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 1975 after

4
http://www.aponline.gov.in/quick%20links/hist-cult/history_post.html- Retrieved on 25-03-2012
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
6
the basis of Naxalite ideology.

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.

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
 DALIT AND ADIVASI IN NAXALISM

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

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

29
Ibid at pg.no.139.
 WOMEN IN NAXALISM

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 per the Unlawful

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
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