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Maoists organise meeting in Chhattisgarh, 10,000 people attend
Police say that about 300 armed Maoists were deployed to protect the area where the meeting was held.
INDIA Updated: Jun 26, 2020 19:55 IST

In a show of strength, the Maoists held a programme in the core area of Bastar region in Chhattisgarh. A meeting of around 10,000 people was also held in the three-day programme. A discussion on successor of Rammana, the special secretary of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), who died in December 2019 was also held.
The programme was held in villages at the border of Sukma and Bijapur districts from June 18-20.
Sources said that top Maoist leaders including new general secretary of CPI (Maoist) Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, head of battalion number of 1, Mandavi Hidma, Kosa, Devji and Sujata also attended the meeting.
“The information about this three-day meeting has reached me. We are looking into it,” said Director General of Police (DGP), Chhattisgarh, DM Awasthi told Hindustan Times.
The senior police officers in Bastar believe that for the first time in last five years such big gathering of civil population has been organised by the Maoists.
“Such big gathering was last called by Maoists in Potumpalli village of Sukma in 2015. This year’s gathering was mainly attended by villagers of Sukma, Bijapur and Dantewada districts. Some people of Narayanpur were also present in this gathering,” said a police officer posted in Bastar region.
The total population of these three districts is about 5.5 lakh.
Another police officer informed that about 300 armed Maoists and more than 500 jan militias (who back the Maoists) were deployed to protect the area for three days. “Sujatha, wife of senior Maoist leader Kishanji was in-charge of security. We don’t have pictures because people were not allowed to carry mobile phones in the gathering,” said the officer.
“A woman who attended the gathering told us that the Maoist leaders made stage in the jungle and were giving speeches about the history of Maoism and Bastar. They have also shown the looted weapons and paid tribute to the Maoists who died in recent past. Sports, dance and other cultural activities took place in the gathering,” said a police officer.
Experts believe that the Maoists organise these gatherings to show their strength to the people.
“I attended one similar meet in Abujhmad in Naryanpur district in 2004 before Salwa Judum in which 10,000 people participated for few days. If they are again doing such meeting after a gap of five years, it is a proof enough that Maoists may be weak but to say that they will be finished soon is day dreaming. People are still with the Maoists in deep jungles in Central India,” said Shubhrashu Chaudhary, Chhattisgarh-based peace activist, who have written extensively on Maoisim.
Sources said that the Maoists are supposed to release a video and press release of the gathering in next few days.
“Just before the meeting, a senior-level discussion took place over the successor of Maoist leader Ravula Srinivas alias Ramanna (56), who died in December 2019 and was incharge of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC). A review meeting of tactical counter offensive campaign or TCOC, in which Maoists carry out attacks between April and July every year also took place,” said another IPS officer, preferring anonymity.
The officer further said that there were three main objectives behind the meeting.
“Firstly, to emphasise that Maoists would still rule the jungles of Bastar in spite of death of Ramanna and would carry forward his legacy. Secondly to show of strength that villagers are with them and thirdly to discuss over the successor of Ramanna. The Maoists have also displayed the arms, which they have looted in Minpa attack (Sukma district) in which 17 jawans were killed in March this year,” said the officer.
Bela Bhatia, a human rights activist based in Bastar in Chhattisgarh said, “This gathering of thousands of emphasised the need of public education, measures specially education and health.”
Total size of Bastar division is 39,117 square kilometre and population is 15 lakh. (lakh=100,000)
There are seven districts in Bastar division which include Kanker, Kondagaon, Jagdalpur, Dantewada, Sukma, Bijapur and Narayanpur.
As per police estimate, about 4,500 Maoist cadre (from its political and military wings) live in the jungles of Bastar. More than 2,00,000 people including women and children in Bastar are Sangham Sadasya (members) of CPI (Maoist).
Maoists call for Telangana bandh on July 25
The statement written in Telugu called upon people to demand for release of Varavara Rao and others jailed for the alleged involvement in Bheema Koregaon incidents

Hyderabad: The Telangana State Committee of the CPI (Maoist) has called for a Telangana bandh on July 25 demanding the immediate release of poet Varavara Rao and others who are in jail and withdrawal of the GreyHounds personnel from forest areas. A statement to this effect was sent to media organisations in Telangana by Jagan, the spokesman of the Telangana State Committee of the Maoist party.
The statement written in Telugu called upon people to demand for release of Varavara Rao and others jailed for the alleged involvement in Bheema Koregaon incidents, release of all political prisoners and prisoners aged above 60 years.
DGP Mahender Reddy spreading lies: Maoists
Kothagudem: The CPI (Maoist) Party has accused the Director General of Police (DGP) M Mahender Reddy of adopting Goebbels’ principles in carrying out false propaganda against the Maoists leaders.
The party’s Telangana State Committee leader Mahesh released a statement to the press here on Tuesday objecting to the DGP’s statements made during his recent visit to Kumram Bheem Asifabad and Mulug districts, that the Maoist leaders Damodar and Haribhushan were enjoying a luxurious life.
He claimed that the Maoists were making sacrifices fighting for the public while the police forces were trying to protect the interests of capitalist and feudal forces. There was no scope for a luxurious life in Maoist movement, he said.
Thousands of Greyhounds police have been deployed in the forests from Asifabad to Kothagudem districts. The main agenda of the DGP’s tour in the districts was to create bloodshed and to eliminate the Maoists.
“Mahender Reddy is trying to defame the Maoists with his false campaign and spreading lies. For the past 50 years, police forces in Telangana have committed atrocities on innocent public and Maoist activists,” Mahesh alleged.
Using cell phones for party work, wearing uniform and eating the food supplied by villagers was not a luxury, he stated, while appealing to the police personnel and common public to support and fight for suppressed classes.
12 new Maoist committees formed in Telangana
Published: 20th July 2020 09:52 AM | Last Updated: 20th July 2020 09:52 AM |
Yapa Narayana, alias Haribhushan/Jagan, has been appointed as the party’s secretary in the state.
It was believed that Jagan and his wife Sammakka were injured in an exchange of fire with the police a few years ago and that they had escaped.
The police thought Jagan might have died as there was no intel on his whereabouts.
After combing areas with Maoist presence, the police have come to the conclusion that Jagan is, in fact, alive and that he has been participating in party activities in the state.
He has now implemented the decision of the party’s central committee by forming 12 area committees in Telangana.
Release Poet Varavara Rao !
INDIA ON THE ROAD TO FASCISM
Unlimited sway?: ‘Whether Hindutva can be deactivated by a return to the Vedas is debatable.’ PTI
A majority of Hindus said they felt close to the BJP. Four of five Muslims said they disliked the party
It would not be an overstatement to say that the 2019 Lok Sabha election verdict and the sheer scale of the National Democratic Alliace’s victory is in large measure a manifestation of the deepening religious divide in Indian society.
Hindu consolidation
Lokniti’s post-poll survey data clearly find that the BJP’s all-time high vote share of 37.4% has come mostly on the back of an unprecedented Hindu consolidation around the party as only a small proportion of religious minorities supported the BJP. In 2014, 36% of all Hindu voters were found to have supported the BJP. This time the number increased to 44%. The NDA got 51% votes among Hindus. In the face of such a massive consolidation of the majority community that comprises four-fifths of the country’s population, the Opposition parties stood no chance at all.
Table 1: Support for BJP rose across all Hindu castes and communities
The BJP was able to secure this enormous Hindu support on account of the backing it received from all Hindu castes and communities, including Dalits and Adivasis, when compared to 2014. Support from Dalits went up by 10 percentage points; among Adivasis, it went up by seven percentage points. In a sense, the unification of Hindu communities in the 2014 election not only persisted but strengthened further this time.
Polarisation of voters
Table 2: Support for NDA declined among minorities
If the Hindus were on one side, the minorities were clearly on the other, indicating a deeply polarised verdict. Only 8% of Muslim voters nationally ended up voting for the BJP, the same as last time. Christians and Sikhs too largely kept away from the BJP. Among Christians, 11% voted for the party. Among Sikhs, the number was the same (the Akali Dal, the BJP’s ally, got 20%). This lack of enthusiasm for the BJP among the minority communities is also evident in the party not being able to perform too well in minority-concentrated States like Kerala, Punjab and Goa.
The polarisation of voters on Hindu-Muslim lines seems to have taken place in many States, according to our survey. It was found to be most acute in States where the proportion of Muslims is high, namely, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar. Not only did the BJP get a massive proportion of Hindu votes in these States, this share was much larger than what it received in the 2014 election. Increased Hindu support for the BJP in these States (and elsewhere too) ended up rendering Muslim consolidation behind the Congress and other Opposition parties ineffective again.
Table 3: The Hindu-Muslim divide: Unprecedented consolidation
In Assam, the NDA got over two-thirds of Hindu votes compared to three-fifths last time. Consolidation of Muslims in favour of the Congress in some seats went up from two-fifths to two-thirds. In Bihar, Hindu support for the NDA increased by 21 percentage points, whereas consolidation of Muslims in favour of the RJD-Congress alliance went up by 9 percentage points. In West Bengal, the BJP’s vote share among Hindus went up by 36 percentage points, whereas the consolidation of Muslims in favour of the Trinamool Congress increased by 30 percentage points. In Uttar Pradesh, the NDA got 60% of Hindu votes, while Muslim support for the mahagathbandhan was 73%.
In the Lokniti survey, the NDA got 45% of the Hindu votes in sampled seats where Muslims are less than 10% of the population, and 59% of the Hindu votes in seats where Muslims are between 20% and 40% of the population.
Table 4: Hindus on one side; Muslims, Christians and Sikhs on the other
Divided in responses too
The religious divide in these elections could be seen in not just how people voted, but also in how they responded to several survey questions. For instance, on being asked if the government should return to power, over half the Hindus answered in the affirmative, while two-thirds of Muslims and over half the Christians and Sikhs replied in the negative. On the question of Rafale, a plurality of Hindu respondents who had heard of the controversy felt there had been no wrongdoing by the government, but a majority of Muslims, Christians and Sikh respondents felt otherwise. Similarly, while most Hindus credited either the government or both the government and the Indian Air Force (IAF) for the Balakot strikes, a majority of Muslims, Christians and Sikhs credited the IAF alone.
Table 5: Hindus three times more likely to feel close to BJP than Congress
Like or dislike for a party
Finally, when respondents were asked whether they felt close to any particular party and, if yes, which party, Hindu respondents (all States combined) who felt close to a party were three times more likely to feel close to the BJP than the Congress. On the other hand, Muslim respondents who felt close to a party were five times more likely to feel close to the Congress than the BJP. When voters were asked whether they disliked a party, only one of four Hindus who said they disliked a party took the BJP’s name, whereas four out of five Muslims who said they disliked a party identified the BJP. Christians and Sikhs too were more likely to name the BJP.
Some claim that religious minorities voted in large numbers for the NDA. This is not true, according to our data. The burden and responsibility of this sweeping verdict for Prime Minister Narendra Modi rests almost entirely on the majority community’s shoulders.
(Shreyas Sardesai & Vibha Attri work at Lokniti, Centre for the Study of Developing Societies, Delhi)
India’s general election – 2019
Average assets of select parties in the world’s “largest democracy”

311 out of 967 candidates are crorepatis (millionaires)

Candidates of major parties who are facing criminal cases

189 out of 967 candidates in Phase-6 facing criminal charges: ADR

Not a single person turned up to vote in 15 polling booths in Odisha during the first phase of India’s election
Maoist posters found in Bargarh
Maoist banners and posters were recovered from near the Nrusinghnath Temple under Paikmal block of Bargarh district on Thursday.
The Red rebels, through the banner and posters urged local people to not to cast votes due to the failure of both the State and Central Governments for development of the area.
This indicated the presence of Maoists in the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border areas. On Wednesday midnight, they had displayed leaflets and banners on the road stating that the Government has failed to initiate irrigation projects and prevent farmers’ suicide and the rising cases of rape.
The Bargarh police removed the banners and posters and began a search operation in the area.
India: Deadly attack on BJP election convoy in Chhattisgarh blamed on Maoist rebels

Indian police said Maoist rebels were behind a deadly attack on an election convoy in a restive central state on Tuesday, April 9, just two days before voting starts in the country’s phased general election.
“At the moment we are ascertaining the number of dead,” Girdhari Nayak, a senior officer from Chhattisgarh state, where the attack occurred, told AFP.
“According to our preliminary investigation, five people have died” in the attack, the state’s police deputy inspector general, P. Sundar Raj, told reporters.
Some reports put the death toll at six.
The improvised explosive device attack took place at Nakulnar in Dantewada district, the Indian Express reported.
Nayak said the rebels, who have been waging an armed insurgency against the state for decades, detonated a roadside bomb before firing on the convoy carrying officials from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party.
“It was a massive blast … The vehicle was blown apart,” he said. “Immediately after the blast, the Maoists opened indiscriminate firing. One bullet hit the local lawmaker. Firing is underway. Bodies are mutilated.”
BJP state legislator Bhima Mandavi, was in the convoy when it was attacked, the BBC reported, later reporting police as saying that Mandavi, the only BJP MLA out of the 12 that represent the region, was killed in the attack.
Police said the explosion occurred at around 4.30 p.m., the Times of India reported.
The rebels often call for a boycott of elections as part of their campaign against the Indian state.
The vote in Chhattisgarh is due on April 11, in the first phase of the general election which will only finish on May 19.
The Maoist insurgency began in the 1960s, inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong, and has cost thousands of lives in almost daily incidents of violence.
Thousands of armed men and women – also known as naxals – have fought authorities in the so-called “Red Corridor” that stretches through central and eastern India.
They say they are fighting for the rights of the indigenous tribal people, including the right to land, resources and jobs.
Maoists are believed to be present in at least 20 Indian states but are most active in forested resource-rich areas in the states of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand and Maharashtra.
With reporting from AFP
Maoist call to boycott General Elections 2019
Posters appear in different places asking people to boycott elections to counter militarisation of the country.
A lyrical poster in the eastern state of Odisha
Maoists blow up ex-MLC’s house in Bihar’s Gaya, call for poll boycott
INDIAUpdated: Mar 28, 2019 13:39 IST
Hindustan Times, Gaya

Maoists blew up the house of a former member of the Bihar Legislative Council (MLC) and BJP leader Anuj Kumar Singh in the state’s Gaya district late on Wednesday as they called for the boycott of Lok Sabha election 2019, police said on Thursday.
Singh’s uncle and his family member were beaten up during the attack in Bodhibigha village, about 80km away from the district headquarters, according to police.
An armed squad of the outlawed CPI(Maoist) also urged the villagers to ensure a total boycott of the Lok Sabha election 2019 across the Magadh division of the state. Their campaign at the village under the Dumaria police station continued for two hours.
They threw handbills and pamphlets calling for a boycott of the Lok Sabha election 2019 and raised slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Maoists also urged the village’s youth to stay away from the ongoing election campaigns of the political parties.
Gaya’s senior superintendent of police Rajeev Mishra confirmed the incident and said that police teams reached the spot early on Thursday morning and investigation is still on. The local police will lodge an FIR with this regard after their preliminary investigation.
When asked about the Maoists posters and handbills dropped in the village, Mishra said police have recovered some papers which were being circulated by the Maoists calling for a poll boycott.
This is not the first time that Maoists have struck the former MLC’s house at his ancestral village of Bodhibigha. They had attacked the house in 2007 and threw bombs. They had also blown up the house of Singh’s personal assistant and beaten him up him in public.
The former MLC has been on the hit list of the Maoists since 2006 for his continuous campaign against the Maoists across Magadh division.
Mishra, however, said that there is no infrastructure in the village and the police station there would not be viable. There have been adequate forces in Dumaria-Imamganj areas to control the situation, he said.
Maoists have carried out their anti-election campaign in the past as well. Last month, the they had torched a government middle school which was turned into a police camp for the election.
Maoists call for arrest of killers of C.P. Jaleel
The police have tightened security as Maoist posters appeared in many places in Thrissur city.
The posters, which were found on Sunday morning, demand the arrest of killers of C.P. Jaleel, who was killed in an alleged encounter with the police in Wayanad recently.
The posters also demand that the Thunderbolt, the commando force created to counter possible terror strikes, be dispersed.
The posters were found near the Kerala Sahitya Akademi, Town Hall, and Swaraj Round. Two mobile phone numbers have also been given on the posters, appeared in the name of Purogamana Prasthanam. The posters carry photographs of Jaleel and acknowledge him a martyr.
Based on a news item from The Hindu, KALPETTA, MARCH 25, 2019 20:50 IST
They say they will avenge planned murder of Comrade Jaleel
With Maoists being sighted again in Wayanad, the police and the district administration may face a big headache in the days to come.
Jaleel, a Maoist who was killed on March 7 in an alleged encounter with the commandos of Thunderbolt, at a private resort at Lakkidi in the district.
Five armed persons, including two women, reached Makkimala town near Thalappuzha around 8 p.m. on Sunday, introducing themselves as Maoists, police department sources said.
They spent nearly 30 minutes in the town by shouting slogans and pasted posters on walls of the town. They interacted with nearly 15 villagers who were present in the town, the sources said.
They shook hands with the villagers but not allowed to take photographs on mobile phones.
The militants told them that they were the Kabani Dalam members of the Communist Party of India (Maoists) Western Ghats committee.
Fake encounter
They said they would retaliate against the planned murder of Jaleel. The encounter was fake and the incident was fabricated by the police with the support of some traitors of the resort, they added.
The Maoists left the town after procuring provisions like egg and bread from a grocery shop and paid ₹100 to its owner.
They also distributed the March edition of the ‘Kattu Thee’ a monthly publication of the organisation published by Mandakini, on behalf of the Kabani Dalam.
The pamphlet started with offering hundreds of red salutes to the martyr, Jaleel. It also asked the public to take revenge against the murder. Though the Thalappuzha police reached spot at once they could not trace any evidence of the militants.
Maoist leader martyred in alleged encounter with Kerala Police
Thunderbolt, which is an Anti-Maoist Force under Kerala Police, killed a Maoist leader, after indulging in a fire-exchange in a forest district of Kerala
A Moist leader, CP Jaleel was killed on Wednesday, March 7 in an encounter with the Anti Maoist Force, also known as Thunderbolt. The incident took place in Vaythiri, Wayanad district of Kerala. It is a forest district that has been the hotbed of Maoist activities in the state.
According to the police, a group of armed Maoists approached a resort in Vythiri, on Wednesday night, to seek some food and money. On receiving the information, the Thunderbolt team reached the spot. After a gunfight, one Maoist leader was killed. Other intruders fled into the nearby forest region.
Following the incident, the Thunderbolt had launched a search operation and cordoned off the area.
Police sources said that the forces will be on high alert and the search operations will continue until the remaining Maoists are traced.
Note: For a background see ‘Kabani is not just a river’
Maoists call for India-wide General Strike (Bharat bandh) on 31st January 2019
Telengana:
Heavy forces deployed in view of Maoists’ bandh call
The Greyhounds teams and special police forces have intensified combing operation in the more than six Maoist-affected districts.
Published: 31st January 2019 08:52 AM | Last Updated: 31st January 2019 08:52 AM | A+A A-

HYDERABAD / BHUPALPALLY : The State intelligence officials have issued circulars to all the district unit heads and senior police officials asking them to take precautionary measures and provide security at the congested places and transportation points such as railway stations, theatres, public properties in Left Wing Extremism-affected places in view of Bharat Bandh call given by the CPI (Maoist). The banned outfit wants to observe Bandh on Thursday.

bridge in Bhupalpally | Express
The Maoist party has been conducting week-long protest programmes at different places in several districts in the state, opposing the ‘Operation Samadhan’, an anti-Left Wing Extremism (LWE) operation strategy by the government. As part of closing the protest programmes, the Maoists have given a call for Bharat Bandh on Thursday. Taking into consideration inputs on extremists’ likely activities in Maoist-affected areas, the intelligence officials have warned the district superintendents of police (SPs) and senior IPS officers holding several key positions in the state against laxity in taking measurers in preventing Maoist violence.
In the circular, the intelligence officials have asked the police officials to provide security at the famous dams, bridges, railway stations, film theatres, congested places and other public places where government structures located in Maoist-affected localities to thwart violent activities allegedly planned by the extremism outfit’s cadre. Keeping in view the ensuing elections for Parliament, the State police have kept a close watch on movements of Maoists in border areas with other states.
“As precautionary measures, police have provided heavy forces at Kaaleswaram Mahadevapur, Palimela, Kannayigudem, Vaajedu, Venkatapuram, Eturunaagaram, Mangapet and Tadvai mandals in Jayashanker Bhupalpally district,’’ senior police officials said. “We have provided additional forces including para military staff at the prestigious — Kaaleswaram project based on intelligence inputs on possible threats from Maoist party cadre.”
Combing intensified
The Greyhounds teams and special police forces have intensified combing operation in the more than six Maoist-affected districts. The local police in several districts have initiated frisking and checks at different places.
Meanwhile, imposing prohibitory orders under section 144 of the CrPC in the city, Hyderabad Police Commissioner Anjani Kumar warned the miscreants against indulging in purveying fake news through social networking sites. If anyone is found violating rules, police would take stern action, the Police Commissioner said.
Security beefed up at Kaleshwaram Project
Bhupalpally: Following ‘Bharat Bandh’ call given by the CPI (Maoist) on Thursday, the district police and central para-military forces have taken up intensive combing and checking in the bordering areas of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
In the wake of intelligence report that Maoists might try to attack Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), a large contingent of police has been deployed at the project sites.
“Security has been beefed up at all the project sites in the district. Our men have been put on high alert and measures are being taken to keep ultras away from the district,” SP R Bhaskaran said.
Intensive combing and checking is going on at Kaleshwaram, Mahadevpur, Pallimela, Kaniyegudem, Wazedu, Venkatapuram, Eturnagaram, Mangapeta and Tadvai mandals of the district.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDAgYHwlVng
Odisha:
Bharat Bandh block roads
Bhubaneswar: Maoists are today observing ‘Bharat Bandh’ on the last day of their Martyrs’ Week and have resorted to road blockade in some places of Odisha.
The red rebels blocked Kotagarh-Muniguda road near Bandapipili and Baliguda-Daringbadi road near Pakaladami ghat in Kandhamal district by cutting down trees.
The extremists also put up posters and leaflets at the spot urging people to extend their support towards the bandh call.
Effect of the bandh was also evident in Malkangiri as vehicular movement in the district, especially on Malkangiri-Jeypore road, came to a grinding halt.
In Kalahandi, the Maoists blocked road at Kendhu ghat in a similar way and torched a excavator, which was engaged in road construction work.
Similarly, in Rayagada, the Maoists blocked road at Chatikana and put up posters in the village.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUEpZb5Qu0s
Andhra-Odissa border region
Bandh Disrupts Life In Three South Odisha Districts
Phulbani/Malkangiri/Bhawanipatna: Life came to a grinding halt in three South Odisha districts of Kandhamal, Malkangiri and Kalahandi districts following a 12-hour Bharat Bandh by the outlawed CPI (Maoist) on Thursday.
Vehicular movement was disrupted in Kandhamal district with Baliguda-Daringbadi Road being blocked by felling trees at Pakaladami Ghat. The ultras also blocked Kotagada-Muniguda Road at Satanalia and put up posters opposing the Green Hunt operation being jointly carried out by Central para-military forces, district voluntary force (DVF) and Special Operation Group (SOG).
Similar blockade was seen on Phikarakupa-Dhepaguda road in Kalahandi district, while no government bus plied in Malkangiri.
Informing the media, Malkangiri SP, Abhishek Meena said a joint combing operation by the BSF, SOG and DVF has been intensified in the remote and sensitive areas in the district.
Besides, the district police are in touch with their counterparts in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to share the intelligence network and track the movement of the Maoists along the border areas, he added.
Notably, the Maoists had observed the Protest Week from January 25 in which they had conducted several meetings with the villagers in the remote areas of Maoist-prone districts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand. The Left-wing extremists have given the Bharat Bandh call on the last day of the Protest Week on Thursday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v_rWUpW8Ro
Maoists in Kerala take up local issues
New Indian Express : 18th December 2018 02:21 AM | Last Updated: 18th December 2018 02:56 AM | A+A A-
KOCHI: Giving a tough challenge to the Kerala Government, Maoists in Kerala have called for active involvement in local issues to connect with the public and garner their support. Considering the gravity of this strategy mooted by Maoists, a high-level meeting was held in Kozhikode on Monday attended by Chief Secretary Tom Jose, State Police Chief Loknath Behera and other senior officers.
The meeting decided to immediately take necessary measures to prevent the Maoists from strengthening their influence among the locals.
Two days back, a five-member armed group of Maoists visited Thalappuzha in Wayanad demanding legal action against the persons responsible in connection with alleged suicide of Thavinjal Service Cooperative bank employee P M Anilkumar. The group also threatened with public execution of those involved if justice was not delivered. The group also interacted with the public and pasted posters demanding action against former bank president P Vasu. “We have already formed special teams to nab the accused in connection with the alleged suicide of Anilkumar. As per our investigation, he is absconding and we have taken necessary steps to nab him,” Balram Kumar Upadhyay added.
According to a senior police officer, the decision of Maoists to interfere in local issues is a matter of big concern for the state government. “They are trying to play with the sentiments of the common man who always feel that justice is served only for the wealthy and powerful. If people start accepting the doctrines of the Maoists, situation is going to be really hard for the police as locals will start supporting them,” the officer said.
The state has been wary of Maoist groups taking up local and public issues as part of their strategy to connect with the people after a gang of nine suspected Maoists vandalized the corporate office of Nitta Gelatin India Limited (NGIL) at Panampilly Nagar in November 2014 to protest against the company’s plant which allegedly polluted Chalakudy river.
Police of Kerala Government led by the self-styled ‘Communist Party of India (Marxist)’ comes up with ‘Operation Anaconda’ to flush out Maoists.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala police have intensified anti-Maoist operations in forest areas along the tri-junction corridor between Kannur and Palakkad. Search operations under the special drive christened ‘Operation Anaconda’ have been carried out by the security forces led by Thunderbolts — the elite paramilitary commando unit of the Kerala Police – anti-Naxal squad, and Armed Reserve Battalion in coordination with the local police, quotes Manorama.
Following reports of armed persons attached to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoists) being sighted in many parts of the region recently, the combing operations were stepped up.
As per reports a large posse of police personnel and commandos have been camping in the forest for the past two days.
Naxals to Expand Base at Tri-Junction of Kerala, Karnataka & Tamil Nadu states
According to an India government intelligence report, “in a few years Naxalism will have a consolidated front in Western Ghats and tri-junction area.”
New Delhi: Naxals are on the verge of creating a ‘consolidated front’ on the Western Ghats.
The tri-junction being the dense forests of the region where the states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala meet.
Naxals are expanding at an alarming rate in this region because of three main reasons.
— First is the nature of area that Naxals are exploiting—places which have least government penetration and consequently maximum dissatisfaction against the state.
The Naxal division working specifically on this region, being squeezed by forces on all sides in Bastar area, is Western Ghats Special Zonal Committee (WGSZC).
Over the past few weeks, the report states, “most number of Naxal sightings were from Wayannad, Mallapuram, Kannur, Kozhikode and Palakkad districts of Kerala and in terms of human development indicators these districts lie at the bottom, thus, constituting perspective area for naxal growth and operation.”
— The other problem is that Naxals have set their bases up in, as the report states, the “unexplored jungles” in the tri-junction region. This is the area that was under firm control of the brigand Veerappan.
So while “Tamil Nadu police and Karnataka police had a firsthand experience of the jungle in their respective states due to the forest brigand Veerappan,” Kerala still has very little knowledge about the topography, which has resulted in a rapid expansion by Naxals in this area.
According to intelligence shared by police departments of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka with central agencies, Naxals are also getting familiarised and trained according to the terrain. Arms training is regularly being undertaken in dense jungles of Wayanad.
Due to the frequent operations by Anti-naxal Force and the special task forces of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu Naxals were forced to flee towards the jungle areas of Kerala, the intel report adds.
“But for Kerala, combing operation is new to them and requires assistance. Kerala has vast jungle areas that are left unexplored.”
— There is yet another hurdle for the forces to deal with in order to counter the growing influence of Naxals in the tri-junction area—since in the dense forests there is no way to mark boundaries, problems of jurisdiction arise. These problems can only be dealt with a coordinating agency for conducting anti-Naxal operations for all the three states. Such an authority does not exist so far.
All these issues have come together to fuel activities of Naxal fronts that have “increased considerably” in places like Erode, which lies in Tamil Nadu, but is close to both Karnataka and Kerala.
Senior officers say that the Kerala has been identified to be “vulnerable” due to less manpower and inadequate weaponry. This has caused the three states to demand deployment of central troops just as is the case in the Dandakaranya zone which includes parts of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Naxals regrouping in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka: Police
In a first since 2005, there have been sightings of Maoist groups in the Western Ghats, says an intelligence report
Wayanad (Kerala): The Kerala and Karnataka Police as well as intelligence agencies say there has been a strong Maoist resurgence in the Kerala-Karnataka-Tamil Nadu (KKT) region, in what could deal a blow to the Union government’s efforts to contain Left-wing extremism (LWE) in the country,
After a hiatus of nearly 12 years following the 2005 killing of Saketh, a Karnataka state committee member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), the group has started making a comeback in the KKT tri-junction, according to an intelligence report reviewed by Mint.
“Currently the Western Ghat zonal committee is run by B.G Krishnamurthy and militarily supported by Vikram Gowda. Their main recruitment is from Karnataka and Chhattisgarh, but they prefer to stay in Kerala parts of Western Ghats. There have been sightings and four groups are operating in the Kerala side of Western Ghats,” the report said.
“In September 2017, five armed Maoist cadres forced their way into a house at Parappanpara in Kerala’s Kozhikode district. Having robbed the owner of basic supplies and food, they warned him against contacting the police, and fled. The next day, the Kerala Police embarked on a massive combing and search operation against the group in the nearby forest areas, only to find that the group had escaped without a trace,” said a senior Kerala Police official, seeking anonymity.
Though they could not be located, the team of Maoists (of that particular group) was led by Soman, who hails from Wayanad and is also a former leader of another Maoist front organization, the official added.
While the Kannadiga cadre of the Maoists has suffered a decline because of the gradual shift to Kerala, senior state police officials said that the southern tip of Karnataka, overlapping with Kerala and Tamil Nadu had become a safe haven for the CPI (Maoist) cadres who had begun to retreat from their current strongholds in the Andhra-Odisha border.
“To strengthen themselves, they are planning to develop morally, militarily and their organization capabilities. They are planning to train uneducated cadres by giving them both tactical and political education,” the aforementioned report said.
On 21 April 2017, the Kerala Police conducted another round of combing operations in the Nilambur Forest in Malappuram district after receiving reports of a Maoist group camping inside the forest and intelligence units in the state confirmed “that the group had planted landmines around their camp near the Mancheeri Tribal Colony, in an apparent bid to prevent police raids. A group of armed cadres had also warned the Mancheeri Colony residents of landmines and had asked them not to enter their camp area.”
Experts said that state borders were more porous, given lower levels of policing.
“State borders are less policed and so Naxal movement is easy there. But there needs to be more specific intelligence on their movement and where they will hit next,” said Gurmeet Kanwal, defence analyst at the Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi.
Basavraj takes Over from Ganpathy as New Chief of CPI (Maoist) and India’s ‘Most Wanted’ Man
In his over three-and-a-half-decade association with the organisation, Basavaraj has served as the chief of Central Military Commission of CPI(Maoist).
In his over three-and-a-half-decade association with the organisation, Basavaraj has served as the chief of Central Military Commission (CMC). Intelligence sources had a few weeks ago attributed the rise in the number of incidents against security forces in Bastar to his promotion.
Basavaraj is known for being an expert in explosives and military tactics. He has been underground for the last 28 years. Little is known about his past except that he graduated from Regional Engineering College (REC) in Warangal, now renamed the National Institute of Technology (NIT). He was often arrested in Srikakulam for his agitations and protests led in student days.
“Every offensive against the security forces in the area you can think of, from Dantewada 2010 attack [in which 76 CRPF soldiers were killed], the Jeeram Ghati attack [in which 27 people, including former state minister and leader of Salwa Judum – Mahendra Karma, and Chhattigarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, were killed], have been planned and ordered directly by him,” an intelligence officer told News18.
The officer said Basavaraj is the brain behind the organisation’s attacks against security personnel and his elevation may see a spike in such incidents.
For past several months, there have been speculations in Bastar about Ganpathy’s failing health. It was reported that the Naxal leader, who has a Rs 2.5 crore bounty on his head, was suffering from liver problems and had to be carried around.
The press release issued by the CPI (Maoist) makes an almost obituarial reference to Ganpathy, mentioning the illness he’s suffering from thrice, and recounting his 25-year tenure as the head of the People’s War Group, which then merged into CPI (Maoist) and took the shape of outfit that is today active in Bastar, parts of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand.
* In a future article we will discuss the history of peasants uprisings in these places – the heartland of such struggles in India.
Define The Term ‘Urban Naxal’, Historian Romila Thapar Asks India Government
Talking on the house arrests of five activists, she said these are the people who are fighting against social injustice.
The five activists have been under house arrest since August 29
NEW DELHI: Eminent historian Romila Thapar, who petitioned the Supreme Court against the house arrest of five Left-leaning activists, has asked government to define the phrase ‘urban Naxal’, saying either they do not understand the meaning of the term or the activists like her do not.
Talking on the house arrests of five activists Varavara Rao, Arun Ferreira, Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Gautam Navlakha, she said these are the people who are fighting against social injustice.
“We were all born Indians, lived as Indians all our lives. These activists are fighting for good causes and terming them urban Naxal is a political move,” she said.
“Do they even know what urban Naxal means, first ask the government to define the term urban Naxal and then tell us how we fall into this category. It is very easy to call us urban Naxal. And also tell us how we have become urban Naxal, either the government does not understand the meaning of urban Naxal or we don’t understand the meaning of the term,” Ms Thapar told PTI.
She was speaking on the sidelines of a press conference held by the petitioners after the Supreme Court judgement on Friday refused to interfere with the arrest of the five rights activists in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence case and declined to appoint a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe their arrests.
The five activists have been under house arrest since August 29.
Politicians like Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have often referred to the five activists as “urban Naxals”.
Many social media users have enlisted themselves as “urban Naxals” in a show of solidarity with the arrested Leftwing activists as ‘MeTooUrbanNaxal’ hashtag trended on Twitter.
They countered that the term ‘urban Naxal’ was a mere creation of some sections to brand everyone as Naxalites (so that they can be arrested) who have an anti-establishment stance.
Ms Thapar, economists Prabhat Patnaik and Devaki Jain, sociology professor Satish Deshpande and human rights lawyer Maja Daruwala were the petitioners who filed a case in the Supreme Court after the five lawyers, journalists and civil rights activists were arrested across the country on August 28 and charged with abetting acts of terror under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
“Any democratic institution cannot take law into its hands. It has to go through a certain procedure. Arrests are the last step of a probe it is not the first step of an investigation,” she said.
“Arbitrary arrests on implausible charges means the police can walk into our homes and arrest us – either without a warrant or a warrant written in a language we don’t understand and then accuse us of activities about which we know nothing,” she said.
Woman Maoist Commander Killed In Chhattisgarh’s Sukma
From: Press Trust of India
Updated:November 22, 2018
Raipur: A brave Maoist woman commander, who was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh (£8800) on her head, was gunned down by security forces in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, police said.
The skirmish took place in the evening in a forest near Chitalnar and Dondipadar villages under Pushpal police station limits, in which Military Platoon Commander Jyothi Muriyami of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army was killed, state’s Deputy Inspector General (anti-naxal operations) Sundarraj P told Press Trust of India..
“A team of state’s District Reserve Guard (DRG) that was out on an anti-Naxal operation, reached the forest of Chitalnar and Dondipadar, located around 500 km away from the capital Raipur when it came under heavy fire from a group of ultras that led to a gun-battle,” he said.
After the exchange of fire ended, the body of the woman Naxal cadre was recovered from the spot, the DIG said.
Muriyami was active as a commander of Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army platoon no. 31 of Maoists and was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on her head, he added.
“She was a hardcore cadre in Kanger Valley area along the Chhattisgarh-Odisha border area and has been instrumental in executing several deadly incidents,” he said.
Further details are awaited as the search operation was still underway in the region, he added
Red salute to comrade Muriyami!
Discovery of pen gun from slain Maoists alarms security forces

For the first time since the emergence of Naxalism, a country-made pen gun has been found in the possession of one of the eight suspected Maoists, who were killed in encounter on the hills of Bailadila in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday. The discovery has surprised the security forces.
According to police sources, two rifles, along with some other weapons, were recovered from Maoists, but the most surprising find was a pen gun. Local media, quoting jawans who were part of the encounter, said the pen gun was recovered from the lady Naxal commander, Jaini, who was among those killed in the encounter.
The small, country-made weapon was made from a nine-inch long metal pipe with nine mm bullets to be used in it.
The pen gun, which resembles a flute, has a range of 15 to 20 metres, according to locals. It is mainly used by the Maoist cadre in emergency situations when they lose their main attack weapons—AK47s and INSAS rifles.
Most of the weapons used by Maoist guerrillas are those that are normally used by police and para-military forces. They often loot the arms carried by the security forces whenever they ambush patrolling parties. According to an estimate, over the last 20 years, nearly 4,000 weapons have been stolen or snatched from police forces by Naxals.
The discovery of indigenous pen gun from Maoists has alarmed the police who will have to rethink about their security strategy as the small weapons may pose threat to important people in the election year.
Over the last two years, Chhattisgarh police has launched a major offensive against the Naxals in Bastar zone. Thursday’s encounter saw eight Naxals being killed, while earlier this year, 18 Naxals were killed in two separate encounters in south Bastar.
Thursday’s encounter is considered important as Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh called up Chief Minister Raman Singh to congratulate him over the same. Later, a statement was released by government saying the home minister congratulated state for the successful operation.
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‘URBAN MAOISTS’: IN MODI’S INDIA, IF YOU ARE IN THE RIGHT YOU MUST BE ON THE LEFT
Nationwide police raids on human rights advocates come at a time of rising discontent and anger against the ruling BJP government