1

WARS WITHIN INDIA

1.

The largest democracy of the world trying to find a place in the sun today

faces a loud revolution from within. The oppressed masses have increasingly
become resurgent for their birth rights and their movements have started shaking
the foundation of Indian Union. Behind the glimmering faade of fancy media and
economic boom (cleverly articulated and showcased by the Indian Establishment
and Bollywood) lies the real India; almost hidden from the eyes of the world.
Whether it be the down trodden Dalits or the resurgent Naxalites or the
oppressed and harassed Muslims of Kerala and Kashmir, things have started
boiling up to a revolt like situation. The oppressed of India have found the
intellectual prowess as well as military muscle to fight for their basic human
rights.

2.

Indian politico military leadership has started feeling the heat generated by

these movements and is trying to work their way around the new challenge. As
per a report published in Guardian, 1 The Naxalites are heirs of the revolutionary
ideology of Mao Zedong. Unlike their ideological cousins in Nepal, the guerrillas
are not prepared to consider exchanging the bullet for the ballot box. Across a
wide swath of India, from Andhra Pradesh in the south to the Nepalese border,
there are daily reports of underground armies hijacking trains, mounting
audacious jailbreaks and murdering local politicians. Last month the prime
minister, Manmohan Singh, described the rebels as the single biggest internal
security challenge ever faced by our country. Nowhere is this conflict more acute
than in the dense forests of southern Chhattisgarh state, the scene of violent land
disputes and social clashes.
3.

It is important to view Indian internal scene as a destabilized and nuclear

India could spell serious security problems for the region. Since internal conflicts
in India cannot be covered in one paper and may require a complete book, this
paper focuses on few case studies with cross reference to other conflicts.
1

Inside India's hidden war. The Guardian, UK, 9 May 2006.

2
Kashmir has been kept out of this paper due to an informed audience in
Pakistan, however oppressed Muslim communities in other states have been
included to uncover the plight of the downtrodden communities (interestingly
Muslims are almost equated with Dalits when it comes to dispensation of socio
economic benefits in India). A postmortem of Indias internal dynamics and
growing anxiety of her downtrodden classes thus becomes essential for those
who want to study Indian polity.
Aim
4.

To anlyse growing resurgence of the oppressed classes and the resultant

conflicts within India with a view to recommend policy options for Pakistan.
Scope
5.

The paper will cover following aspects:a.

History of class struggle in India.

b.

Naxalite movement at present.

c.

Intellectual awakening of the Dalits and Indian Muslims.

d.

The Simmering North East.

d.

Role of Pakistan and International community in helping the

Oppressed of India.

History of class struggle in India

6.

Winston Churchill once remarked, India is no more united than the

equator. Indias problems lye deep in history and culture nurtured by an

exclusivist religion whose entire structure rested on the bases of class
composition working in compartments and mutually repelling groups. The Aryans
arrival in India established the new system at the expense of native Indians and
promulgated an apartheid doctrine which became the bedrock of Hinduism in
Sub-continent. It is tragic that today Dalits and other oppressed communities in
India still carry the burden of Brahmanic exploitation enshrined in Hindu doctrine
some 2000 years ago.As per Dr V.T. Rajshekar

, 2 The community of, Black

Untouchables of India known as Dalits is the worst sufferer. Dalits constitute

over 20% of Indian population. Contrary to the perceptions prevalent in the
2

Dalit voice,16 July 2006.

3
outside world they are not Hindus. In fact they are the indigenous inhabitants of
India who were conquered and subdued by the Aryan invaders. Aryans imposed
their caste-based social system on the local inhabitants and relegated them to
the lowest strata of their social setup.
7.

Things changed with advent of Muslim rule in India as well as efforts by

British Raj to induce the semblance of human rights for the down trodden of
India, however the trend reversed with partition of India in 1947 when lower casts
along with Indian Muslims and Christians were relegated to third rate citizens
under the crafty Brahmans and upper cast politico military leadership. Gandhi
made some cosmetic efforts to address the cast issue but the factor of upper
cast Hindus played an important role in relegating the down trodden lower cast
people to their perceived position in Indian polity. As per CC Hadke, 3 Evidences
available till 1946 suggest that divisions of power (Hindu, Muslim and Schedule
Casts(SC/ST) ) would have been recognised while transferring power from
British. But the 3rd part of power (SC/STs) disappeared during 1946. Who was
the culprit behind this conspiracy? We must look into history pertaining to this
effect which had a grave impact on the future of Dalits. Mountbatten who came to
India as Viceroy convinced Nehru and Patel about the partition of India. Nehru
was happy to learn that after the partition Muslims would not be there and that
the Hindus would have a free ride. When Mountbatten met Gandhi, he asked:
What shall be my benefit, if I support your proposal? Mountbatten said What do
you want? Gandhi said: Instead of three shares only two shares should be made
i.e. the 3rd share of SC/ST should be cancelled and the same should be merged
in India. I dont want to make SC/ST free because SC/ST are part of Hinduism,
which I dont want to divide. I want SC/ST as part of Hinduism. Mountbatten had
nothing to do with SC/STs. Gandhi wanted to merge the SC/ST share with
Hindus. Finally the rights of SC/ST were eaten by Gandhi.CC Hadke continues
with his assertion and writes, 4 Dr. Ambedkar was shocked on hearing about this
development. He rushed to London and met Churchill. But by then his

3
4

CC Hadke,Gandhi Killed Dalit rights,Dalit Voice.16 July 2006.

ibid

4
Conservative Party was defeated. However, Churchill assured Dr. Ambedkar that
he would try his best to convince Prime Minister Atlee and his ruling Labour party
members. The ruling Labour Party was in favour of Indias proletariat. But all
actions were taken quite opposite. Churchill criticised Prime Minister Atlee: To
whom have you transferred the power? You and your party have handed over
the power to crooks, hooligans and looters of India.From this it is crystal clear
that the man behind eating away the powers of Dalits in independent India was
Gandhi who had played a key role in enslaving us.That is why Babasaheb
Ambedkar called Gandhi the Enemy No.1 of Untouchables.
8.

Currently the class struggle in India has seen resurgence and the down

trodden have resorted to an intellectual jihad as well as use of military muscle

where ever possible. Whether they are the Naxalites of Chattisgarh, the Dalits
residing in slums of Mambai and Kolkata , the oppressed Muslims of Kerala and
Assam , the tribes of Bodoland or Nagaland or the defiant Maoists now fighting
Indian establishment in Darjeeling and entire North East India, there is a clear
and present resurgence with revolutionary overtones. A new trend in this struggle
is call for joint action. As per Malikka Joseph, 5 In early July 2001, Naxalite
groups all over South Asia announced the formation of a Coordination
Committee of the Maoist Parties and Organizations of South Asia (CCOMPOSA).
This is the first formal international coalition formed; an alliance between Naxalite
groups in India had existed earlier. What has raised concern is that the most
dreaded Naxalite groups in India, the Peoples War Group (PWG) and Maoist
Communist Centre (MCC), are also part of the newly formed CCOMPOSA. Of all
the Naxalite groups in India, the PWG and MCC have gained prominence due to
their ruthlessness, firepower and popular support. Large tracts are virtually under
their control where they run a parallel government. Andhra Pradesh is the main
area of operation for the PWG, though it is also found in Maharashtra, Uttar
Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jharkand, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamilnadu,
Orissa, West Bengal and Kerala. The MCC operates primarily in Bihar and
5

Mallika Joseph ,Security threat assessment of Naxalites in India ,Institute of Conflict and Peace
studies,India, 15 Aug 2001.

5
Jharkand. The poor implementation of land reforms, misgovernance and
ineffective police forces are responsible for the growth of these groups.
9.

Judy Barsalou of US Institute for Peace comments on internal problems of

Indian polity as 6 Indian communities in which there is little interaction among

members of different ethnic groups are the most likely to engage in ethnic
violence .The history of class struggle in India may require volumes and it may
not be prudent to include detailed study in this paper; however one thing is
certain that Indian Union is going to witness a persistent upsurge of oppressed
communities for the foreseeable future.
Naxalite movement at present.
10.

The Hindustan Times had covered the history of Naxalite movement in its

issue of 15 Dec 2005. Brief extracts are reproduced to highlight the movement:a.

Telangana Struggle: By July 1948, 2,500 villages in the south were

organised into 'communes' as part of a peasant movement which
came to be known as Telangana Struggle. Simultaneously the
famous Andhra Thesis for the first time demanded that 'Indian
revolution' follow the Chinese path of protracted people's war. In
June 1948, a leftist ideological document 'Andhra Letter' laid down
a revolutionary strategy based on Mao Tsetung's New Democracy.

b.

1965-66 Communist leader Charu Majumdar wrote various articles

based on Marx-Lenin-Mao thought during the period, which later
came to be known as 'Historic Eight Documents' and formed the
basis of Naxalite movement.

c.

Naxalbari Uprising (May 66): The rebel cadres led by Charu

Majumdar launched a peasants' uprising at Naxalbari in Darjeeling
district of West Bengal Tribes retaliated and started forcefully
capturing back their lands. The CPI (M)-led United Front
government cracked down on the uprising and in 72 days of the
"rebellion" a police sub-inspector and nine tribes were killed. The

Judy Barsalou , Lethal Ethnic Riots: Lessons from India and Beyond,Feb 2003,US Institute of Peace.

6
Congress govt at the Centre supported the crackdown. The incident
echoed throughout India and Naxalism was born.
d.

1970 Oct 20. Maoist Communist Centre was formed under Kanhai
Chatterjee's leadership.

f.

1972 July. Charu Majumdar was arrested in Calcutta on July 16. He

died in Lal Bazar police lock-up on July 28.

g.

1976 CPI (ML) holds its second Congress on February 26-27 in the
countryside of Gaya, in Bihar. It resolves to continue with armed
guerilla struggles and work for an anti-Congress United Front.

h.

1980 April 22: Kondapalli Seetharamaiah forms the Peoples War

Group(PWG) in Andhra Pradesh. He describes total annihilation of
"class enemies" as the only form of struggle and stresses on
floating mass organisations.

k.

1982. Indian People's Front (IPF) is launched in Delhi at a national

conference of CPI (ML) (Liberation). At the end of the year the third
Congress of CPI (ML) is organised at Giridih (Bihar), which decides
to take part in elections.

n.

1984 CPI (ML) and other revolutionaries try to woo Sikhs towards
joining peasant movement following Operation Bluestar in June and
country-wide anti-Sikh riots after Indira Gandhi's assassination in
Oct 31 the same year.

p.

1989 November: More than a dozen "left supporters" are shot dead
by landlords in Ara Lok Sabha constituency of Bhojpur district in
Bihar on the eve of polls.CPI (ML) (Liberation) records its first
electoral victory under Indian People's Front banner. Ara sends the
first "Naxalite" member to Parliament..

u.

1995 A six-member CPI (ML) group is formed in Bihar Assembly.

Two CPI (ML) nominees win from Siwan indicating the expansion of
party's influence in north Bihar.July: CPI (ML) organises All India
Organisation Plenum at Diphu to streamline party's organisational
network.

7
w.

1996,The

Progressive

Organisation

of

People,

affiliated

to

revolutionary left movement, launches a temple entry movement for

lower castes in Gudipadu near Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh. It
emerges successful.1997 CPI (ML) organises a massive 'Halla Bol'
rally in Patna. 1999,CPI (ML) Party Unity merges with Peoples
War.Naxalites launch major strikes. CPI (ML) PW kills six in
Jehanabad on February 14. MCC kills 34 upper caste in Senai
village of Jehanabad.Dec 16: PWG hacks to death Madhya
Pradesh Transport Minister Likhiram Kavre in his village in
Blalaghat district to avenge the killing of three top PWG leaders in
police encounter on Dec 2.
x.

2000, PWG continues with its revenge attacks. Blasts house of

ruling Telugu Desam Party MP, G Sukhender Reddy in Nalgonda
district in Andhra Pradesh in January. In February it blows up a
Madhya Pradesh police vehicle killing 23 cops, including an ASP

y.

2001 July: Naxalite groups all over South Asia form a Coordination
Committee of Maoist Parties and Organisations of South Asia
(CCOMPOSA) which is said to be first such an international
coalition. Naxalites bid to carve out a corridor through some areas
of Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh up
to Nepal.Nov: MCC organises a violent Jharkhand Bandh on Nov
26. Naxalites, mainly in AP, Orissa and Bihar celebrate People's
Guerilla Week hailing the formation of PGA on Dec 2. The week
unfolds major violence in the three states during which a plant of
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and the house of an Orissa
minister is blown up.

11.

Summanta Banerjees book Indias simmering Revolution critically

analyses the NAxalites movement and leadership of Charru Majumdar in giving

8
this movement the desired fillip, she describes, 7 Although the uprising at
Naxalbari lasted for only a few months it left a far-reaching impact on the entire
agrarian scene throughout India. It was like the premeditated throw of a pebble
bringing forth a series of ripples in the water. It was also a watershed in the
Indian Communist movement.

A brief snapshot of Charu Mazumdar as

reflected by Bannerjee is as following:a.

Born in a landlord family of Siliguri in 1918. Charu Mazumdar

studied at Edwards College, at Pabna (now in Bangladesh). He
gave up his studies to join the then outlawed CPI in 1938 and
devoted his work to the organization of the partys peasant front in
the Jalpaiguri area of North Bengal.

b.

Charu Mazumdar took a leading part in the Tebhaga movement of

the forties in Jalpaiguri.

c.

In the CPI, Charu Mazumdar was always known for his strong antirevisionist position. He sharply criticized the revisionist deviations
of the leadership and was arrested in 1962 following the SinoIndian war along with many other CPI leaders and activists, who
were identified with a pro-China stand.

d.

Between 1965 and 1967, Charu Mazumdar consistently urged his

followers through leaflets to concentrate in the countryside and
prepare the peasants for armed struggle to seize power in their
respective villages.

f.

His differences with the CPI (M) leadership came to a head when,
after the 1967 elections, the party decided to form a government
with other political elements, The Naxalbari uprising which broke
out soon after the installation of the United Front Government in
West Bengal in 1967, found its ideological leader in Charu
Mazumdar, who at that time was laid up with a heart ailment in
Siliguri.

Sumanta Banerjee, Indias Simmering Revolution, Zed Books Ltd, 57 Caledonian Rd, London,1984

9
g.

When the CPI (M-L) was formed in 1969, Charu Mazumdar

become its General Secretary. He earned plaudits from the
Communist Party of China, in early 1970, by which time the
movement had spread to various parts of India.

h.

In July 1972, he was arrested from a house in Calcutta. Grilled by

police

interrogation,

Charu

Mazumdar,

already

physically

weakened by privations of years of underground life, collapsed with

a heart attack. He was removed to hospital on 27 July but, denied
proper medical treatment, he died the next day.

12.

The extent of Naxalite reach and its strategic consequences for Indian

Union can be felt from the deliberation of Indian think tanks and policy advisors.
One of key figures in this regard is KPS Gill,the infamous Sikh IGP who
orchestrated anti Sikh policy of eighties and brought Sikhs to their knees in his
own homeland, Indian Punjab. A worried Gill writes, 8 But looking at the country
as a whole, the containment of terrorist groups based on religious or ethnic
separatist ideologies has gone side by side with an increase in Left Wing
extremist violence, which has mostly been concentrated in areas that are not in
the 'public eye' - or more accurately, which are neglected by he national media,
for they are very much 'in the eye' of the locals in areas where these Naxalite
groups dominate.The new trend of violence is substantiated by Mr Gill as,
9 These groups have sought to pass themselves off as a great ideological
response to the woes of the tribals, the Dalits, the downtrodden and the
dispossessed, but are essentially a mix of confused dogmas, caste conflict, the
desire of marginalised political leaders to gain political space through violence,
and a naked struggle for powerNevertheless, these ideologies have swept
across large areas of the country - the largest geographical area and population
to be afflicted by any single insurgency in the country - and currently comprehend
at least 165 districts under various intensities of activity, from high, through

8
9

K.P.S Gill Containing Ideological Violence, The Pioneer, December 24, 2005
ibid.

10
moderate, to targeted.The inability of the of Indian establishment to control the
violence is acknowledge by Mr Gill as, 10 This trend in violence has been growing
(678 persons died in 2005, till December 21, as against 566 in 2004) particularly
because of the inability of the policy making community, both at national and
State levels, to determine the exact responses that are necessary to contain this
violence, and this political confusion has found unfortunate echoes in the law
enforcement agencies as well.In addition to this broad sweep of terrorist violence
is the endemic sense of insecurity as a result of the increasing activity of
criminals, particularly of the criminal mafia that has found inroads into political
power, and the general sense of collapse in many parts of the country, in the
systems of law enforcement and justice administration.
13.

As per VK Nair the Nexalite movement is becoming a monster in Indian

politics, he writes 11 There was talk of converting Guerilla Zones (areas of

maximum activities) into Liberated Zones and CPML-PWG and MC
expansionist designs include spreading into new areas to carve out a Compact
Revolutionary Zone spreading from Nepal through Bihar and the Dandakaranya
region to Andhra Pradesh. This is in pursuance of a decision in September 1998
taken by them and the Nepal based CPN (Maoist). In pursuance of this aim MCC
has been exchanging visits with fellow cadres from Nepal and expressed
solidarity with the people war being waged by CPN (Maoist). CPML-PWG and
MCC have also agreed to impart training to CPN (Maoist) cadres in exchange of
weapons.

It can be safely concluded that Naxalism is spreading from its

traditional support base to rest of India,please refer to Naxalite reach as reflected

in Annex A.

Intellectual re-awakening of Dalits

14.

The story of black untouchables of India is a tragic happening continuing

since the arrival of Aryans in the sub continent and can be equated with the fate
of Aborigines of Australia and the Native Red Indians of the Americas with one
10

ibid.
VK Nair,Internal Security, India 2025 Social, Economic and Political Stability, Edited by R. K. Sinha,
Published under Centre for Policy Research New Delhi by Shipra publishers,2004
11

11
major difference, the Dalits have survived the oppression on the hands of crafty
Brahmins to fight for their birth rights. As the world progresses into 21st Century
with ideals of liberty and enlightenment the Dalits still face a dark future in their
own homeland.Before getting an insight into Dalit tragedy, it is important to
understand the basics of being a Hindu in India. As per a feature published in
National Geographic, 12 To be born a Hindu in India is to enter the caste system,
one of the world's longest surviving forms of social stratification. Embedded in
Indian culture for the past 1,500 years, the caste system follows a basic precept:
All men are created unequal. The ranks in Hindu society come from a legend in
which the main groupings, or varnas, emerge from a primordial being. From the
mouth come the Brahmansthe priests and teachers. From the arms come the
Kshatriyasthe rulers and soldiers. From the thighs come the Vaisyas
merchants and traders. From the feet come the Sudraslaborers. Each varna in
turn contains hundreds of hereditary castes and subcastes with their own
pecking ordersA fifth group describes the people who are achuta, or
untouchable. The primordial being does not claim them. Untouchables are
outcastspeople considered too impure, too polluted, to rank as worthy beings.
Prejudice defines their lives, particularly in the rural areas, where nearly threequarters of India's people live. Untouchables are shunned, insulted, banned from
temples and higher caste homes, made to eat and drink from separate utensils in
public places, and, in extreme but not uncommon cases, are raped, burned,
lynched, and gunned down.
15.

Dr V.T Rajshekar has struggled for the rights of Dalits since his youth days

and has spent his life time in this arduous journey now symbolized by a
magazine and website known as Dalit Voice.Brief introduction of Dr Rajshekars
book

Dalits: The Black Untouchables of India

is being presented in the

succeeding paras as described in the book. It is the first book to present a Dalit
(the word used for India's over 150 million "untouchables") view of the roots and
continuing factors for the gross oppression of the world's largest minority.
Rajshekar provides an analysis of the source of the oppressive Hindu caste
12

Tom O'Neill, National Geographic Jun 2003 issue

12
system which has been the reason for the oppression of the Dalits, who have
African roots. The author also exposes the horrific oppression Dalits face daily
with the complicity of the political, criminal justice, media and education systems,
and draws parallels with the treatment of African-Americans in the United
States.The indian states ignoring the rural poor who live like animals - who are
more poor than sub-Saharan Africa, have been converted to hard core
communism. And the Indians still spend billions on arms and foolish attempts to
become a world power, when thousands starve on their back yard.
16.

Dr Rajshekar takes pains to explain the plight of Dalits and clarifies the

need for intellectual re awakening through his magazine The Dalit Voice as,
13

As long as our people suffer from this most serious contradiction in our

thought and actionthis perplexing paradox Brahminism will not suffer even a
mosquito bite.Our Father(Dr Ambedkar),who is also the Father of India, had told
us to get rid of this contradiction and took us to Buddhism. But those followed
him were a micro-minority. And even those who did are following the Brahminical
Budhism.Slaves enjoying slavery: Brahminism is such a dangerous poison that
can enslave anybody. In our Editorial of Sept.1, 1992 we said: India, worlds only
country where slaves enjoy slavery. The slaves of India not only do not know
they are slaves but actually they are enjoying their slavery because they attribute
their slavery to karma (which is a fantastic Brahminical trap).In all other parts of
the world the victims of oppression have not only identified their oppressors but
also fought them. But the worlds most baffling problem is that in India the slaves
are not only enjoying their slavery but carrying their very slave masters on their
head. Heard of it anywhere? Forget about India, no Western expert has even
bothered to diagnose this most baffling and puzzling disease.
17.

The Dalits have geared up their efforts to internationalize the issue of

oppressed and enslaved communities of India,recently one of their delegation

visited UK to voice their grievances in the British parliament, extracts of the

13

Dr VT Rajshekar, You cannot worship Brahmin gods and also fight Brahminism : Contradiction in
Bahujan struggle,Dalit Voice 2006.

13
proceedings are highlighted as quoted in the Dalit Freedom Network, 14 The
Conservative Party Human Rights Commission held a hearing in Parliament
yesterday on the plight of the Dalits or untouchables in India, in the week that
Britain marks the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the trans-Atlantic slave
trade. Four leading Indian campaigners presented detailed evidence of serious
human rights abuses as a result of the caste system.The Commission heard
extensive accounts of bonded labour, discrimination, rape, sexual slavery,
beatings and killings of Indias 250 million Dalits and backward castes.Dr
Joseph Dsouza, International President of the Dalit Freedom Network, reminded
the Commission that William Wilberforce, who led the Parliamentary campaign to
end the slave trade, described the caste system in India as a system at war with
truth and nature. The Dalits, said Dr Dsouza, are facing a modern day
slavery.Indira Athawale, a womens activist, said that Dalit women face sexual
violence in a culture of impunity. She told of how two Dalit women were dragged
from their homes in their village in Maharashtra on 29 September, 2006 and
paraded naked through the streets to the village square, where they were
reportedly gang-raped and murdered.If the social exclusion, dehumanisation,
degradation, exploitation and oppression of Dalits is abhorrent and appalling, that
faced by Dalit women is the worst of all, Ms Athawale said.Indias Prime
Minister, Dr Manmohan Singh, has himself said that untouchability is not just
social discrimination, it is a blot on humanity.
Oppressed Muslims of Kerala,Assam and Tamil Nadu or the Mini Pakistans
18.

When it comes to oppressed Muslims of Indian Union one thinks of

Kashmiri Muslims only, it may of interest to many in our country that there are
some

other

Indian

states

where

Muslims

are

almost

the

majority

community.Kerala,Lakshadweep Islands,some major districts of Assam,West

Bengal,Tamil

Nadu,Utar

Pradesh,Andhra

Pradesh,Andaman

Islands

and

Southern Gujrat are few examples where Muslims form almost 30 to 50% of total
population(Lakshadweep Islands have 90% muslim population) .Please refer to

14

Hearing on Caste Discrimination in India before British Parliament March 2007,Press release from the
office of Stephen Crabb, British MP, Dalit Freedom Network 2006.

14
Annex D for the closer look at Muslim Diaspora of India. The demographic
projections for next fifty years indicate that Muslims of India will be 30 to 40% of
overall population by the year 2050.In this paper Kerala and Tamil Nadu have
been selected as a case study depicting the plight of Muslims of India and the
weariness of Indian establishment from the rise of Muslim political power from
these states specially Kerala now known as Mini Pakistans.
19.

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu is an interesting case where Dalits and Muslims

have developed strategic cooperation and many Dalits have found freedom from
the oppression of the cast system by conversion to Islam.As per P. G.
Rajamohan, 15 The roots of communal tension in the State are generally
believed to date back to the early 1980s, when more than 1,200 Dalits (the
poorest and most oppressed in the Hindu caste system) of Meenakshipuram, a
village in the Kanyakumari district, embraced Islam on February 19, 1981, and
even changed their village name to Rehmatnagar. Thereafter, there was a wave
of conversions in many places, including Tirunelveli, Ramanathapuram and
Thanjavur districts, as also stray incidents of conversion or threat to conversion
in some other districts such as Madurai, Madras (Chennai) and North Arcot as
well. Conversion was generally seen as a means register protest by, and to uplift
the social status of, the Dalits. The converted Dalits felt that the caste system in
Hinduism was responsible for their low status, whereas Islam purportedly
provided liberation from this stigma as it did not recognize social divisions on the
basis of caste. Hindu activists wanted to stop these conversions and many
national-level Hindu leaders visited the tiny hamlet of Rehmatnagar and other
areas affected by the conversions in order to bring back the converted Dalits
into their fold. It was these incidents of conversion and the Hindu response that
are believed to have ignited tensions between the two main religious groups in
Tamil Nadu.
20.

Kerala The Indian Establishment conducted a clandestine survey in 2003

in Kerala targeting data collection on Muslim and Christian communities. One of

15

P. G. Rajamohan, Tamil Nadu: The Rise of Islamist Fundamentalism, Institute for Conflict
Management,Faultlines,2006.

15
the Kerala Muslim-Christian think tanks Counter Currents.org reacted to the
survey as, 16 The minority leaders have expressed the deep fear that in the light
of the Gujarat experience, such data can prove fatal. They apprehend that his
data will be misused to oppress and attack the minorities. They are also fearful
that the data will land in the hands of the fundamentalist-communal-extremist
elements as was the case in Modi's Gujarat where the majoritatian Hindutva
terror outfits of the RSS,Bajrangdal,VHP and others used the data to pinpoint the
minority shops,houses and individuals in the genocide. One is left to wonder why
there has been a discriminative survey of some of the minorities in the state.The
minority leaders have questioned the rationale behind this highly selective
sampling and ponder why there is no survey on the majority community's houses
of worship or other institutions. There are apprehensions that the plot is part of
the larger 'Gujaratisation plan for India or the Modi-fication of India'.Such
clandestine surveys signify the destructive and un-secular path the national
government is treading right now.
21.

Hindu think tanks have started a vicious campaign against rise of Muslim

political power in Kerala,a glimpse of this aspect is reflected in hate literature now
hitting the internet as well print media within India such as 17 Hindus in Kerala
have declined in numbers, and this is what happens to non-Muslims when the
Muslim population reaches a critical mass: decimation. When Semitic religions
hold sway, they brutalise minorities. Hindus have a simple choice: convert, die or
flee. And Kerala's Hindus are running out of places to flee to. We may end up in
squalid refugee camps like the Pandits.If these educated and privileged Muslims
turn so violently against their Hindu neighbors, there is no hope for Hindu-Muslim
amity anywhere else in India. The two-nation theory has won, and Jinnah was
right. For Kerala has always treated Muslims well, and it is indeed God's own
country for them. From pre-Islamic times, Arabs came to Kerala to trade, their
dhows following the monsoon winds across the Arabian Sea. Islam first came to
India -- and that too, peacefully -- to Kerala, where the first mosque in India, the

16
17

Clandestine Survey Of Christians And Muslims In Kerala ,03 July, 2003,Counter Currentts.com
Rajeev Srinivasan Moplah Rebellion, Part II: Hindus massacred on Maraad Beach, www.rediff.com,2003

16
Cheraman mosque, apparently built in the 7th or 8th century CE, stands at the
great old port of Kodungalloor .Muslims came as sailors, married local women
and stayed on: the very word 'Moplah' means 'son-in-law.' But most Muslims in
Kerala have no Arab blood, and they are the descendents of Hindus forcibly
converted during Tipu Sultan's invasion of Malabar. This alleged freedom-fighter
was a fearsome jihadi: relatives of mine have family histories of fleeing from
Malabar to the princely state of Cochin to avoid him. Even today 'Tipu's
padayottam' (march) is remembered in the racial memory of Kerala Hindus as a
catastrophe spoken of in hushed tones.
22.

The case study of Tamil Nadu and Kerala is just tip of the iceberg,Muslim

economic and political progress in these states cannot go unnoticed from the
eyes of crafty Brahmin,with Gujratization as the model, Hindu fundamentalism
has lots of cards to play to check the Pakistanisation of Indian states within the
heartland of Hindustan.Incidently Muslim Diaspora in India is no more a
Diaspora,it has started shaping into core regions forming Muslim majority mass
along the Indian fault line stretching from Assam through Andhra Pradesh down
to Kerala and Lakshadweep Islands as reflected in Annex B.
The Simmering Northeast
23.

Indian northeast is a shatter zone comprising Burmo Mongolied tribal

groups living in the seven states bordering Bangladesh called the seven sisters.
Indian establishment has not been able to bring law and order to this backyard
despite the policy of divide and rule. From the Bodos of Assam to the proud
Nagas of Nagaland or the down trodden Muslims now forming a regional hub in
Assam and Arunachal Pradesh the Northeast is simmering and has the potential
to erupt like a volcano. As per Wasbir Hussain 18 India's Northeast is one of
South Asia's hottest trouble spots, not simply because the region has as many as
30 armed insurgent organizations operating and fighting the Indian state, but
because trans-border linkages that these groups have, and strategic alliances
among them, have acted as force multipliers and have made the conflict

18

Wasbir Hussain ,Insurgency in India's Northeast Cross-border Links and Strategic Alliances,Indian
Institute for Conflict Management 2001.

17
dynamics all the more intricate. With demands of these insurgent groups ranging
from secession to autonomy and the right to self-determination, and a plethora of
ethnic groups clamouring for special rights and the protection of their distinct
identity, the region is bound to be a turbulent one.Moreover, the location of the
eight northeastern Indian States itself is part of the reason why it has always
been a hotbed of militancy with trans-border ramifications. This region of 263,000
square kilometers three shares highly porous and sensitive frontiers with China in
the North, Myanmar in the East, Bangladesh in the South West and Bhutan to
the North West. The region's strategic location is underlined by the fact that it
shares a 4,500 km-long international border with its four South Asian neighbours,
but is connected to the Indian mainland by a tenuous 22 km-long land corridor
passing through Siliguri in the eastern State of West Bengal, appropriately
described as the Chicken's Neck.
24.

B.G. Verghese in his book Indias Northeast Resurgent looks deep into

the teething problems of this region as, 19 Read Indian history as it is taught and
you will scarcely known the Northeast exists. This may be said of many regions
in India outside the Indo-Gangetic plain and the Deccan heartland and latterly,
some coastal lands. The Northeast, however, remains at the periphery of the
periphery. Strangely, partition has made it more remote than before as many
links were severed and have not been joined since. It remains somewhere
there.
25.

Ajay Sahini describes the troubled Northeast as, 20 Among the proliferation

of terrorist organisations in Indias troubled Northeast, two stand out in

significance: the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) that seeks the
seccession of Assam, and the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (IsakMuivah) [NSCN-IM] that has taken over the leadership of the longest insurgency
in the region, seeking Naga independence. While violence by both these groups
has seen a recent decline, their influence in the region is overwhelming. They run

19

B.G. Verghese, Indias Northeast Resurgent, Konark Publishers Pvt Ltd,New Delhi,1996
Ajai Sahini, Wars within Borders,Edited version published in Pinkerton Global Intelligence Services,
November 16, 2001.
20

18
widespread networks of extortion, drug smuggling and other criminal activities,
and also control substantial overground business operations.

26.

Stratfor a Washington based think tank has analysed the situation in

Indian Northeast as, 21 Northeastern India is a region wracked by secessionist

violence, where wide networks of drug smuggling, extortion and arms trafficking
run rampant. India has traditionally dealt with the myriad secessionist movements
through force, fearing that any concessions made to one group would only
exacerbate the others' secessionist tendencies and further undermine the
country's territorial integrity.North East India has been witness to a range of
ethnic insurgencies since Indias independence in 1947. Whether it has been the
National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN), the All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF)
or the National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB), ethnic components of the
region have sought to wage little wars in order to assert their various identities.
Indeed, even a cursory look at some of the insurgent charters will determine the
genesis of most of these little wars to be ethnic assertion.
27.

Annex C graphically represents the simmering Northeast along with other

hot spots of the Indian Union.

Conclusions and Recommendations for Pakistan and International

Community
28.

Indian Unions control over her resurgent population specially the

oppressed communities is eroding, it is only a matter of time when instability in

the hot beds of revolution reaches a critical point of no return leading to loss of
central control and call for autonomy and independence along the identified fault
lines.

21

India: The Islamization of the Northeast,Stratfror.com, Washington,April 20,2007.

19
29.

An analysis of the core areas of resurgence other than Kashmir and

Punjab indicates that a major fault line exists along Indias eastern extremity all
the way from Seven Sisters down to Andhrapradesh-Kerala and Lacadeve
Islands.This factor has also been acknowledged by Mr Bharat Verma in one of
the editions of Indian Defence Review. Please refer to Annex E.Naxalite
movement,Mini Pakistans and resurgent Dalit Ghettos exist along a wide swath
along this fault line and have the potential to seriously destabilize Indian Union.
30.

There is a general un awareness of Indian internal conflicts in Pakistan

due to lack of proper focus as well as distance factor. We do not have any
dedicated institution to study Indian internal polity due to stereotype attitudes.
The Muslims of India other than Kashmir have been left at Indian mercy for too
long and there is a clear blackout of information on these communities and their
plight. Pakistan and international community have an obligation to provide moral
support to oppressed communities of India; after all India has always raised
questions on Baluchistan and even Northern Areas whenever they have found an
opportunity. Interestingly Indian media and her think tanks project the themes of
fails states in South Asia and opine that all states surrounding India are either
failed or failing states, it is time for India to reflect that actually she is the basket
case for a failed state.
31.

Indian establishment and her media have successively befooled the

international community on the plight of her down trodden masses as well as

apartheid treatment meted out to Dalits and Muslims with the themes of Shining
India and milk and honey flowing through the Ganges River. The voices of
oppressed communities of India have been snubbed under a thick blanket of all
is well.It is high time the international community abides by their obligation of
moral and diplomatic support to the oppressed of India.
32.

International community must understand that Indian fault lines are real

and have the potential to destabilize the whole region, the nuclearised South
Asia cannot afford an India with exorbitant expenditure on arms and arsenal
spending where her oppressed communities become desperate leading to loss of

20
political control. India must put her house in order before embarking upon her
journey to the so called greatness.
33.

Pakistan and international community should provide forums to the

oppressed Indian communities in voicing their concerns and help them in

achieving semblance of basic human rights. In this time of information age the
regional and international media (including print and electronic) has an obligation
to come forward and deliver the oppressed communities of India from the
centuries of exploitation and oppression.
34.

Pakistan should lead the way by following measures:a.

Establishment of India Chair in major universities to educate

political scientists on internal dynamics of Indian polity.

b.

Make media forums available to Dalits,Naxalites and Indian Muslim

community for voicing their grievances.

c.

Encourage think tanks to hold international conferences and

seminars on Oppressed communities of India.

d.

Include study of Indian fault lines and security issues related to

these in strategic assessment while reviewing and formulating own
security and defence policies.

WAQAR HASAN KHAN

21

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1.

Inside India's hidden war. The Guardian, UK, 9 May 2006.

2.

Dalit voice,16 July 2006.

3.

CC Hadke,Gandhi Killed Dalit rights, alit Voice.16 July 2006.

4.

Mallika Joseph, Security threat assessment of Naxalites in India ,Institute

of Conflict and Peace studies, India, 15 Aug 2001.
Judy Barsalou , Lethal Ethnic Riots: Lessons from India and Beyond,Feb
2003,US Institute of Peace.
Sumanta Banerjee, Indias Simmering Revolution, Zed Books Ltd, 57
Caledonian Rd, London,1984.
K.P.S Gill, Containing Ideological Violence, The Pioneer, December 24,
2005.
VK Nair, Internal Security, India 2025 Social, Economic and Political
Stability, Edited by R. K. Sinha, Published under Centre for Policy
Research New Delhi by Shipra publishers,2004.
Tom O'Neill, National Geographic Jun 2003 issue.
Dr VT Rajshekar, You cannot worship Brahmin gods and also fight
Brahminism : Contradiction in Bahujan struggle,Dalit Voice 2006.
Hearing on Caste Discrimination in India before British Parliament March
2007, Press release from the office of Stephen Crabb, British MP, Dalit
Freedom Network 2006.
P. G. Rajamohan, Tamil Nadu: The Rise of Islamist Fundamentalism,
Institute for Conflict Management,Faultlines,2006.
Clandestine Survey Of Christians And Muslims In Kerala ,03 July,
2003,Counter Currentts.com.
Rajeev Srinivasan Moplah Rebellion, Part II: Hindus massacred on
Maraad Beach, www.rediff.com,2003.
Wasbir Hussain, Insurgency in India's Northeast Cross-border Links and
Strategic Alliances, Indian Institute for Conflict Management 2001.
B.G. Verghese, Indias Northeast Resurgent, Konark Publishers Pvt
Ltd,New Delhi,1996.
Ajai Sahini, Wars within Borders,Edited version published in Pinkerton
Global Intelligence Services, November 16, 2001.
India: The Islamization of the Northeast, Stratfror.com, Washington, April
20,2007.

5.
6.
7.
8.

9.
10.
11.

12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.

22

Annex A

NAXALITE HOT BEDS AND THEIR PROJECTED ADVANCE

23

Annex B

MINI PAKISTANS OTHER THAN KASHMIR

AREAS WITH 40% MUSLIM POPULATION

24

Annex C

SEVEN SISTERS AND OTHERS IN REVOLT

25

Annex D

ARC OF INSTABILITY IN INDIAN BACKYARD

A BASKET CASE OF THE FAILED STATE

26