Naxal Women: Challenges that lie Ahead

War has never been a male domain since women also get drawn into it as combatants, survivors and peace
makers. Indias Maoist war which seeks to overthrow the state to establish socialist-communist society is
no exception with women being impacted on both sides of the spectrum: as perpetrators and survivors.
While many of the Naxal leaders have claimed that their support base has been in its waning phase, they
have also deployed a different strategy which focuses on increasing the participation of women in the
Naxal cadres. Current reports suggest that sixty per cent of lower naxal cadres now comprise of women
with their numbers steadily increasing. This has raised concerns amongst government quarters which see it
as a method to elicit social acceptability in the tribal areas.
Mapping the movement shows that women have supported it at various levels since its inception in
Naxalbari, a small village in West Bengal. In the 60s and 70s women joined the struggle as they were
influenced by their male counter parts and were determined to bring about a social change. The class
struggle subverted the need for equal participation and rights since most of the women were employed to
do courier tasks provide logistical support to robberies, stealing arms and were not entrusted with
organisational work. Several women found themselves retreating to their traditional feminine roles and
observed that the movement was replete with nuanced gender blind episodes. As it progressed some
women found a constricted space to express concerns over their rights since it was subverted by the larger
albeit more important issue of class equality. In the October 2004 cease fire agreement between the
Government of Andhra Pradesh and the Naxalite leaders, none of the women were represented.
At present, the movements support base largely comprises of tribals who driven by their poverty stricken
conditions see no other alternative but join the Maoists in their war against the State, mining corporations
and the upper caste. Shubhranshu choudhary in his book Lets call Him Vasu, based on the Maoist war
in Chattisgarh, has extensively highlighted the various reasons that drive women to join the war. Many
pick up the gun to avenge the sexual exploitation they faced at the hands of security forces. Many find
naxalism as a route to free themselves from the clutches of patriarchy and domination from the upper caste.
Rebecca, a naxalite, says "state repression" drove her to take up arms and join the rebels too." We don't live
this hard life for nothing. I had no choice but to join the revolution. Now there is no looking back," she
says defiantly
Womens bodies often become sights of war. The warring sides inflict violence upon women to avenge the
treatment meted out to them. It is no different for women caught in the conflict between the State and
Maoists. A Naxalite woman could be raped by State forces or suffer torture at the hands of Naxalites if
they quit. Rape and sexual abuse is rampant within the Maoist cadres, Shobha Mandi also known as Uma
in her latest book,Ek Maowadi ki diary, highlights that she was repeatedly raped and assaulted by her
fellow commanders.
"We had women from 16 to 40 years of age in our group. Almost all those I knew had experienced some
form of sexual abuse or exploitation when they had stepped outside their homes to work or at the hands of
security forces," says Rampati Ganjhu, a former rebel commander from the eastern state of Bihar. "These
women joined us to seek revenge but things are very different now." More and more of them are
disillusioned and some women in particular are being abused by the male leaders."
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The tough forest life as a Maoist guerilla saps strength out of many drop outs who suffer from kidney
problem, ulcers, joint pain and reproductive tract infections. This further adds to their hardships when they
want to start life afresh. The societal fabric that exists in the region rarely offers a way for women to be
independent and empowered in the cultural and the financial domain. Many women have also brought to
fore the mismanagement that prevails in granting rehabilitation packages for those who have quit the
movement
There is also a rapid increase in female headed household since most of the men either lose their lives in
the conflict between the State or Naxalite movement or join the Naxalite movement. Women find it tough
to cope up in the absence of socio-cultural, governmental and financial support. Kalavati, a Sarpanch
leader, from a Gond tribe speaks of her difficulties in implementing construction of roads in her village.
The Maoists hinder the project claiming that it would make them more vulnerable to the Indian security
forces. This also impacts other developmental and humanitarian initiatives like health sanitation and
education due to lack of connectivity. She has devised other alternatives to help alleviate the condition of
women in her village like providing them with earning opportunities by cooking and delivering food with
the help of government funds. However, largely women have to struggle in the absence of support
mechanisms
Partly to blame is media which contributes towards glorifying the image of women maoists and this pattern
has been observed not only in the case of women maoists in India but worldwide. Media tends to be
transfixed on the image of the woman guerilla and rarely encapsulates the desperate conditions which
prevail in the rural hinterlands and in turn propel these women to join the movement. In fact there is only
recent emergence of interest in studying the impact of Maoist war on Women in the rural hinterlands of
India.
In order to check upon the ever increasing number of women maoists, it is imperative that the Government
implements policies and introduces adequate safety measures for the women. A woman goes on to impact
her entire community therefore it s extremely crucial that positive measures are taken to alleviate them
from their poverty stricken conditions and at the same time weaken the Maoist support base.
References
-Singh Pratibha, Womens Role in the Naxalite Movement, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, April 2013
-BBC News, Why Women join Indias Maoist Groups, November 2013
-Singh Vijaita, Women Maoist Commanders play a big role in encounters, Indian Express, March 2014
-Haque Saiful, Wife swapping, Adultery, Rapes. Former Woman Maoists shocking revelations on the
ultras, India Today, June 2013
-Paul Stella, Tribal women leaders seek safety & innovation as Maoist insurgent conflict continues,
Women News Network
-Ramanna P.V., Women in Maoist Ranks, Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, August 2013

ITS Institute for Transnational Studies

Gabelsbergerstrae 28a
84034 Landshut/Germany
Tel.: +49 871 / 96 52 66

ITS Institute for Transnational Studies

Lfflerweg 21
39030 Gais/Italy
Tel.: +39 0474 504 237

info@transnationalstudies.org
www.transnationalstudies.org
Copyright 2011 by:
ITS Institute For Transnational Studies