POLITICAL SCIENCE

TERRORISM: NAXALS IN INDIA

Submitted by - Submitted to -
Name: Siddharth Jain Dr. Shweta Dhaliwal
Roll No.: 18065
Group No.: 4

RAJIV GANDHI NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF LAW

2019
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I have taken efforts in this project; however, it would not have been possible to complete
this project without the help and supervision of Dr. Shweta Dhaliwal.
I would like to thank both the teachers and the college for providing me with the required
resources and help.
I am highly indebted to Dr. Shweta ma’am for providing me with this enriching assignment
which not only helped me doing rigorous research work but also enhanced my general
knowledge.
I would express my gratitude to both my parents for being constantly supportive and co-
operative, which helped me in completion of this project.
My thanks and appreciation would also extend to all my classmates who willingly helped
me out with their abilities.

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CONTENTS
1. Objective ...4

2. Introduction …5

3. Ideology & Strategy …7

Human Development Deficits …8

4. Terrorism …16

5. Causes for uprising …17

6. Conclusion …19

7. Bibliography …20

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OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study is to gain fundamental knowledge about the Naxals (Maoists)
in India. This will enable me to learn about the various conditions, reasons and implications
that exist in the current political system. The assignment would provide a clear picture
about what problems are faced by the Naxals and India, and find probable solutions to the
challenges posed. In order to complete this project, I studied and examined various research
papers and journals which were relevant to this topic.

While working on this project came across a lot of other research papers and publications
which helped me in making this project.

The research makes us understand the Naxals point of view, their demands and threat faced
by India because of terror inflicting activities taken up by the Maoists.

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INTRODUCTION
Naxal, Naxalite or Naksalvadi are generic terms 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. 1 They have been
declared as a terrorist organization under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act of India
(1967). The term 'Naxal' derives from the name of the village Naxalbari in the state of West
Bengal, India, where the movement had its origin. The Naxals are considered far-
left radical communists, supportive of Maoist political sentiment and ideology. Their
origin can be traced to the split in 1967 of the Communist, leading to the formation of
the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist).2 Initially the movement had its center in
West. In later years, it spread into less developed areas of rural central and eastern India,
such as Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Pradesh through the activities of underground groups like
the Communist Party of India (Maoist). For the past 10 years, it has grown mostly from
displaced tribals and natives who are fighting against exploitation from major Indian
corporations and local officials whom they believe to be corrupt.

In 2009, Naxalites were active across approximately 180 districts in ten states of India. In
July 2011, the number of Naxal affected areas was reduced to 83 districts across nine
states. In December 2011, the national government reported that the number of Naxalite
related deaths and injuries nationwide had gone down by nearly 50% from 2010 levels. 3

1
Rajat Kujur, “Naxal Movement in India: A Profile,” Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies, September
2008, http://www.ipcs.org/pdf_file/issue/848082154RP15-Kujur-Naxal.pdf (visited on October 18, 2011).
2
"Cops nail China link with Naxals". The Times of India. 8 October 2011. Retrieved 2011-12-31. Times of
India describe new findings of China ISI links to Naxal movement.
3
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, “Annual Report 2010-2011”,
http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/AR(E)1011.pdf (visited on April 20, 2012).

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IDEOLOGY & STRATEGY
Although most Naxalite groups today have a distant relationship to China and its ruling
communist party, Maoism is still at the core of their ideology, with protracted people’s war
as its main feature (Mohanti 2006, 3). This means long term revolutionary violent struggle
supported by the rural masses. 4

More precisely during the first phase of revolution, the rebels try to gain popular support
by ideological indoctrination, start building up liberated zones and start attacking the
government. During the second phase the violence escalates and the revolutionaries
increase their influence in rural areas and select bigger targets. In the final phase
conventional warfare is adopted and the cities are encircled from the conquered countryside
aiming to overthrow the government. Following this doctrine, the Naxal revolution appears
to be stuck within the second phase. Still today, over 30 years after his death, the thoughts
of Charu Mazumdar, the intellectual father of the movement, play an important role for the
Naxalites. The official line of the CPI (Maoist) focuses on the underprivileged, basically
poor peasants and tribals, rejects any caste systems and supports all national movements
striving for independence and self-determination, with a special reference to India’s North
East as well as Kashmir.5 Recently also feminist positions were introduced. However
patriarchal structures still persist within the movement.

Due to Maoist ideology and Charu Mazumdars teachings, seizure of state power is the
ultimate goal of the movement in order to transform India into a multinational union of
equal nationalities. In this regard their engagement with the poor primarily appears as a
strategy for mobilizing the masses for revolutionary reasons. Also, a look on the
composition of the highest party bodies shows that neither Dalits nor tribals are
represented; in fact, most of the members belong to high caste. 6 It appears that a distinction

4
Mehra, Ajay K.; 2009: A Nowhere Approach to India’s Nowhere Revolution; in: Mainstream; October
31.
5
Philip Bowring Published: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 (2006-04-18). "Maoists who menace India".
International Herald Tribune. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
6
Sing, Digwijay 2010 (B): Rethink Counter-Maoist Strategy; 7/24/2010;
http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article1992.html.

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can be made between on the one hand the intellectual leadership of the movement that is
highly convinced of the Maoist ideology and strives for their ultimate goal of overthrowing
the Indian state in the long run and on the other hand the rural mass supporters, poor
peasants, Adivasis, Dalits etc. whose anger and frustration was instrumentalized that fight
for social justice, equality and local development in order to improve their individual
situation. Both aspects must be seen at the same time. (Planning Commission 2010). 7

Furthermore, the CPI (Maoist) is very engaged in building up mass organizations, such as
labor unions, as well as women and students association in order to broaden its approach
to the economic and political struggle besides the armed one. Recently the Maoists have
started to focus increasingly on the government’s attempts to liberalize finance and
economy. 8

7
South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) (A): Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPIMaoist);
7/24/2010;
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/CPI_M.htm
8
Chandran, Suba & Joseph, Mallika, India: The Naxalite Movement, Searching for peace in Central and
South Asia,2002.

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EFFECTS OF NAXALISM

i. POVERTY - The structural violence contributes to and is also reinforced by human

development deficits in respect of all accepted indicators which are lower in the
case of these communities when compared to the other social groups. These
pronounced disparities have a debilitating effect on the psyche of the affected
population and a cause of their seething resentment. Of these indicators, poverty
tops the list. It constitutes the greatest source of misery and degradation in life. 9The
Dalits and the tribes are among the poorest sections of the society. In fact, Bihar,
Orissa, MP, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, UP are states which account for 58% of
the Dalit population but 70% poor among them and 49% of tribal population but
63% of the poor among them. The agricultural activity is also extremely vulnerable
to climate fluctuations (most frequently visited by drought) and the produce by
market fluctuation and, therefore, yields low income. 10

ii. FOOD INSECURITY - Both the Dalits and tribals suffer from acute food
deficiency but the tribals face it far more than the Dalits. As per official data, nearly
1% of the tribal households do not have sufficient food in any month of the year
while nearly 3% of the households’ face food shortage for some months in a year
which is an underestimate.11 The incidence of starvation deaths, characteristic of
extreme impoverishment, is the highest in the tribal areas where families are forced
to sell their children for survival. Hunger is also the greatest cause of indebtedness

9
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, “Annual Report 2010-2011”,
http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/AR(E)1011.pdf (visited on April 20, 2012).
10
UNDP 2009: Human Development Report 2009; 7/24/2010/;
http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/.
11
International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI); 2009: India State Hunger Index
– Comparisons of Hunger Across States: 7/24/2010;
http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/ishi08.pdf

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 among the tribes as they borrow money for consumption at very high rates of
interest during the lean agricultural season when there is no employment. 12

iii. LOWER PER-CAPITA CONSUMTION - These depressing indicators in

respect of productive assets, employment and food insecurity lead to low per-capita
consumption expenditure – an indication of low purchasing power. In the case of
tribals, approximately 50% of rural households are concentrated in the consumption
class of less than Rs.340. In the urban areas, 52% of the tribal households are in the
consumption class of Rs.577 as against 29% of the other groups.13 The inequality
and the ratio of poverty between the tribals and others have increased over the years.

iv. HEALTH - The situation in respect of health status is even worse. The infant
mortality rates, indicative of the reach of primary health care is as high as 84.2 per
thousand in the case of tribals and 83 per thousand in the case of Dalits compared
to 61.8 in the case of others. Their limited access to health care is evident. In the
case of the tribes, only 18% could have their deliveries in a health facility compared
to 51% among the other communities and 33% in the case of Dalits. 14 The
nutritional levels in these groups are truly disturbing. The percentage of children
with anemia is 78% in the case of Dalits and 79% in the case of tribes. The data
from NHFS III (2005-06) brings out the caste differentials in relation to the health
status. It records low level of contraceptive use among the Dalits and the tribes
compared to the forward castes and reduced access to ante-natal care, institutional
deliveries and complete vaccination coverage. The incidence of stunting, wasting,

12
Planning Commission; 2008: Development Challenges in Extremist Affected Areas;
7/24/2010; http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/publications/rep_dce.pdf.
13
UNDP 2009: Human Development Report 2009; 7/24/2010/;
http://hdr.undp.org/en/statistics/.
14
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, “Annual Report 2010-2011”,
http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/AR(E)1011.pdf (visited on April 20, 2012).

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 underweight in children is also higher among these groups. Similar differentials
were documented in the NHFS II (1998-99).15

v. GOVERNANCE - The gaps in policy architecture and ground realities emerging

from its implementation makes it abundantly clear that the interface of Dalits and
tribals with the governance structures holds the key to the understanding of Naxalite
movement and appreciation of its violent manifestations. But the movement is also
significantly related to the relationship which these communities have with the
larger society around them. 16 The state-people interface is multifaceted and covers
all organs of the government as well as the economy and political formations
outside it. The interface with the larger society is reflected in its institutions and
practices as also the thinking and behavior of its members. Governance was
expected to influence relationships of these marginalized groups with the state as
well as society so as to create a feeling of inclusion among them. The first was to
be achieved by formulating laws, policies and programmes to remove constraints
and disabilities in enjoyment of freedom and equality. 17 The second was to be
realized by vigorously promoting social change. That this has not been achieved is
a testimony of the failure of governance. The result is lack of confidence and trust
in the established authority and deep alienation of people from the government.
Far worse, it has generated in them a feeling of helplessness and despair. 18

vi. JUSTICE AND ADMINISTRATION - The greatest frustration is caused to the

people when crimes and injustices are not punished and disputes and conflicts are
not settled by the state apparatus fairly and in time.19 There are stories from Naxalite

15
Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, “Annual Report 2010-2011”,
http://www.mha.nic.in/pdfs/AR(E)1011.pdf (visited on April 20, 2012).
16
Asian Centre for Human Right (ACHR) 2006 (B): The Adivasis of Chhattisgarh:
Victims of the Naxalite Movement and Salwa Judum Campaign; 7/24/2010;
http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/Chattis0106.pdf.
17
Chakravarti, Sudeep; 2010 (A): The Rebels mirror India’s failings as a Nation;
12/15/2010; http://www.boell-india.org/web/52-641.html.
18
Indian Express; 2010 (B): Named for Naxal ‘nexus,’ Delhi prof, NGO call
Chhattisgarh police fascist; 7/24/2010; http://www.indianexpress.com/news/hearingplea-
against-salwa-judum-sc-says-state-cannot-arm-civilians-to-kill/290932/.
19
Kaur, Sarabjit; 2010: Towards understanding Naxalism; 7/24/2010;

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 areas about persons who took up arms when faced with such acute injustices like
dispossession from land, rape of their women, deprivation of fruits of labor,
incarceration in false cases and violence of the law enforcing agencies with no
action against the guilty persons by the concerned agencies. 20 The existing justice
administration system has failed the people belonging to these groups. The
authorities which deal with investigation and prosecution are insensitive and tilted
in favor of those who violate laws. The judicial system is too formal, remote, slow,
expensive and technical besides being user-unfriendly to be of any help to the weak
and the poor.21 The Dalits and tribal feel that the system is not meant for them but
only for the rich and the powerful. It is not surprising that the Naxalite system of
dispensing instant justice, however abhorrent to the liberal mind, attracts them. The
discourse on Alternative Dispute Resolution as an answer to the ills of the existing
system is also irrelevant to the needs of these groups as also the other poor. In these
circumstances, the system of governance far from providing comfort to the victims
who suffer structural violence operates in a manner that accentuates the crisis of
confidence in the system. 22

http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article1953.html
20
Mehra, Ajay K.; 2008: India’s Experiment with Revolution; Heidelberg Papers in
South Asia and Comparative Politics; Working Paper 40; 7/24/2010;
http://archiv.ub.uniheidelberg.
de/volltextserver/volltexte/2008/8710/pdf/Heidelberg_Paper_Mehra.pdf
21
Mehra, Ajay K.; 2008: India’s Experiment with Revolution; Heidelberg Papers in
South Asia and Comparative Politics; Working Paper 40; 7/24/2010;
http://archiv.ub.uniheidelberg.
de/volltextserver/volltexte/2008/8710/pdf/Heidelberg_Paper_Mehra.pdf
22
Sahni, Ajai/ Singh, Ajit Kumar; 2010: Posturing won't help in fight against Naxals;
7/24/2010; http://news.rediff.com/report/2010/apr/07/posturing-wont-help-in-fightagainst-
naxals.htm

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TERRORISM
The world witnessed 11,774 terror attacks in 2015, in which 28,328 people were killed and
35,320 injured. India was the 4th worst-affected country after Iraq, Afghanistan and
Pakistan, with 43% of 71 attacks in the country carried out by Naxalites. A total of 289
Indians died in the terror strikes.23 Data collected by the National Consortium for the Study
of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism is contracted with the US State dept. revealed
that Taliban, Islamic State & Boko Haram were 3 deadliest groups globally. They were
followed by CPI (Maoists), a banned outfit. 24

The CPI (Maoists) was responsible for 343 terror attacks in 2015, killing 176 people.
Taliban were involved in 1093 strikes in which 4512 people lost their lives, ISIS launched
931 attacks which claimed the lives of 6050. Boko Haram was involved in 491 attacks
killing 5450 people.25

Over half the terror attacks in India took place in four states - Chhattisgarh (21%), Manipur
(12%), J&K (11%) and Jharkhand (10%). Chhattisgarh, which has been hit hard by left-
wing extremism, reported a doubling of terror attacks in 2015 – from 76 in 2014 to 167.26
The report said there was great diversity in the perpetrators/terrorists groups involved in
the attacks in the country, with 45 outfits active across the country. The Naxals alone
accounted for 43% of terrorist attacks in India last year. The report said the number of
people kidnapped/taken hostage by terrorists and insurgent groups in India almost tripled
in 2015, increasing to 862 from 305 in 2014. Of this, Naxals alone kidnapped/ took hostage
707 persons last year compared with 163 in 2014.27 In 2014, there were no attacks in which

23
South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) (B); 2009: Left-Wing Extremist Affected Areas
in India; 7/24/2010;
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/database/conflictmap2009.html.
24
South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) (A): Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPIMaoist);
7/24/2010;.
http://www.satp.org/satporgtp/countries/india/terroristoutfits/CPI_M.htm.
25
Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) 2006: Naxal Conflict in 2006;
7/24/2010;http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/naxal0107.pdf.
26
Planning Commission; 2008: Development Challenges in Extremist Affected Areas;
7/24/2010; http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/publications/rep_dce.pdf.
27
Mainstream; 2008: The State’s Response - Report of expert group on “development
issues to deal with causes of discontent, unrest and extremism;
7/24/2010;http://www.mainstreamweekly.net/article760.html.

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50 or more people were kidnapped or taken hostage while in 2015, there were seven such
attacks, all of them attributed to Maoists. 28

Home Ministry data also said that between 2010 and 2015, 2162 civilians and 802 security
personnel were killed by Naxals. most of the dead were ‘tribals’, often branded as police
informers. 29 The report said that while India ranked high among countries witnessing terror
attacks, the lethality of these attacks was relatively low. The number of
perpetrators/terrorists killed in attack in India doubled in 2015, accounting for 20% of all
deaths compared with 7% in 2014. In all, 6924 terrorists (24%) were killed in the attacks
perpetrated by them worldwide. The use of bombs/explosions as tactic for attacks was less
prevalent in India than worldwide. 30

28
Indian Express; 2010: Naxalism gravest internal security threat to nation: PM;
7/24/2010; http://www.indianexpress.com/news/naxalism-gravest-internal-securitythreat-
to/609303/.
29
Asian Centre for Human Right (ACHR) 2006 (B): The Adivasis of Chhattisgarh:
Victims of the Naxalite Movement and Salwa Judum Campaign; 7/24/2010;
http://www.achrweb.org/reports/india/Chattis0106.pdf.
30
FICCI 2009: Task Force Report on National Security and Terrorism; New Delhi.

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CAUSES FOR UPRISING
Despite its fragmented nature a continuing thread with some variations can be seen in the
ideological thrust, strategy and tactics of mobilization of different groups within its fold. It
is the only movement which having started in one police station of a single district in West
Bengal in 1967 has expanded its activities covering over 460 police stations in 160 districts
across 14 states.31 The movement’s capacity to challenge the state has also enormously
increased considering the incidents of violence and casualties resulting from them.

The major causes for growth of Naxalism are as follows 32: -

1. Social Inequalities - Atrocities, subjugation, discriminatory treatment of Dalits and

lower caste peasants by the upper caste landlords continue to be very common in
Naxalite affected parts of the country.
2. Economic Deprivation - There is extreme poverty and utter lack of economic
development in many parts of the country. The landlords do not follow the
stipulated minimum wage rule as laid down by the government.
3. Infrastructure Inadequacies - The areas affected by the Naxal movement are one of
the richest in terms of natural resources. Even then, these areas have not seen any
infrastructure development and continue to remain neglected by the authorities.
4. Tribal and Forest Policies - The primitive methods of cultivation have left the tribal
people economically fear behind in comparison with other peasants. The tribal have
been denied their traditional means of livelihood and hence, their only means of
survival has been taken away from them in the name of our forest policies.
5. Inadequate Governance - It is a known fact that in many of these areas, there is no
governance at all and the state and civil administrative infrastructure is virtually
non-existent.

31
The Economist; 2010: More bloody and defiant; in: The Economist; 7/24 – 7/30;
p.28.
32
BBC 2010: Scores of Indian soldiers killed in Maoist ambushes;
7/24/2010;http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8604256.stm.

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CONCLUSION
Naxalites are powerful and effective in some areas in India because of the unresolved
contradictions and issues in our society. They have proved effective because they have an
ideology that inspires youth apart from having an organizational structure and armed
groups. Proper enforcement of land ceiling laws, utilization of the funds provided to the
government to the maximum could be the solution to this problem. 33 The central reason for
the advancement of Naxalism is the vast exploitation of the poor and the scheduled castes.
People, who have been displaced, should be given proper rehabilitation along with police
protection. Security, as well as development, has to run hand in hand. 34

Therefore, the state must start to fight the conflict legally, minimize collateral damage,
strengthen the leadership of the security forces and abstain from any human rights
violation.35 The security forces should better start protecting the population living within
the area of conflict instead of merely confronting the Maoists on large scale. The Naxalite
movement must be challenged politically by presenting better alternatives to the Maoist
approach and offer new perspectives. In this regard the state should start addressing the
basic needs of the poor and fulfilling its main responsibilities to deliver human
development to these disadvantaged areas.

33
Chakravarti, Sudeep; 2009 (reprint): Red Sun – Travels in Naxalite Country; New
Delhi.
34
Dhar, Maloy Krishna; 2009: India falters in combating Maoist guerrillas: some
lessons; 7/24/2010; http://frontierindia.net/wa/india-falters-in-combating-maoistguerrillas-
some-lessons/529/.
35
UNHCR; 2008: Child Soldiers Global Report 2008 – India; 7/24/2010;
http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/topic,463af2212,469f2dcf2,486cb108c,0.html.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

i. Annual Report 2010-11, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India.

ii. South Asia Terrorism Portal Report.

iii. United Nations Development Programme Report 2012-14.

iv. United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Report.

v. World Health Organisation Report.

vi. The Times of India.

vii. The Indian Express.

viii. The Economist.

ix. Asian Centre for Human Rights Report.

x. Planning Commission Report 2008.

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