Since India
set its foot in the world, by becoming the fastest growing democracy in the
world, it has faced many challenges that have threatened its advancements,
development and national unity. One such problem is of NAXALISM. The term
Naxalism is derived from the village of Naxalbari in West Bengal. The village
became the centre of a tribal peasant uprising against local landlords in 1967.
The rebellion was under the leadership of Kanu Santhal and Jagan Sanyal with
the aim of rightful distribution of the land to the working peasants. Even
though the rebellion was suppressed, it became the focus for the communist led
separatist movements that began in the remote and tribal areas in India.
It is considered that the Naxalites are far-left radical communists and support the Maoist political sentiment and ideology. It started in West Bengal and slowly spread across the less developed areas of rural central and eastern India, such as Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Andhra Pradesh. The movement found its roots among the displaced tribes and the natives who fight against the exploitation they face at the hands of major Indian corporations and local officers who are corrupt.
The Naxalites claim to represent the poor and socially marginalized members of the Indian society and stick to the Maoist doctrine of sustained peasant led revolution. For decades, the Naxalites waged guerilla warfare against the landlords, businesses, politicians, and security forces; they have also damaged transportation, communication, and power lines. They have often been able to set up their base in remote forest areas.
Participation of the Tribal in the Naxalite Movements
Due to the structural violence by the state, which includes land theft for the purpose of mineral extraction; tribal communities are more likely to participate in the naxal movements. Areas with no electricity, running water, or healthcare may accept social services from the Naxalite groups, and in return give their support to them. There are also some arguments that state’s absence has given a chance to the Naxalites to become a legitimate authority and perform state like functions such as enacting policies of redistribution and building infrastructure for irrigation. Health care services like malaria vaccination drives and medical units, in areas that have no doctors or hospitals, have also been documented.
Causes of Naxalism
The causes for the growth of Naxalism
are:
1. Forest mismanagement was one of the main reasons as when the
government began the exploitation of the forest resources, the traditional
dwellers began fighting the government with the use of violence which led to
the evolution of Naxalism.
2. Marginalization,
displacement of the tribal communities, and haphazard implementation of the
tribal policy worsened the situation of Naxalism.
3. As naxal groups consisted mostly of the poor
and the deprived like the daily wage laborers, small farmers, etc., it led to
the increase of the inter-regional differences and inequalities that made
people choose the Naxalites over the government.
4. As the forest is one of the main areas for
the operation of these groups, the government finds it difficult to deal with
the groups due to the lack of accessibility to these areas.
5. As the rural areas have poor
infrastructure, unemployment, and lack of industries, it is creating disparity
among the people which in turn is creating an anti-government mindset in the
people.
RESPONSE OF THE GOVERNMENT
The response of the state governments to
the Naxalite movements has evolved over the years, taking into consideration
the increasing intensity of the threat and political decisions at the centre
and the state. As the law and order has been shifted to the state list, the initiatives
for the counter insurgency come under the jurisdiction of the state government.
The centre helps to provide support for the efforts of the state through joint
strategies, providing intelligence, resources, and coordination, whenever
needed.
The central government has accelerated the
effectiveness of the Counter-Insurgency (COIN) Strategy. These strategies
combine the population-centric and enemy-centric approaches, combination of law
and order mechanisms. Centre has led the COIN strategy mainly from behind by providing
resources like security and finance, paramilitary, intelligence, and strategic
direction.
OUTCOMES OF THE RESPONSE
Coordinated efforts from the centre and the
state governments have brought a decrease in the naxal movements as well as the
elimination of the important leaders of these groups. The Naxalite movement is
also facing a vacuum in the leadership which is leading to the decrease in the
support and coordination of the individual militants. This in turn has worsened
the situations of the naxal groups. Demonetization has also played an important
role in reducing the insurgent’s financial resources that had been saved to buy
arms and equipments, or to lure recruits. With the combined efforts of the
state actions, welfare programmes and security measures, a serious damaged has
been created on the Naxalites operations.
