Naxal attack kills 10 policemen in Chhattisgarh: Why left-wing extremism continues to haunt the state

Chhattisgarh continues to be haunted by Naxalism. On Wednesday, 10 policemen were killed in a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh after their vehicle was blown up by an improvised explosive device (IED) in Dantewada. The policemen were returning from an anti-Maoist operation that was launched after intelligence inputs, officials said. Let’s take a closer look: Origins of term, movement According to India Today, the term Naxal has its origins in West Bengal’s Naxalbari village. As The Print Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta explained, “In 1967, in northern Bengal, in a village that has now come to be known as Naxalbari, trouble was brewing between the tribals and the local landlords. When one of the tribals was killed (at) the hands of these landlords, the tribals retaliated against them and won. This is where the whole movement of retaliation began.”

The movement against the government took hold in the 1960s and then spread across East India.

The term itself is used loosely to refer to the banned terror group Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist). Naxalism and Chhatisgarh Chhattisgarh, like other states, has found it difficult to eradicate the movement. “The reason why it is an ideal location for such activities is because of the terrain and the socio-economic conditions in the region. This sparsely populated area has a large tribal population which has been ungoverned for years,” Gupta added. According to Indian Express, the forests, terrain and a strong informant network in Bijapur, Sukma, Dantewada and Narayanpur play a huge role. The scarcity of human inputs and patchy phone network ensures that any intelligence that reaches authorities is outdated. Kamlochan Kashyap, Superintendent of Police, Bijapur, where 22 jawans were killed in April 2021 blamed ‘demography’. [caption id=“attachment_12511482” align=“alignnone” width=“380”] Photos of the 25 CRPF personnel killed in the Naxal attack in Chattisgarh’s Sukma district in 2017. PTI[/caption] “The major difference here is that everyone from children to the elderly work for Maoists in some way. Right from information of troop movement to engaging the security forces on the ground till armed cadres arrive, these villagers covertly and overtly work for them. A massive brainwashing campaign has been on for decades in these areas, which also have a vacuum of government and security forces,” he said.

A Chhattisgarh government official pointed to a lack of trust – on both sides.

“Look at the photographs of the release of the COBRA jawan (Rakeshwar Singh Manhas). There are thousands of villagers sitting. In areas deep inside Sukma and Bijapur, that talks of their network… An entire generation in these parts has been brought up believing that Maoists are the true government, and we are the outsiders, the aggressors. We need to maximise outreach, and stop treating them as enemies,” the official said. Another official backed up the need for outreach. “You know what villagers there want most? Veterinarians for their cattle, health camps and outreach through agriculture. Security forces can’t do all this. The state must walk with us. If the government doesn’t exist for them, they go to the one that does. Maoists. This means our networks are growing, but not fast enough.” What is the Centre doing? According to India Today, the Centre launched operation SAMADHAN and operation Prahar in 2017. Under these operations, security forces for the first time began venturing into the Naxal areas in states like Chhattisgarh. The operations had such success that the CPI-Maoist asked the government to withdraw its forces. But the COVID-19 pandemic offered the CPI-M respite – letting it fill its base with fresh recruits. In 2022, Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai told the Rajya Sabha incidents of Naxal violence reduced by 77 per cent from all-time high of 2,258 in 2009 to 509 in 2021. But some point out that a solution is yet to be found. As Gupta pointed out in The Print, “In 2014, PM Narendra Modi, in his (poll) campaigns, had promised to bring a solution to this problem. In 2015, Home Minister Amit Shah, too, had claimed that the problem of naxalism in the region would be solved in two to three years. This has not happened yet.” Worst Naxal attacks in Chhattisgarh April 2021: Twenty-two security personnel were killed and 32 injured in a four-hour-long encounter with Maoists that took place near Jonaguda village in Sukma. Officials said a group of an estimated 400 Maoists had ambushed security personnel who were part of a large contingent deployed for a special operation. This after around 1500 troops drawn from CRPF’S specialised jungle warfare unit CoBRA, some teams from its regular battalions, a unit of its Bastariya battalion, the Chhattisgarh Police affiliated District Reserve Guard (DRG) and others had launched a search and destroy operation along the border of Bijapur-Sukma district after inputs of some Maoists presence in the area. [caption id=“attachment_9497291” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Union Home Minister Amit Shah laying a wreath on the mortal remains of security personnel killed in the Chhattisgarh Naxal attack. Imager credits: Twitter@AmitShah[/caption] April 2017: Twenty-five personnel of the 74th battalion of the paramilitary force were killed after Naxals ambushed a CRPF team near Burkpal village in Sukma district on 24 April. The CRPF team was sanitising the area between Burkapal and Jagargunda where a road was being constructed. As many as 121 members of tribal communities, including one woman, were arrested later in connection with the attack. May 2013: 25 leaders from the Congress party, including former state minister Mahendra Karma, were killed in a Maoist attack in Darbha valley. The 2013 incident before the state Assembly polls had wiped out almost the entire Congress leadership in the state. Karma, a former home minister of Chhattisgarh, was the spearhead of Salwa Judum, an anti-Naxalite operation. Sonadhar, the mastermind of the operation, was later killed in 2015. June 2010: 26 CRPF jawans were killed in Maoist ambush in Narayanpur district. A large number of heavily-armed Maoists, perched on a hilltop, opened fire from automatic weapons on a 63-member security contingent which was returning on foot from road opening duty. April 2010: Maoists killed 75 CRPF personnel in ambush in Dantewada district in their bloodiest attack ever during a joint “Operation Green Hunt” offensive against the ultras in the thick forests of Mukrana in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, one of the strongholds of the Maoists. The attack came as nearly 100 personnel comprising CRPF and state police were returning after opening a road for the troops to begin an operation against the Naxals. While 74 of those killed were CRPF personnel, including a deputy and an assistant commandant, one was a head constable of the district police. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday strongly condemned the naxal attack on Chhattisgarh police personnel and paid tributes to those killed in the incident. “Strongly condemn the attack on the Chhattisgarh police in Dantewada. I pay my tributes to the brave personnel we lost in the attack. Their sacrifice will always be remembered. My condolences to the bereaved families,” the prime minister tweeted. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook ,  Twitter  and  Instagram .