Naxalite Movement

• The Naxalite movement, officially referred to as the Left

Wing Extremism (LWE), is an ongoing
conflict between Maoist groups known as Naxalites or Naxals
(a group of communists supportive of Maoist political
sentiment and ideology) and the Indian government.

• Naxalite movement basically is a fight for improved land

rights and more jobs for neglected agricultural labourers
and the poor.

• Naxalism is largely active in tribal and rural areas of India

which are remote and under-developed.
 Causes of Naxalite Movement
• Access to land and resources - the Indian Constitution "ratified
colonial policy and made the state custodian of tribal homelands",
turning tribal populations into squatters on their own land and
denied them their traditional rights to forest produce.
• These Naxalite conflicts began in the late 1960s with the
prolonged failure of the Indian government to implement
constitutional reforms to provide for limited tribal autonomy with
respect to natural resources on their lands, e.g. pharmaceutical
and mining, as well as pass 'land ceiling laws', limiting the land to
be possessed by landlords and distribution of excess land to
landless farmers and labourers.
• In Scheduled Tribes [ST] areas, disputes related to
illegal alienation of ST land to non-tribal people, still common,
gave rise to the Naxalite movement
• Under developed tribal areas - Tribal
communities are likely to participate in Naxalism to
push back against structural violence by the state,
including land theft for purposes of mineral
extraction. Impoverished areas with no electricity,
running water, or healthcare provided by the state.
• Healthcare initiatives such as malaria vaccination
drives and medical units in areas without doctors or
hospitals have also been documented.
• the Adivasi experience of poverty, when contrasted
with the state's economic growth, create an appeal
for Naxal ideology to join Naxal movements.
• Caste Atrocities - Sexual exploitation of the
women folk was the norm.
• Dola Pratha - It was became a part of "cultural
practice", and the landed classes/Upper castes made
it their privilege, leading to sexual exploitation of
the backward and untouchable castes (scheduled
caste (Dalit)  and scheduled Tribes girls. In this
custom, the newly wed backward and untouchable
(scheduled caste) or (Dalit), Scheduled Tribes bride
is forced to spend her first night with her local
landlord.
• Besides sexual assaults, the drawing of water from the
village wells and walking on the pathways alongside the
landlords (upper caste) people village were also forbidden
for the backward and schedule castes and scheduled Tribes
people, even they were not allowed to wear slippers in front
of the landlords and wearing a clean dhoti(cloth) was
considered as a challenge to latter's authority.

• Some women also alleged that they had faced the

undignified teasings like "pinching on the breast" by upper-
caste landlords.

• So, The Naxalite Movement here was driven by the concern

for Ijjat (honour).
 Bhukli Devi ( A Women Story)

• In one such example from a village of Samastipur district of Bihar Province

in 1994, a woman named Bhukli Devi was paraded naked on the charges
of stealing some potatoes from the fields of Bhumihars(Upper caste).

• The public humiliation was followed by her rape and subsequently

her Saree was inserted into her vagina. The insertion of Saree ( a piece of
cloth) in the vagina of the backward and Scheduled castes/Scheduled
Tribes women could be understood as the upper-caste conception of the
ritual impurity of the womb of a the backward and Scheduled
castes/Scheduled Tribes woman and their condemnation of the birth of
future progeny of the backward and Scheduled castes (Dalits)/Scheduled
Tribes.
• Wages – another reason, The question of
'enhancement of wages' also brought violent
reaction leading to killings of the backward,
scheduled caste (Dalit) and Scheduled Tribes. It is
opined that the state apparatus also supported these
(Upper class) (Upper Caste )in these clashes.
 Reactions from the Government and these
Landlords(Upper Caste)
• Ranvir Sena ( a militant group was formed in 1994 by
the upper-castes/upper class community people),
which were launched to take on the Naxalites, who
were encouraging the lower-caste, backward and
schedule caste (Dalit)/Schedulted Tribes people to
become vocal for their rights.
• Brahmeshwar Singh one of the leader of Ranvir Sena.
He committed many massacres on backward and
schedule caste (Dalits)/Scheduled Tribes, out of
which Laxmanpur Bathe massacre is most notable.
• Surajmani Devi, a thirty two years old victim states:
• Everyone was shot in the chest. I also saw that the
panties were torn.
• One girl was Prabha. She was fifteen years old. She was
supposed to go to her husband's house two to three
days later. They also cut her breast and shot her in the
chest.
• Another was Manmatiya, also fifteen. They raped her
and cut off her breast. The girls were all naked, and
their panties were ripped. They also shot them in the
vagina. There were five girls in all. All five were raped.
All were fifteen or younger. All their breasts were cut
off.
• The hobnobbing between the state administration,
particularly the police force and Ranvir Sena members
where the police force has traditionally been dominated
by the upper-caste, "caste ties" has remained an
important factor in the police force doesn’t take any
action against this.
• Many Naxalites were killed in police encounters while
Ranvir Sena members were never subjected to
confrontation with the police force because enjoyed
considerable political patronage with the chief
Brahmeswar Singh himself being an activist of Bhartiya
Janata Party, also said to be dominated by the leaders of
various political parties which included Indian National
Congress and Janata Party.
• The link of upper caste and class landlords
with state apparatus and the access to means
of production along withtheir capitalistic drive
for profit maximisation paved the way for
exploitation of the backward and schedule
caste (Dalit)/Scheduled Tribes landless
labourers.
 Phases 1 (1967-1973)
• Phase 1 (1967-1973) – formative phase, under
this phase Naxalbari uprising started in 1967
at Naxalbari against class enemies.
• Consequently, in 1971, Indira Gandhi launched
Operation Steeplechase – a large scale anti
operation against the Naxalites which
hundreds of Naxalites were killed and 20,000
were imprisoned.
 Phase 2 (1967- late 1990s)
• Phase 2 (1967- late 1990s) spread of Naxalism,
during this phase Communist Party of India
(Marxist – Leninist) People’s War Group was
founded and Greyhounds counter insurgency
task force was formed by the government of
Andhara Pradesh.
 Phase 3 (2004 – present)
• Phase 3 (2004 – present) – relative decline
due to the all out Operation Green Hunt by
the Indian State.
• The uprising inspired similar movements in
Orissa, Andhara Pradesh (Srikakulam peasant
uprising) and Kerala.
• Mao Zedong provided ideological inspiration for
the Naxalbari movement, advocating that Indian
peasants and lower class tribals overthrow the
government of the upper classes by force.
• A large number of urban elites were also
attracted to the ideology, which spread through
Charu Majumdar's writings, particularly the
Historic Eight Documents.
• These documents were essays formed from the
opinions of communist leaders and theorists such
as Mao Zedong, Karl Marx, and Vladimir Lenin.