Left Wing Extremism or Naxalism (as it called in India, because of its origin from a village called Naxalbari in West Bengal) is an ideology based on far left radical thoughts. It drives its thoughts from communism and emphasises advancement of people’s social and economic life by establishing classless society through armed revolution.

Charu Mazumdar was an active leader of the area and was mobilizing peasants against the state for an armed conflict. On the other hand, there were repetitive incidences of Class conflicts between peasants and zamindars. One such conflict escalated and Zamindar was expelled from his land. After this police came to his rescue and was surrounded by about thousand peasants armed with bows, arrows, lathis etc. One Police officer was killed. Police force few days after responded with brutal force and 9 women and 2 children were killed.

In response, revolutionary leaders fled the area and declared armed struggle against the state of India. They formed a new party Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) in 1969 and this was motivated and influenced deeply by Communist Party of China.

After independence Nehruvian Panchsheel stressed the need to recognize tribal rights over land and forests and allow them to develop along the lines of their own genius. In reality, however, tribal communities have been systematically alienated from their traditional rights over natural resources like land, forests, water and commons, which has eroded the very basis of their existence.

The ‘Nature’ of the Movement

• Barring a phase in the late 1960s and early 1970s’ the left extremist movement has been largely agrarian in the sense that it seeks to mobilize discontent and misgovernance in the rural areas to achieve its objectives. Some of the major features of the left extremist movement include the following;
• It has emerged as the greatest challenge to internal security.
• It has gained people’s confidence, grown in strength particularly in forest and tribal areas, by mobilising dispossessed and marginalised sections.
• It creates conditions for non-functioning of the government and actively seeks disruption of development activities as a means to achieve its objective of ‘wresting control’.
• It spreads fear among the law-abiding citizens.

While these features also form part of the activities of all terrorist organisations, due to its wider ‘geographical coverage’, left extremism has made a deep impact on the ‘conflict scenario’ of the country.

Developmental issues related to rise and spread of extremism

Developmental issues which pertain to the spread of extremism are linked to lack of access to basic resources to sustain the livelihood.

However, development is a useful tool against extremism but it must operate in tandem with the security forces.

Some of the developmental issues which lead to the spread of extremism are listed below-

Forest Laws-

In the name of development, habitat of principal Adivasi communities were declared reserve forests & in accordance with Forest conservation Act 1980, no forest land can be diverted to nonforest use without permission

Rights of primitive forest dwellers were restricted resulting in losing access to land.

This resulted in mass resentment leading to extremist activities.

Land Fragmentation-

40% of rural households have no land or less than half of acre of land

Increased small/marginal land holdings and no land reforms, Insecurity, and exploitation of tenants creates Unrest which leads to extremism

Special Economic Zones (SEZ)-

Large tracts of land are being acquired across the country for this purpose. Land is livelihood resource for farmers. A farmer’s life is completely dependent upon the land.

SEZ requires a single huge block of land and government is taking harsh steps in acquiring the land. Farmers are not getting proper compensation for the land being taken away from them. These atrocities lead them into extremist thoughts.

Extremists have stated one of their objectives as fighting against India’s efforts to set up SEZ in tribal areas reflecting the adverse effect of development.

Encroachment on Common Property Resources-

Common Property Resources (CPR’s) include community pastures, watershed drainages, village tanks etc. and are vital for rural areas to develop.

CPR’s contributes effectively to the rural economy and provides sustenance to local communities.

But due to industrialization, privatization and development projects, the CPRs area is shrinking and this also increases resentment of villagers.

Displacement due to developmental projects-

Displacement/ forced eviction of people occur due to developmental projects such as irrigation, industrial projects, mining projects, power plants etc. It can be physical, emotional or cultural.

Tribal people are most prone to displacement because tribal areas are rich in mineral resources such as Orissa, Jharkhand. This imparts multidimensional trauma on them leading to serious consequences.

Unemployment-

Unemployment and insecurity of livelihood are growing source of dissatisfaction and anger among youth, both in urban and rural areas.

Minimum wages for agricultural workers are not implemented,

The share of workers in unorganized sector has increased; there is no effective coverage of labour welfare laws.

This multifaceted form of exploitation in the absence of any developmental propaganda forms the major cause of the spread of extremism.

Environmental degradation-

Land is being targeted by land mafias for mineral extraction and in that process agricultural land gets barren

Pollution of water & air resources also happens and people are deprived of basic necessities to survive

Tourism-

Tourism industry in this development scenario is posing a great threat to the existing cultural-economy-governance matrix of tribal life which is interwoven with ecology.

The introduction of foreign influence and commercialization is triggering the process of disintegration of tribal society leading to extremist activities

| Efforts by Government to address Extremism

The government followed a two-pronged approach which combines security forces action with accelerated development of the extremist affected area.

1. Developmental efforts

‘Clear, hold and develop’ strategy

Military operations have not been abandoned and individual states continue to undertake area clearing operations, such exercises appear to form parts of a new ‘clear, hold and develop’ strategy that uses development as a tool to win back the support of the tribal population, who overwhelmingly appear to sympathize with the extremists.

Since early 2011 there is a renewed focus on carrying out development initiatives in areas cleared of Maoist presence. Several flagship projects of the government to improve connectivity of tribal areas with the administrative centers, to provide employment to the tribal youth and to ensure the health and educational facilities have been launched.

Integrated Action Plan (IAP):

Planning commission implemented IAP for 82 LWE affected tribal and backward districts to provide public infrastructure and services. Major works under IAP include construction of school, buildings, Anganwadi centre, drinking water facilities, rural road, construction of panchayat bhawan, community halls, playground etc.

Prime Minister Rural Development Fellowship (PMRDF):

It is launched by Ministry of Rural Development for providing capacity building opportunity to well qualified young professional to carry out grass root development in LWE affected districts.

They would work along with district administration on any matter related to IAP, thus providing the tribal with points of contact and humane touch in understanding their problems.

Panchayat (Extension to Scheduled Areas) (PESA) ACT 1996:

It is an important legislation empowering tribals in the field of local self-government through gram sabha.

Surrender Cum Rehabilitation Scheme:

It is launched in on 1st April 2013 for extremists, allowing them to wean away from extremist movements and ensure that didn’t join the movement again. The scheme takes care of rehabilitation of extremists to mainstream life, and helps them to live a better life.

2. Security related measures:

i) SAMADHAN-

Central Government announced a new strategy against the Maoists—SAMADHAN.

The acronym SAMADHAN is-

S-smart leadership, A-aggressive strategy, M-motivation and training, A-actionable intelligence, D-dashboard-based KPIs (key performance indicators) and KRAs (key result areas), H-harnessing technology, A-action plan for each theatre and N-no access to financing.

Smart leadership

In the LWE-affected areas, there is a need of leadership which, despite adversity, can keep the jawans enthusiastic and teach them only to win. The central forces and the local police were asked to work under a coordinated plan.

Aggressive strategy

It is necessary to analyse incidents where security forces suffered heavy losses. Proactive approach along with aggression in thinking, operations and development such as road construction should be adopted.

Motivation and training

It was important for the stakeholders to make efficient use of resources and have knowledge of enemy’s strengths and weaknesses. Focus should be on training of security forces and providing them adequate facilities. Security forces must learn the culture and languages of the locals to earn their trust.

Actionable intelligence

It is important to establish a good network with the locals. Surrendered LWE cadre should be used for intelligence collection and there was a need to depute “Shadow Intelligence Officers” to trace prominent LWE targets.

Dashboard KPIs and KRAs

These should be determined for the state police and the central forces to assess their preparedness as well as performance.

Harnessing technology

Technology is a force multiplier and there was a need to use more of it such as as UAVs. Along with it high-resolution cameras, GPS tracking and satellite images must be used. To prevent looting of weapons by the extremists, there is a need to have trackers in weapons and biometrics and unique identification numbers for explosives.

To counter LWE in different states, there is a need to fight on multiple fronts and create separate action plans for each front.

No access to financing

Choking LWE’s financial resources was the “basic mantra” in this fight to prevent them from getting weapons, ammunition, and food. “The 9/11 incident was not a “failure of intelligence but the failure of imagination”. We have to work to “outthink” and “outmanoeuvre” the LWE.

ii) Operation Green Hunt

It was an operation in Central India, an all-out offensive by paramilitary forces and the state forces. The operation is believed to have begun in November 2009 along five states in the “Red Corridor” namely Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.

In September 2009 the press reported on the progress of “Operation Green Hunt”: a massive 3 day joint operation in which the central CoBRA force and state police battled Naxal forces in Dantewada.

iii) Salwa Judum

Salwa Judum (meaning “Peace March” or “Purification Hunt” in Gondi language) was a militia that was mobilised and deployed as part of anti-insurgency operations in Chhattisgarh, India, aimed at countering Naxalite violence in the region.

Salwa Judum started in 2006 as a people’s resistance movement against the Naxalites. The militia, consisting of local tribal youth, received support and training from the Chhattisgarh state government.

The Supreme Court of India declared the militia to be illegal and unconstitutional, and ordered its disbanding. The Court directed the Chhattisgarh government to recover all the firearms, ammunition and accessories. The use of Salwa Judum by the government for anti-Naxal operations was criticised for its violations of human rights and poorly trained youth for counter-insurgency roles.

Effect of Government efforts to contain Naxalism

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Maoist influence has been gradually shrinking. In figures released on Monday, the MHA, which recently redrew the red corridor, brought down the number of districts affected with Naxal violence from 106 to 90, spread across 11 states. The list also includes the 30 worst-affected district — six down from the previous one.

In 2015, the NDA government had adopted the ‘National Policy and Action Plan’, which aimed at addressing Left Wing Extremism (LWE) in the country. In the last couple of years though, Maoists have managed to carry out big strikes killing scores of policemen. In Chhattisgarh, over two dozen policemen were killed in separate incidents in 2017; at least nine CRPF personnel were killed in a similar attack in Sukma last month.

Which states are included in the LWE-affected areas?

The report considers Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha and Bihar as states that are severely affected by LWE. West Bengal, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh (earlier a part of the severely affected category) are considered partially affected. Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh are classified as states that are slightly affected.

According to the report, Maoists are making a foray into Kerala, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and planning to link the Western and Eastern Ghats through these states. They are not only planning to increase their activities in these areas, but also carve out a base for themselves in the tri-junction. The report also notes that the Maoists are attempting to make inroads into Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, and their success in doing so can have long-term strategic implications.

Is the recently drawn red corridor different from the older one?

In 2015, the total number of LWE-affected districts was 106. It rose to 126 in 2017 following bifurcation of states and districts, and the expansion of Maoists activities. All expenses incurred by the affected areas are covered under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE) Scheme of the MHA, which provides funds for transportation, communication, hiring of vehicles, stipend for surrendered Maoists, and temporary infrastructure for security forces.

Of the 106 districts, 36 accounted for 80 to 90% of the country-wide LWE violence, and were categorized as “Worst Affected Districts”. In its recent review, the Home Ministry noted that 44 of the 126 districts reported negligence violence, and they were removed from the list. Eight new districts which witnessed Maoist movements were added to the SRE list. Currently, 30 instead of 36 of the worst affected districts account for 90% of the LWE violence.

So, which are the new districts where Maoists are making inroads?

Eight new districts have been included by the MHA.

Kerala: Malappuram, Palakkad and Wayanad

Andhra Pradesh: West Godavari

Chhattisgarh: Kabirdham

Madhya Pradesh: Mandla

Odisha: Angul and Boudh

Which are the districts that have now been excluded?

As many as 44 districts have been removed from the list. Among them the majority belongs to the following states:

* Telangana: 19 districts

* Odisha: 6 districts

* Bihar: 6 districts

* West Bengal: 4 districts

* Chhattisgarh: 3 districts

* Jharkhand: 2 districts

* Maharashtra: 1 district

What were the criteria for removing the districts and including new ones?

The primary criterion was ‘incidents of violence’. The 44 districts, which have been excluded, did not report any significant incidents of violence due to LWE in the last three years.

Similarly, three new districts in Kerala were added following reports of Naxal movement, and their overground activities. Incidents of violence have seen a 20% decline with a 34% reduction in related deaths in 2017 as compared to 2013. The geographical spread of LWE violence also shrunk from 76 districts in 2013 to 58 districts in 2017. The new districts will receive the SRE fund from the Centre, which will monitor development and security-related projects. Last year, the combined SRE expenditure in LWE-affected districts was Rs 445 crore.

What is the multi-pronged strategy of the government?

The multi-pronged strategy primarily includes development and security aspects of affected districts. Projects related to development include infrastructure, roads, cellphone connectivity, bridges and schools. As per MHA data, 2,329 mobile towers were installed in Maoist-affected areas in the first phase of the project aimed at improving cellphone connectivity, with the maximum number of towers being installed in Jharkhand (816), followed by Chhattisgarh (519). In the second phase, the government plans to install another 4,072 mobile towers.

Similarly, 4,544 kilometers of road have already been built of the sanctioned 5,422 km. The second phase of constructing 5,411 km of road will start soon, and is estimated to cost Rs 10,780 crores.

Earlier, 11 of the 36 worst affected areas had no Kendriya Vidyalaya (KV), and only six Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs). Now, all the 36 districts have JNVs, and eight districts have functional KVs. Three new KVs are also being built.

Eight bridges, which were built to enhance connectivity to remote areas in LWE-affected states, were constructed at a cost of nearly Rs 1,000 crores.