S.S.

JAIN SUBODH LAW COLLEGE

MANSAROVER, JAIPUR

SESSION:- 2020-21
TOPIC:- Problem of Naxalism
SUBJECT:- Political science

Submitted to :- submittedby:-
Ms.Anju Gupta Muskan
Assistant Professor Sharma
(Political science) Semester :- 2nd A
 CERTIFICATE

Faculty

S.S. JAIN SUBODH

LAW COLLEGE

MANSAROVER,JAIPUR

This is to certify that Muskan sharma , student of II semester, Section A

has carried out project titled Problem of Naxalism under my
supervision. It is an investigation of a minor research project. The student
has completed research work in stipulated time and according to norms
prescribed for the purpose.

Ms. Anju Gupta

(Assistant Professor)
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to express my gratitude to those who generously took

initiative and helped in the successful completion of this project. I thank
to them for their inspiration & guidance towards preparation of this
report. I own to my esteemed teacher and supervisor, respected Dr.
Alpana Sharma, Director, S.S. Jain Subodh Law College, Mansarover
Jaipur, and I am highly indebted and my profound gratitude to Ms. Anju
Gupta (Faculty), S.S. Jain Subodh Law College, Mansarover Jaipur, who
enabled me to make a project, and provided me their stimulus of writing
this report on Problem of Naxalism I am grateful to (faculty), S.S. Jain
Subodh Law College, Mansarover Jaipur , for her valuable advice,
continuous support & guidance through various useful discussions at
different times during the tenure of making this project and her co-
operation led to great learning experience to me.

I also thanks to Library members of S.S. Jain Subodh Law College,

Mansarover Jaipur for providing me subject matter in regard to my
research project. My humble thanks to all my colleagues and classmates
of my college, who rendered their whole hearted co-operation and
wonderful response.

(Signature of Student)
 

Table of Contents

Introduction………………………………………………………………………… ………02

History of Naxalite Movement………………………………………………… … …….03

Red Corridor…………………. …………………………………………… ………………07

Naxalism and Internal Security.....…………………………………………… ……………08

Naxalism: India’s Hidden War……………………………………………… …………….09

Recent Major Attacks by Naxalites…………………………………………… ………….11

Operation Green Hunt…………………………………………………………… ………..12

Dalits and Adivasis in Naxalism….……………………………………………… ………13

Women in Naxalism………………………………………………………………………...14

The Laws Made by the Government...………………………………………… ………….16

Socio Economic Development……………………………………………… …………......17

What should be done to solve the problem of

Naxalism?.....................................................18

Conclusion..........................………………………………………………… ……………19

Bibliography……………………………………………………………… ……………….20
 INTRODUCTION

“They are not terrorists but leaders of a political movement who want to
‘liberate India from the clutches of feudalism and imperialism”

Naxalite: A member of an extreme Maoist group in India that originated in

1967 in West Bengal and which employs tactics of agrarian terrorism and direct
action.1

The word Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi is a generic term used to refer to

various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under
different organizational envelopes. In the eastern states of the mainland India
(Jharkhand, West Bengal and Orissa), they are usually known as, or refer to
themselves as Maoists while in southern states like Andhra Pradesh they are
known under other titles. They have been declared as a terrorist organization
under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of India (1967).2 The Chinese
government has been found to have provided sanctuary to leaders of the
movement.3

India is bleeding not by the thousand cuts but due to “Hinterland” explosion.
Recent Naxalite attack is a major cause of concern in India today. Instances of
Naxal violence are reported at regular intervals in India. The issue of the Naxal
movement is attributed differently by the Naxals and the state power. While
the former view it as a ‘socio-economic’ problem, the later regard it as a ‘law and
order’ problem. Whatever, may be the fact, the concern of the development of
the people has to get priority and in no way it has to be compromised. The Govt.
development scheme and effort is laudable but there is limitation of effort.

1
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Naxal
2
http://www.mha.nic.in/uniquepage.asp?id_pk=292
3
 "Cops nail China link with Naxals". The Times of India. 2011-10-08. Retrieved on 25-03-2012
 History of Naxalite Movement

When India became independent from the British Empire in 1947, the Nizam of

Hyderabad, a Muslim king, wanted Hyderabad State to remain independent
under the special provisions given to princely states. The Hindus of the
Hyderabad State who accounted for 93 per cent of its population launched the
`Join India' movement with the cooperation of a few Muslims for the
integration of the State with the rest of the country. The State
Congress leaders and Arya Samaj leaders invoked themselves whole-heartedly in
the movement. The peasants of the state, influenced by the Communist, had
also revolted against the Nizam, who tried to suppress their armed struggle
against landlords. Qasim Razvi led private Razakar Muslim army fighting for
continuation of the Nizam's rule, did worst forms of atrocities on
people. The Government of India liberated and assimilated the Hyderabad State
on 17 September 1948, in an operation by the Indian Army called Operation
Polo.4

It is said that Naxalism is one of the organization of aggressive communists. In

other words it is also called CPI (MAOIST). After Indian independence in 1947
the communist extremist started armed violence activities first time in 1948
but because of lack of public support the movement couldn't get velocity. These
Naxalites communists always keep deep belief on violence. From the beginning
they had started committing violence by using Arms. Naxalites adopted the
way of armed violence revolutionary activities from the Village - Naxalbari in
the district - Darjeeling in West Bengal in the year 1967 against exploitation
done by Zamindar and Rich men upon particular people of the society. Under
the leadership of revolutionary leaders Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal and Jangal
Santhal the Naxalites increased the violence drastically. At that time the aim
of the Naxalite was to achieve power of the state by violent revolution. They
used to force the local people for abatement of land revenue & tax etc. Actually
in the year 1967 their revolutionary activities and violent activities started
from the village Naxalbari, hence it is called 'Naxalism' and the supporters are
called “Naxalites”. At the same time the aggressive communist violence
activities again started in the Sri Kakvlam area of Andhra Pradesh. However in
Tribal areas the Naxalism remain alive. In meantime the leadership was taken
over by Shri Chandrapulla Reddy, who left the violent way of movement and
decided to do violence when very essential, but he too could not succeed. In

4
http://www.aponline.gov.in/quick%20links/hist-cult/history_post.html - Retrieved on 25-03-2012
1975 after emergency the Naxalites formed another group under leadership of
Shri Kondapalli Sitaramaiya called C.P.I. (M.L). Peoples War Group. By this
group no work was done in Democratic way and shown no-faith in government
system. The group also took unemployment, economically backward areas as
medium for their publicity. For this work, the organization divided in the areas
and according to the area Dalam emerged. Peoples War Group chief Kodapalli
Sitarmaiya has added the slogan of independent Dandkaranya in all his slogans.
The P.W.G. organization declared to include Garhacharoli of Maharashtra,
Mahabubnagar, Karimnagar, Adilabad, Warangal of Andhra Pradesh, Koraput,
Khampit & Kalahandi of Orissa, and Balaghat & Jabalpur of Madhya Pradesh in
independent Dandkaranya. The main residents of these areas are tribals, small
farmers & labourers.5

Charu Majumdar, inspired by the doctrines of Mao Zedong, provided ideological

leadership for the Naxalbari movement, advocating that Indian peasants and
lower class tribals overthrow the government and upper classes by force. A
large number of urban elites were also attracted to the ideology, which spread
through Majumdar’s writings, particularly the ‘Historical Eight Documents which
formed the basis of Naxalite ideology. 6

Violence in Bengal

The Naxalites gained a strong presence among the radical sections of the
student movement in Calcutta.7 Students left school to join the Naxalites.
Majumdar, to entice more students into his organization, declared that
revolutionary warfare was to take place not only in the rural areas as before,
but everywhere and spontaneously. Thus Majumdar declared an “annihilation
line”, a dictum that Naxalites should assassinate individual “class enemies” (such
as landlords, businessmen, university teachers, police officers, politicians of the
right and left) and others.8

Throughout Calcutta, schools were shut down. Naxalites took over Jadavpur

University and used the machine shop facilities to make pipe guns to attack the
police. Their headquarters became Presidency College, Kolkata.9 The Naxalites

5
http://balaghat.nic.in/History%20of%20Naxalism.pdf- Retrieved on 25-03-2012
6
Naxalite Movement, pg no.17, Uday Kumar, published by Lucky International.
7
 Judith Vidal-Hall, "Naxalites", p. 73–75 in Index on Censorship, Volume 35, Number 4 (2006). p.73.
8

http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/audience.nsf/b1bc9409c64d85a06525698d0025dc3c/581314
6ae3eeee2e652572870041e297/$FILE/A0260027.pdf- Retrieved on 25-03-2012

9
http://www.vifindia.org/Tackling-%20the-Naxal-Insurgency- Retrieved on 25-03-2012
found supporters among some of the educated elite, and Delhi’s prestigious St.
Stephen’s College, alma mater of many contemporary Indian leaders and
thinkers, became a hotbed of Naxalite activities.

The chief minister, Siddhartha Shankar Ray of the Congress Party, instituted

strong counter-measures against the Naxalites. The West Bengal police fought
back to stop the Naxalites. The house of Somen Mitra, the Congress MLA of
Sealdah, was turned into a torture chamber where Naxal students from
Presidency College and CU were incarcerated illegally by police and the Congress
cadres. CPI-M cadres were also involved in the “state terror”. After suffering
losses and facing the public rejection of Majumdar’s “annihilation line”, the
Naxalites alleged human rights violations by the West Bengal police, who
responded that the state was effectively fighting a civil war and that
democratic pleasantries had no place in a war, especially when the opponent did
not fight within the norms of democracy and civility. 10

Large sections of the Naxal movement began to question Majumdar’s leadership.

In 1971 the CPI (ML) was split, as the Satyanarayan Singh revolted against
Majumdar’s leadership. In 1972 Majumdar was arrested by the police and died
in Alipore Jail. His death accelerated the fragmentation of the movement.

Reasons for failure of Naxalite Movement (1967-75):11

1. The Naxalites wanted to surround the towns and cities by the villages, i.e.,
they wanted to encircle the urban centers with organized peasant forces of the
villages. If the peasant militia could have occupied the cities, according to
Majumdar, the so-called bourgeois government would fall making the passage to
the coming of a socialist government; but the Naxalites could not and did not
come up to a stage capable of organizing the peasants and thereby encircling
the towns.

2. Majumdar gave sole importance to secret organization and armed training of

its members for the purpose of eliminating class enemies. As the Naxalites did
not have mass level organization, they lacked mass support. With only a few
armed elements, and those not properly educated in the party line, little could
be accomplished.

3. “Khatam” (the action of eliminating the so-called class enemies in villages) was
a wrongheaded attempt at political mobilization based on the individual murders

10
 Diwanji, A. K. (2003-10-02). "Primer: Who are the Naxalites?"Rediff.com. Retrieved 25-03-2012.
11
Naxalite Movement, pg no.20-23, Uday Kumar, published by Lucky International.
of a select few people whose political class and character was never adjudged
by their socio-economic conditions or the properties they possessed but very
often only by their political affiliation or by the name and color of the party or
parties they directly or indirectly belonged to. For example,
in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar they killed some petty jotdars who otherwise could
have been comrades in action against the capitalists or could be friends in a
revolution for radical change.

4. Recruitment in the Naxalite party took place in the absence of proper

judgment and scrutiny of the political characters and behaviors of the recruits.
It was not uncommon for recruits into the Naxalite party to vent their personal
animosities by identifying their personal enemies as class enemies, to be killed
with the help of the Naxalite organization.

5. In many cases dreaded criminals too enrolled themselves in the Naxalite

party with the objective of getting fire arms.

6. The ruling Congress party inserted spies inside the unguarded Naxalite
organization to gather information about its secret bases and arrest its
supporters. Government intelligence personnel and police disguised as Naxalite
sympathizers infiltrated the party’s inner organization and arrested many of its
leaders, including Charu Majumdar. Thus police had information about the
movements of Majumdar after he had gone underground in 1970, and he was
arrested in Calcutta in July 1972. He died in jail days after his arrest, probably
in the night of 27 or 28 July. It is not known how he died, although the
government reported that he died of a heart attack.

7. Ordinary people in villages were terrified at the brutal and gruesome ways
they killed the fellow villagers vilifying them as class enemies.

8. Hundreds were slaughtered by the police and paramilitary forces in fake

encounters, in jails and in police custody. Thus many perished away from the
movement.
 RED CORRIDOR

The Red Corridor is a term used to describe an impoverished region in the east

of India that experiences considerable Naxalite communist insurgency. These
are also areas that suffer from the greatest illiteracy, poverty and
overpopulation in modern India, and span parts of
Andhra, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar
Pradesh and West states.12

The districts that comprise the Red Corridor are among the poorest in the
country. Uttar Pradesh and Orissa are among the poorest states in the country.
Other areas encompassed by the Red Corridor, such as Chhattisgarh state and
the Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh, are also either impoverished or have
significant economic inequality, or both.13

The areas encompassed by the Red Corridor tend to have stratified societies,
with caste and feudal divisions. Much of the area has high indigenous tribal
populations (or adivasis), including Santhal and Gond. Bihar and Jharkhand have
both caste and tribal divisions and violence associated with friction between
these social groups.14 Andhra Pradesh’s Telangana region similarly has deep
caste divides with a strict social hierarchical arrangement. Both Chhattisgarh
and Orissa have significant impoverished tribal populations.

The corridor has significant resources- particular large unexploited mineral,

forestry and potential hydro-electric generation capacity. The great Indian
industry has significant presence in Red Corridor. The NALCO, BALCO, Jinda
Steel, Cement tycoon all are has significant share in the Red Corridor resources.

12
http://www.globalpolitician.com/22790-india- Retrieved 25-03-2012.
13
Naxalite Movement, pg no.85, Uday Kumar, published by Lucky International.
14
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/publication/faultlines/volume2/Fault2-MatthewF.htm- Retrieved 25-03-
2012.
 NAXALISM AND INTERNAL SECURITY

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Naxalism remains the biggest internal
security challenge and it is imperative to control Left-wing extremism for the
country’s growth. His government has not underestimated the problem of
Naxalism.15

State action in the context of internal security has to be based on the

constitutional framework, conventions of governance on relations between
center and states, the rule of law and justice, and free discourse. As the
system has developed in the country, the police need to follow the rule of law
and take recourse to the criminal justice system as long as citizens are not
armed, and there is no direct conflict with the police. However, in cases of
abnormal situations, the citizenry get armed, some times more than police. In
the areas severely affected by Naxal violence there are a minimum of five
violent incidents per day primarily involving the killing of civilians. 16

The role of economic development cannot be ignored in the areas affected by

Naxal extremism. Lack of economic growth leads to violence. Building roads,
railways and telecom infrastructure are significant signs of development.
However, this infrastructure has been attacked by the Naxals causing
hindrance to all development.17

In Naxalism, there is a sense of deprivation and injustice. There is a great need

to improve the standards of governance in Naxal-affected tribal areas.

Naxal Operations:

The Naxal movement is coordinated by the apex body of the CPI (M), that is,
its Central Committee, which is 32-35 member body. Out of it, a 13 member
Politbureau is formed. Of the total money collected by the State Committees
and the Special zones, 30 percent goes to the Central Committee. The rest is
retained for local expenses incurred by the State Committees. The
procurement of weapons is done at the central level and then distributed to
states as per their needs. Almost 80 percent of weapons come from looting,
just as the Nepali Maoists do.

15
The Hindu, May 24, 2010- Retrieved on 25-03-2012.
16
Naxalite Movement, pg no.59-60, Uday Kumar, published by Lucky International.
17
Ibid. at pg no.61.
 NAXALISM: INDIA’s HIDDEN WAR

It seems extraordinarily outrageous and almost impossible, that a big, well

known country could hide an entire guerrilla army’s activities. “There are two
India’s. The dazzling India which we see every day on our TV channels. But there
is another India which we rarely see or write about” It is estimated that
sixteen of India’s twenty-eight states are ‘infected’ to some degree,
India’s intelligence agency has estimated that the number of Naxalites
could be as high as 70,000, though other estimates go as high as 120,000.

Of course, in the world’s largest democracy, such a huge movement can hardly
have gone unchallenged. Over the past decade individual states in Central and
Southern India have affected their own campaigns with varying degrees of
failure. Strategies have mainly included arming local resistance movements and
emptying villages where there is support for the terrorists. While groups of
Naxalites have offered ceasefires, the Indian Government says it will only
consider peace talks if a complete ceasefire is forthcoming – the fact that this
has not been offered undermines the image of cohesion and of a unified army
made up of the many Naxalite groups.
The Naxalite spokesman Ganesh Ueike claims that they are not terrorists but
leaders of a political movement who want to “liberate India from the clutches of
feudalism and imperialism”. He has condemned militants in the disputed Kashmir
region who have been blamed for attacks against civilians in Mumbai, claiming
that the Naxalites only attack government forces: ‘Those who choose soft
targets or do such things to create communal hatred have nothing to do with
people. They are mercenaries funded by national or international powers … All
this should be condemned.’ The success with which this conflict has been hidden
is remarkable and can be seen as symptomatic of the Indian Government’s
attitude.

Many have tried to draw attention to this conflict though, and the implication of
its existence and the way in which it has been hidden. Booker Prize-winning
author Arundhati Roy has campaigned tirelessly to draw attention to the
conflict and even defended the Naxalites’ tactics. She has attacked the
government as a ‘charade of democracy’ which has used the Naxalites as an
excuse for a ‘land-grab’ of areas high in natural resources in central and
southern India. Roy was accused of sedition by the Indian Government last year
though not convicted.18

18
http://www.defence.pk/forums/indian-defence/135691-india-s-hidden-war.html- Retrieved on 26-03-2012.
 RECENT MAJOR ATTACKS BY NAXALITES

 The 2010 Dantewada Maoist attacks were a 6 April 2010 ambush by

rebels from the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in Dantewada
district, India, killing 76 CRPF policemen and 8 Maoists — the deadliest
attack by the Maoists on Indian security forces. The attack occurred
when over 80 officers from the federal Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) and a local police group were conducting a domination exercise in
the Bastar tribal region of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh.19
 Maoists on 27th June 2011 blew up a police vehicle in a landmine blast and
ambushed BSF personnel killing five security men and injuring six others
in two separate attacks in Dantewada and Kanker districts of
Chhattisgarh.20
 At least 15 CRPF personnel were killed on 27 March, 2012 in a landmine
blast triggered by suspected Naxalites in Gadchiroli district of
Maharashtra.21

 Four BSF officers, including a commanding officer, were today killed in an

IED blast by suspected Maoists in Malkangiri district of Odisha.The BSF
squad was targeted at around 1 p.m. in the Janbai area of the district,
under Chitragonda police station area, 465 km from here, and its jungles
are a Naxal hotbed as it touches the borders of two other states ~
Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, making it a corridor for Maoists.
According to initial reports, the officers were returning in their vehicle
after attending a meeting with the district administration. 22
 In March 2012 Maoist rebels kidnapped two Italians in the eastern Indian
state of Orissa, the first time Westerners were abducted there. There
after an MLA of the state was also kidnapped. 23

19
http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/20-security-men-killed-by-naxals-in-chhattisgarh-19293.php- Retrieved on
26-03-2012.
20
http://liveindia.tv/india/states/5-policemen-killed-in-naxal-attacks-in-chhattisgarh/- Retrieved on 28-03-
2012
21
http://news.taaza.com/source/914184-crpf-personnel-killed-in-naxal-attack.html- Retrieved on 28-03-2012
22
http://www.thestatesman.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=399692&catid=35-
Retrieved on 28-03-2012
23
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17421561- Retrieved on 28-03-2012
 OPERATION GREENHUNT

Operation Green Hunt was the name used by the Indian media to describe the
Government's paramilitary offensive against the Naxalite rebels in the late
2000s. The operation began in November 2009 along five states in the "Red
Corridor."24

The term was coined by the Chhattisgarh police officials to describe one

successful drive against the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in the state. It
was erroneously used by the media to describe the wider anti-Naxalite
operations; the Government of India doesn't use the term "Operation Green
Hunt" to describe its anti-Naxalite offensive.25

In October 2009, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) announced that it

was in the final stages of planning the offensive and had received approval from
the Union-led government. The Commando Battalion for Resolute
Action (COBRA) would take the lead in the operations against Maoist
insurgents.26 At the beginning of November 2009, the first phase of the
operation began in Gadchiroli district. As many as 18 companies of the central
paramilitary forces were moved into the area in anticipation of the operation. 27

An operation is underway in Central India, but no one really knows what it is.
Variously described as a media myth, a comprehensive hearts and minds
strategy, and an all-out offensive by paramilitary forces and the state forces
along the borders of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and
Maharashtra, Ops Green Hunt has become a shoebox of news clippings, police
reports, public demonstration and armed encounters.

There is also little clarity on the extent of troop deployment, the composition
of the forces and the chain of command between central paramilitary forces
and the state police. Privately, sources in the security apparatus admit that part
of the confusion is by design rather than by default to control the information
available to Naxal commanders.

DALIT AND ADIVASI IN NAXALISM

24
http://rt.com/news/maoists-naxals-india-offensive/?fullstory- Retrieved on 28-03-2012

25
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/antinaxal-operation-satisfactory-says-chid/570551/- Retrieved on 28-
03-2012

26
http://news.outlookindia.com/items.aspx?artid=667442- Retrieved on 28-03-2012

27
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2009-11-02/nagpur/28083958_1_gadchiroli-cpmf-operation-
green-hunt- Retrieved on 28-03-2012
Although the terms of references did not specifically mention Naxalites, the
group’s brief was to identify causes of unrest and discontent in areas affected
by “widespread displacement, forest issues, insecure tenancies and imperfect
market conditions etc.,”. Clearly, such areas fall in above mentioned five states-
and significantly enough, the group organized field visits in these areas to
observe the situation at first hand, on the basis of which it has come out with
stark revelations that expose the culpability of the state in denying the poor
their basic rights, the treachery of a corrupt bureaucracy to implement the
laws, and its complicity with a trigger happy police to suppress popular protest.

The main support for the Naxalite Movement comes from dalits and adivasis,
termed as scheduled castes and scheduled tribes respectively in official
parlance, which comprise about one-fourth of India’s population, the majority
living in rural areas.28

Apart from high levels of poverty, the dalits suffer from various types of
disadvantages like unemployment, illiteracy, social discrimination, human rights
violation. As for the adivasis population, besides remaining backward in all
aspects of human development including education, health, nutrition, etc, they
have been steadily losing their traditional tribal rights. These groups fail to
take advantage of constitutional rights. Thus they are very much attracted
towards Naxalite movements as these movements fight for their minimal rights.
So most of them join these movements. Incidentally, every dalits and adivasis
poor in India have not joined the Naxalite movement. There are many states
with pockets of high proportion of adivasis and dalits but little Naxalite
influence, as in Punjab, Haryana, Gujarat and Rajasthan.

For such a violent upheaval to happen there is the likelihood of the spread of
awareness and consciousness. And this is where the Naxalites have played a
significant role by stepping into craters of dalits an adivasis deprivation in the
five states, and organizing the deprived for their rights. 29

WOMEN IN NAXALISM

28
Naxalite Movement, pg no.137, Uday Kumar, published by Lucky International.

29
Ibid at pg.no.139.
The Naxalite movement is increasing its tenacity to strike at will. It continues
to persist in terms of spatial spread, intensity of violence, militarization and
consolidation, ominous linkages with subversive/secessionist groups and
increased efforts to elicit mass support. Thousands of armed guerrilla warriors
are no longer engaged in isolated attacks, but are resorting to large militarized
assaults and have forged external links. Unfortunately, it is observed that
women Maoists are equally involved indirectly and directly in such violent
activities, causing threat to internal security of the Nation. India, the largest
successful democracy, is witnessing such violent figures. The involvement of
women in Maoist activity is not at all a fresh new entity. Right from the
conception of this great, historic Naxalbari armed peasant rebellion; it is found
that women played a very vital role in this ‘Spring Thunder’ of 1967. The spring
thunder of Naxalbari was a clarion call for the oppressed and exploited people
of India. The Indian Communist movement had gone through many ups and downs
since then. There were many twists and turns, ups and downs in these forty
years. It has been forty years since six peasant women, two children and a
peasant had laid down their lives in Naxalbari while fighting for land and life
with dignity – their liberation. As per the report of CPI (Maoist) Information
Bulletin, in the Srikakulam struggle, which was the major armed struggle of the
Naxalbari period, there were 17 women martyrs. Altogether the total number of
women martyrs of that period will be in dozens. But after the decade of 1990,
and in present millennium the involvement of women has become substantial in
violent Maoist activities.

Women do not just make up the ranks. They account for three Divisional
committee members, nine Commanders, three Area commanders and two Deputy
Commanders operating as far as Maharashtra is concerned. In fact, the
statistics show men are outnumbered by the fairer sex in commanders and
deputy commander’s cadre. Two women divisional committee members Narmada
and Tarakka alias Vimala Sidam operate in the South Gadchiroli area while
Sajanakka in the North. Fifty seven others form the support strength. The role
of women cadres in the 1st February carnage at Markegaon in Gadchiroli
district, which claimed lives of 15 policemen, is also a matter of speculation.
They treat women on par even in their military struggle. Women cadres are
provided training just like their men counterparts. There is no discrimination in
their diet or exercises. It is mandatory for all new recruits to the outfit to
take a nine-point oath that declares, inter alia, that he or she would not
discriminate on the basis of religion, caste, gender, race, or ethniethnic
 The Laws Made by the Government

Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007:

 The main aim of this act is to minimize the displacement of people and to
promote non-displacing or least displacing alternatives. The Government issued a
rehabilitation policy on 11 0ctober 2007 for the easy displacement of people
who lose their land for industrial growth. Under this policy land in change for
land will be given, job prospective to at least one member of the family,
vocational training and housing benefits including houses to people in rural areas
and urban areas will be some of the benefits. 30

Forest Rights Act, 2006:

 The Scheduled Tribe and Other Traditional Forest dwellers (Recognition of

forest Rights) Act 2006 or the Forest Rights Act recognizes the rights of the
scheduled tribes and forest dwellers who have been living in the forests for
years but their rights have still not been recognized. The Ministry of
Environment and Forests has also allowed use of 1 hectare of land for non
forest purposes and conversion of kutcha roads into pukka roads. 31

Chhattisgarh Special Public Securities Act, 2006:

This bill provides definition of unlawful activities, declaring an organization

unlawful, formation of an advisory board wherever the state government feels
the need for its establishment, procedure of the formation of the advisory
board, action of the advisory board, penalties, punishments even for not
committing a crime, the power to notify a place being used for unlawful
activities and taking occupation of such place thereof and revision/bar against
intervention by the courts.32

These laws have in many ways caused a lot of problems to the tribals and
the scheduled castes by negating the spirit of the various safeguards available
to the scheduled tribes under the constitution and other laws in the
country. The act providing 'land for land' has become a nightmare for the
government and has become a stumbling block for ensuring industrialization. As

30
http://nhpcindia.com/writereaddata/english/pdf/rnrpolicy2007.pdf- Retrieved on 28-03-2012

31
http://www.nls.ac.in/resources/ded/classnotesforyear2010ded/MBL-1_Web%20Oct%2010/EL-MBL-
FORESTRIGHTSACT2006.pdf- Retrieved on 28-03-2012

32
http://archives.newswatch.in/violation/chhattisgarhs-novel-way-to-counter-naxals-gun-for-journalists.html-
Retrieved on 28-03-2012
per the Unlawful activities prevention act (UAPA) the government has banned
all organizations that have any connections with any Naxal movements like the
MCC or the CPI-M (Marxist-Leninist). There was no need of this bill to tackle
Naxalism. This bill was formulated, only to silence the appropriate discord and
dissent brewing in the minds of people in the areas affected by Naxalism due to
persistent ignorance by the government to their situation. This Bill has also
failed to make a distinction between the anti-social, anti-national elements from
the people who are peace loving.

Social Economic Development:

Various schemes launched have been launched by the government like the
Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) which offers tremendous
opportunities for rural road connectivity. For certain districts affected by
Naxalism which have a population of 500 and above in plain areas and 250 and
above in tribal areas 3 years perspective plans are being formulated to cover all
habitations. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) is
being implemented in 330 districts affected by Naxalism so as to universalize
the demand-driven programme for wage-employment. Other schemes which are
in addition to the above mentioned schemes are Bharat Nirman, National Rural
Health mission (NRHM), Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS) and other income generating and social security
schemes of the Ministry of Rural Development, Agriculture, Panchayati Raj and
Tribal affairs. The central government will also provide 100 percent assistance
in the formation of Ashram schools and hostels for girls and boys in 46 tribal
areas.

States like Jharkhand and Orissa have offered huge incentives to the Naxals
who surrender themselves. Further, the government has offered cash
equivalent to the price of the weapon surrendered. They will provide them with
life insurance cover, vocational training, agricultural land, health and 47
educational facilities for their children.
 What should be done to solve the problem of Naxalism?

The solution which will solve the problem of Naxalism is the Social Integration.
The tribals and scheduled castes that live in the Naxal affected areas have
been neglected for the past many decades and now want some attention from
the government. Providing them with incentives like giving them right over the
forest produce from the forests in which they have been living for generations,
providing them with houses etc. is the right modus of solving their basic
problems. The main reason for the spread of Naxalism is the exploitation of
poor and scheduled castes. The main thing which has to be done is to enforce
land ceiling laws, utilization of the funds provided to government to the
maximum and political expediency. Use of police forces should be to enforce the
land ceiling laws, evict landlords and ensure land to the farmers for cultivation.
They should be provided with police protection, and proper rehabilitation for
the people who have been displaced should be ensured. Security as well as
development has to run hand in hand to counter the Naxal problem.

The government has to instill faith in the people that they will be governed in a
better manner than by the Naxals. The government should include laws in the
forest act that only forest dwelling tribes and scheduled castes should be
allowed to use the produce of the forest. Proper guarding of financial
institutions sanctioning loans to these tribes should be ensured which will help
these tribes to realize that the government is with them.

The Central government should form a separate ministry which will undertake
the development of the areas affected by the Naxal activities.

Using force against the tribals to deter them from joining the Naxals has and
will backfire against the government. The government should ensure peace in
these areas so that these people don't suffer more than they already have and
this can be done only if the government takes proactive measures so as to
ensure social justice and inclusive growth for the benefit of the marginalized
sections.
 CONCLUSION

The state has to do much more than plan counter-insurgency operations or

support violent vigilante groups to suppress the Naxalite movement. After close
examination of the historical and ideological origins of the movement, it is clear
that the movement thrives on the dissatisfaction of the marginalized and
alienates the population. The socio-economic perspective of Naxalism talks
about how the rebel movement is shaped due to the failure of the institutional
mechanisms and frameworks to deliver “socio-economic justice”. This article
outlines the steps taken by the government, but concedes that it is not enough
to over-emphasize the “law and order” approach.

Close examination of the movement will enable to understand that the

marginalized take up arms only to break down the insensitive establishment,
which has failed to deliver an egalitarian society. The Naxalite leaders may talk
about 'deliverance of the proletariat from the neo-liberalist bourgeoisie, and
the dawn of New Democracy', but such phrases mean little to the tribals and
landless labourers who find themselves at the receiving end of state sponsored
and non state-sponsored exploitation. They are in the battle only because of
their disillusionment with the status quo.

Only with consolidated efforts on the part of the legal and political framework
socio-economic reforms can be implemented, and the problem of Naxalism
tackled.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books

 Naxalite Movement ‘A Biggest Challenge to the Internal Security’-

Uday Kumar, Published by Lucky International.

 Forces Hand Book of World Terrorism-

Dr. Seema Rao, Prof. Dr. Deepak Rao.

Web Sources

 www.thefreedictionary.com
 www.mha.nic.in
 www.aponline.gov.in
 balaghat.nic.in
 www.cscsarchive.org
 www.vifindia.org
 www.globalpolitician.com
 www.satp.org
 www.defence.pk
 www.ndtv.com
 liveindia.tv
 news.taaza.com
 www.thestatesman.net
 www.bbc.co.uk
 www.rt.com
 www.indianexpress.com
 news.outlookindia.com
 articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com
 www.isrj.net
 nhpcindia.com
 www.nls.ac.in
 archives.newswatch.in
 www.thehindu.com