after being targeted by the security forces.
However, since Maoism continues to be the biggest security challenge, the Centre will continue with its four-pronged strategy related to security-related intervention, development, entitlements of the tribals and perception management. Not taking any chance, the Centre has continued the deployment of almost 40 per cent of the CRPF in the Naxal-affected areas.
At a recent function of the CRPF, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh appealed to the Maoists to shun violence, join the mainstream and help in developing India into a super power saying violence has no place in democracy.
Singh said that Mao Zedong’s ideology, which is being followed by the CPI (Maoist) in India, is forgotten even in China, the country where he had founded the Communist state that has now become one of the most powerful countries in the world.
“But here (in India) you (Maoists) are killing your innocent countrymen by following that ideology. I would like to appeal to the Maoists to shun violence. Our democratic values are very strong. I would like to ask them to change the power through democratic means and not by guns,” the Minister said in his address at the Diamond Jubilee celebration of the paramilitary earlier this week in Gurgaon.
At a Consultative Committee meeting, Singh said, “The security establishment is encouraged since the lWE (left Wing Extremism) insurgency is on the decline.” But the Minister cautioned that this should not lull us into a sense of complacency.
Singh said Maoist extremism remains the biggest threat to our internal security and nation building process and it has remained on top of the agenda for interventions by the Government.
Apart from other development related projects, nearly 5,500 km of road length is being laid out in 34 severely Maoist- affected districts and over 12 lakh title deeds have been distributed to tribals in such areas.
The CRPF has killed 23 Maoists, apprehended 835 and another 126 have surrendered before the troops of the paramilitary force so far this year. In 2014, CRPF troops killed one sub-zonal commander carrying a bounty of Rs2 lakh, two area commanders, apprehended five zonal commanders, nine sub-zonal commanders and 24 area commanders.
This besides, the paramilitary force also recovered a large number of weapons, IEDs and explosives. Seizures in lWE theatre include over 475 arms, around 11,000 rounds of ammunition, 11224 kg of explosives, 175 grenades, 283 bombs, 371 IEDs, 4,400 detonators, about 800 gelatine sticks and over Rs51.67 lakh cash and over, 7,600 kg narcotics.
During the year, CRPF apprehended and was involved in the apprehension/surrender of Krishna Ahir alias Prasadji, political commissar of CPI (M) carrying a bounty of Rs3 lakh in Jharkhand, Jagarbatti Nag alias Sita, Member Coy 2nd (carrying a reward of Rs8 lakh surrendered in Chhattisgarh) and Krishna Yadav alias Badalji of South Zonal Committee surrendered in Jharkhand. He carried a reward of Rs3 lakh.
According to CRPF data, the achievements have been possible with the paramilitary suffering loss of lives of 35 personnel, injuries to another 93 and loss 17 weapons and 1,610 ammunition in 824 operations conducted in the Maoism-hit States, including 152 encounters with the ultras, four ambushes, 28 IED blast and 13 attacks on camps/posts.
CRPF says large scale of desertion of Maoists has been reported due to the pressure mounted by the security forces through sustained operations. The paramilitary has busted training infrastructure and arms making factories of the Maoists in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh.
Director General of CRPF, the lead force for anti-Maoist operations, Dilip Trivedi said, “There has been a spate of surrenders in lWE areas as top management of the CPI (Maoist) is old, aging and facing medical problems. The middle rung is missing, a fact that has been corroborated by intelligence inputs and Maoist literature seized during operations.”
Trivedi further said the cadres at the bottom are disenchanted due to heavy presence security forces deep inside the jungles. This year, security forces conducted operations even during the monsoons, unlike in the past, compelling the Maoists not to hold their yearly Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC). The CPI (Maoist) has also not been able to hold the Central Committee meeting after 2007. However, they continue to improvise in making IEDs and it is a matter of concern for us, he said.
The Maoists' dream of creating a Red Corridor from Pashupati (Nepal) to Tirupati (India) has already been shattered as their influence is limited to certain pockets of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, the DG said, adding the CRPF will soon be able to clear these areas.