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India hit by deadliest Maoist ambush against regime
Hundreds of Maoist rebels killed 17 policemen in an ambush on a patrol in eastern India, a senior police officer said Sunday, in the deadliest attack reported in the region this year.
A group of 250 Maoists opened fire and triggered explosions targeting a joint patrol comprising of over 100 personnel from the paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force and state police in a remote and forested area of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh state.
The operation lasted for at least five hours and the bodies of 17 security personnel, who were missing after the clash, were later found on Sunday. Senior ministers including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Information Minister Prakash Javdekar paid tributes to the paramilitary personnel.
The area is a known stronghold of the rebels, who have been fighting in several Indian states for over 40 years. The rebels are considered India’s biggest internal security threat and claim inspiration from Chinese revolutionary leader, Mao Zedong.
They are demanding land and jobs for impoverished tribal communities that they say are ignored by the government. The Maoist insurgency has left more than 3,100 civilians, militants and security personnel dead over the last two decades, according to the South Asia Terrorism Portal.
Naxal alert in Telangana
Mahabubabad Officer K Suresh Kumar said that they have begun combing operations after they received information on Naxals entering the State by crossing the Godavari River.
Published: 13th March 2020 10:48 AM | Last Updated: 13th March 2020 10:48 AM | A+A A-
For representational purposes. (File | EPS)
MULUGU/BHUPALPALLY /MAHABUBABAD: Police, in the agency areas of Mulugu, Jayashankar Bhupalpally and Mahabubabad districts, are on high alert after they reportedly received intel about entry of Naxals into the State from Chhattisgarh.
Speaking to Express, Mahabubabad Officer on Special Duty (OSD) K Suresh Kumar said that they have begun combing operations after they received information on Naxals entering the State by crossing the Godavari River.
“We are combing forest tracts and have launched a massive vehicle checking operation in Eturunagaram, Tadavai, Wazed and Venkatapuram mandals. We are focusing mainly on the Gothi Koya tribals, who come from Chhattisgarh to Telangana, either for daily wage work or health requirements. Their ID proofs are being checked,” said Suresh.
He further said, “We have intensified the search for lower-rung cadre, particularly in Mulugu and Mahabubabad districts.” He urged public to inform the police about suspicious movement of people.
“There has been no major Maoist activity here since the formation of TS,” said OSD of Bhupalpally and Mulugu districts Sobhan Kumar.
Osmania University professor held for Maoist links; 20 students detained
Mulugu police of Siddipet Commissionerate arresting Osmania University professor Dr. Kasim after conducting searches at his house in the Staff quarters of Osmania University in Hyderabad on Saturday. | Photo Credit: G. Ramakrishna
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Officials seized mobile phones, pen drives, alleged written communications between the top Maoist leaders and Kaseem, and revolutionary literature.
Osmania University Associate Professor Chintakindi Kaseem was arrested by Mulugu police of Siddipet Commissionerate on Saturday in an Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) case registered against him in 2016.
Around 7 a.m. on Saturday, a police team reached the professor’s house in the staff quarters on the university campus, after they obtained a search warrant from a local court, marking fresh developments in the case. “Recently, some inputs were received that Kaseem had more documents in his house. We searched the house only after serving court warrant to him and his wife Snehalatha,” said Siddipet Commissioner of Police D. Joel Davis, adding that the search continued till 10.05 a.m. in the presence of the accused and his family members.
The police have seized incriminating evidence, including laptop, personal computer, mobile phones, pen drives, and other electronic devices, in addition to banned revolutionary literature, the officer said.
Kaseem was in contact with CPI (Maoist) State Committee member Hari Bhushan alias Jagan and other top leaders of the Central Committee, the Commissioner said. He was appointed general secretary of Revolutionary Writers Association (Virasam) a week ago. He hails from Ambatipally village in Nagarkurnool dist.
“He is not a ‘frontal’ guy. He is working as an organiser of ‘united front vertical’ of outlawed Maoist party in the State, which coordinates protests, funding and propagation of revolutionary ideology to different groups, including students,” Mr. Davis said.
Car accident
In 2016, a fatal car accident took place at Mulugu, in which a girl died on the spot. The accused driver, Shyam Sundar from Adilabad, left the car and fled from the spot. “Later when police reached the scene, they found Shyam Sundar was transporting important documents, including communications from Kaseem to top Maoist leaders,” the officer said.
“We seized those documents and later Shyam Sundar, who was working as a courier for the party was arrested. Based on his confession, Kaseem was made one of the accused in the case,” he said.
“During the course of investigation, we gathered more documents on Kaseem’s links with CPI (Maoist) and recently, we got inputs that he had more documents at his house, following which today’s search was carried out,” the Commissioner said.
‘Barged in’
Meanwhile, the arrested professor’s wife Snehalatha alleged that the police barged in and ransacked their house in the early hours.
“They broke open the doors and gained access to our house. The police ransacked the entire house during the search,” she told the media.
Ms. Snehalatha appealed to the State government to close the case and release her husband, as he raised his voice against unemployment, discrimination and other social issues in Telangana.
“The police arrested him in a 2016 case, where two books written by him were found in a car that was involved in an accident,” she said.
Earlier in the day, mild tension prevailed on the campus with several students carrying out a protest rally condemning the arrest of the professor, following which Osmania University police reached the spot to control the situation. Forum Against Repression – Telangana and State Civil Liberties Committee condemned the arrest and demanded the immediate release of Kaseem and others.
Telangana police have arrested 17 people since October, suspecting their association with the outlawed CPI (Maoist) party.
MAOISTS OBSERVE ‘PEOPLES LIBERATION GUERRILLA ARMY’ WEEK
In Odisha state, eastern India
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HZHE6WzuBXM&feature=share&fbclid=IwAR0576iqcSpj8Lj-OoNEaiYEVrN0adzaTXnkJY8l8PKIJKR0GWRYZlHzx2s
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Police of Kerala’s CPI(Marxist)-led government kill four Maoists in fake encounters.
Reethu RaviKerala
October 31st, 2019 / 6:24 PM / Updated 8 hours ago
Image Credits: Haroon Kovanoor
The Kerala Police arrested 14 people, citing ‘procession without permission’. The arrested people were part of a protest carried out by citizens on Tuesday (29 October 2019), against the encounter killing of four Maoists by the Kerala Thunderbolts. The group consisting of 20-25 activists were holding the protest at the Mananchira Square in Calicut district.
“Within 5 minutes of the procession, the police came in buses and arrested all the 14 people. When the police surrounded them(the protesters), they sat down and raised slogans,” said Gopal Menon, a human rights activist and independent filmmaker, while speaking to The Logical Indian. They were later released after 2 hours under bail.
While Menon was scheduled to speak at the protest, he arrived late, due to which he was not arrested. There were several other protests at the same place, including that by the BJP, Merchants Association and Trade Union against various issues, and yet the protest of the group was singularly targeted, says Menon. This is the government “trying to muzzle the voice of dissent in Kerala.”
On Monday, the Kerala Thunderbolts, the command force of Kerala Police, had gunned down three Maoists – Karthik, Arvind, and Rama – in the Agali forests of Attapadi Hills in Palakkad. According to a report by The Hindu, the police claimed that the Maoists attacked first, post which they retaliated. On Tuesday, while inspecting the encounter area, yet another Maoist, Manivasakam, was killed by the Thunderbolts.
Meanwhile, in a press conference in Thiruvanthapuram, Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala called out the killings as ‘fake encounter.’ Talking to the media, he said that 6 Maoists have been killed since the CPI(M) government came to power in 2016.
Claiming that there have not been any fake encounters when he was the state Home Minister, Chennithala added, “We are against the Maoist ideologies; we have different opinions. But, we don’t support murdering them in a fake encounter…Take them in custody and bring them to justice; that’s what a democratic govt should do.”
In latest developments, various Adivasi leaders have also come forward in support of the killed Maoists. According to Shivani, an Adivasi leader, the Maoists were in discussion with the previous ASP, Navneeth Sharma, for options of surrender. The police had offered them protection and rehabilitation, provided that they agreed to surrender. Some of the Maoists, including Manivasakam, had health issues, which was also why they were ready to comply. And yet, they were gunned down by the police, Shivani told Media One.
Shivani added that the Maoist group had in no ways troubled the tribals, which makes it unbelievable that they had fired at the thunderbolts. “They were cooking and eating when the Thunderbolts surrounded them, they could not even get to their weapons. It was Thunderbolts who attacked them.” Sreemathi, the wife of Arvind, also had a six-month-old baby in her hand, Shivani added.
“The police and the thunderbolt should take them(the Maoists) into custody, and not take the law in their hands and gun down the Maoists. That’s human rights violation,” said Murugan, Adivasi Action Council Leader, to Media One.
This is not the first time that the CPI (Marxist) government has been criticized for their action against Maoists. On November 26, 2016, Kuppu Devaraj and Ajitha were gunned down by Thunderbolts in Nilambur in Malappuram district. On March 6, 2019, C P Jaleel was gunned down in Vythiri, Wayanad district. All three killings were widely criticized and alleged to be fake encounters. “It’s definitely a dark phase in the history of Kerala’s democracy,” says Menon.
DOMESTIC WORKERS OF WEST BENGAL
Domestic workers aren’t treated with respect, denied leave and paid poorly. Now, they are here to fight for their rights – organising a demonstration in Kolkata and demanding trade union status
- 18 Jun 2018
- Sampad Nandy
How often have you thought of offering a weekly day off to the person who helps you in your domestic work? Not when s/he falls ill, but as a regular, weekly day off from work the way you get your weekly off from office?
Ever thought of offering her/him casual leave, sick leave, earn leave, annual bonus without their pleadings? How many of you asked them to sit by your side on the couch instead of talking to them while they sit on the floor? Ever treated them as equal and with kindness, respect and sympathy?
Baby Naskar tried hard to fight back tears as she talked about the routine exploitation of domestic workers – who experience poor working conditions and are among the worst placed in the unorganised labour sector in the country.
“There have been times when, despite domestic helps falling ill at their employers’ homes, were not even taken to hospitals. There is the issue of little pay. And then, no one thinks it important to protect them from sexual harassment of employers,” Naskar said.
Baby Naskar, who works as domestic worker, is now president of Durbar Disha Mahila Grihashramik Samanway Committee (DDMGSC), an organisation of domestic workers in Dum Dum.
“We have no rights or entitlement related to our job. There is no guarantee that I won’t lose my job during pregnancy or for other health issues. If we visit the police with our problems we get no assurance that action will be taken. Almost every time, we have to ‘settle’ such matters with our employers,” added Moumita Naskar, secretary of DDMGSC.
Several similar units from different parts of West Bengal will come together on June 22 for a convention at Rani Rashmoni Avenue in Kolkata’s Dalhousie area to demand their rights and to raise their voices against such exploitation. The organisation is now active in some localities of Dum Dum with 750 members, like many others in various parts of the state. Most of these branches along with other nongovernmental organisations from all over West Bengal are coming together to participate in the demonstration titled, “grihashramik adhikar abhijan” (demonstration for rights of the domestic workers).
They will march from Seladah to Rani Rashmoni Avenue – approximately 10 km – and present a deputation before chief minister Mamata Banerjee and state labour minister Malay Ghatak.
The organisers say that they are not affiliated to any political party, but “since it is an issue a large number of people can connect with, we expect a turnout of nearly 3,000 persons,” says Ratna Mondal, another member of the organisation.
The main demands include recognition as labourers with a minimum basic pay apart from being able to form trade unions, assurances on compulsory maternity leave, pension after 60 years of age, four leaves per month, benefits under the Employees State Insurance Corporation and bonus pay once a year.
Apart from these demands they also want the government to set up creches where they can keep their children while they work, and a “Welfare Board” to look into their complaints.
DDMGSC is yet to receive a registration as trade union. “We were frustrated with the condition of domestic workers and thought of forming our organisation in 2010. We applied for trade union recognition in 2011, but there has been no communication from the government since,” says Baby.
“We had organised a demonstration in 2016 when our representatives met the Governor and other dignitaries and delivered our demands in writing. Even in 2017 on June 16 (recognised as International Domestic Workers Day) we had participated in several street corner meetings and demonstrations but none of our demands were fulfilled,” she added.
According to Baby Naskar, “We also met several trade union leaders so they raise demands for our plight, but it didn’t yield any result. So we are going to hit the streets on June 22.”
Secretary of the Kolkata district committee of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), Debanjan Chakraborty said, “We have tried to organise domestic workers locally and pushed for demands like minimum wage, enrolment in Rashtriya Swastha Bima Yojna (RSBY) and Provident Fund (PF). We welcome this effort and if they want our help we will be by their side.”
CITU has offered its views at a meeting with the organisation recently, though the CPIM’s trade union wing won’t participate in the June 22 demonstration.
President of the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress, Dola Sen, also a Rajya Sabha member, said, “I have been sensitive to their cause, but there were legal problems about the demand to be recognised as a trade union. However, we are working for their welfare.”
Last week, another organisation, the Paschimbanga Griha Paricharika Samiti (PGPS-West Bengal Domestic Workers Society) received a trade union certificate from the state government.
This brings hope for the domestic workers, who have been struggling for decades with demands of better pay and better working conditions. The June 22 meeting in Kolkata should also make the authorities and employers take notice.
Cover Picture: Ganga Naskar, who works as a domestic help in Kolkata’s Kasba area. She has heard about the meeting of domestic workers, but is not part of the organisation
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
A Flourish data visualisationThe 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.
ANI
✔@ANI
Chhattisgarh: BJP convoy attacked by Naxals in Dantewada. BJP MLA Bheema Mandavi was also in the convoy, further details awaited.
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.
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“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
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi looks on as he attends a signing ceremony during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Qingdao, China. His ruling government has come under fire for a crackdown on dissent following the arrest of key rights activists. Photo: AFPIndia’s democracy suffered a body blow this week when police raids across six cities resulted in five prominent left-wing human rights defenders being arrested, the homes and offices of many more searched, and their documents, books, mobile phones and laptops seized.
These included lawyers, a poet, an 81-year-old Jesuit priest and a management teacher. They were all charged under an extraordinary anti-terror law, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, which allows investigating agencies to withhold many aspects of due process.
There are three grounds that police officials alluded to in trying to justify the arrests, but did not join the dots. One was a letter allegedly found on the laptop of a person arrested in connection with an alleged plot to kill Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The second was that these activists and intellectuals were party to a plot to foment violence that rocked parts of Mumbai at the start of the year, after so-called low-caste Dalits celebrated a 200-year-old victory of Dalit soldiers in the British army against a upper caste Maratha king. This despite the fact the violence broke out after upper-caste activists attacked the Dalit rally. The third was that the accused sympathised with insurgent Maoists, with an “intent to strike terror in the people of India” and “intent to threaten the unity, integrity, security, economic security or sovereignty of India”.
Indian legislator and Dalit leader Jignesh Mevani, centre, writer activist Arundhati Roy, left, and activist Sanjay Parikh sit for a press conference opposing the arrests this week of five prominent rights activists, in New Delhi, India. Photo: AP
None of the arrested activists have advocated violence against the state. But what is common to each one is that they have fought bravely and resolutely for the rights of India’s most oppressed peoples, including tribal populations who are gravely threatened by large, predatory private corporations. They are also vocal and resolute critics of the ruling party and government, deploring both the persecution of religious minorities, disadvantaged castes and workers; and what they regard to be crony-capitalist largesse to big business.
Outside China, these places are where Maoism is alive and kicking
The government and its supporters have consistently attacked its critics as “anti-national”. The supreme leader, his party, the majority Hindu community and the nation are all portrayed by the government as “one”, so any criticism of Modi, his administration’s policies or the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can be effectively transmuted into attacks on Hindus and on the country.
As such, a new phrase of abuse has been added to the vocabulary of supporters of the government: “Urban Naxal” – Naxal being the Indian label for Maoists.
Retired Justice B.G. Kolse Patil speaks, accompanied by advocate Susan Abraham, left, and civil activist Anand Teltumbade, during a joint press conference opposing the arrests this week of five prominent rights activists for suspected links to Maoist rebels in various parts of the country. Photo: AP
Urban Maoists are intellectuals who are allegedly overground sympathisers for Maoist insurgents, giving them legitimacy and ideological support. This invective has been increasingly applied to everybody who stands to the left of Indian politics and in support of the rights of disadvantaged people. Noisy right-wing television channels, which have emerged as propaganda arms of the ruling government, described all those arrested as Urban Naxals.
Arrest of critics in India shows Modi wants to ‘jail all activists’: India’s opposition
India’s Supreme Court intervened to partially stay the action of the police and allow only the house arrest of the activists until its hearing next week. Justice D.Y. Chandrachud cautioned the government: “Dissent is the safety valve of democracy. If dissent is not allowed, the pressure cooker may burst.”
Retired judge of the Supreme Court Justice P. B. Sawant, who formerly chaired India’s Press Council, was even more scathing. “This is state terror let loose,” he declared. “It is complete lawlessness by the ruling party. All because they know that opinion has turned against them in all walks of life.”
His rage is shared by large sections of India’s intellectuals and civil society. In a joint statement, some of India’s best-known writers asked: “Their crimes? Insisting on human rights, writing, analysing, teaching, giving voice to dissent against injustice and inequality.”
Indian police detain protesters demonstrating against the arrest of revolutionary writer Varavara Rao and other activists, in Hyderabad. Photo: AP
Now in its fifth year of office, with elections only a few months away, there are signs of rising discontent and anger against the ruling BJP government.
Withdrawal symptoms: cash is still king in India, Modi not so much
Modi promised India’s massive young population 20 million jobs every year, but the country is trapped in the quicksand of jobless growth, with the number of new employment opportunities barely a few hundred thousand each year. India’s farm sector, which employs more than half the population is in a state of near-terminal crisis. The economy is also floundering, with the rupee hitting an all-time low of more than 70 to a US dollar.
All of this continues to be aggravated by attacks against Muslims and Dalits by lynch mobs, which have been openly supported, even valourised by members of the ruling party.
India: no country for Muslims
An Indian girl holds up a placard during a protest opposing the arrests this week of five prominent rights activists, in New Delhi. Photo: AP
The use of the anti-terror law against rights activists and left-wing intellectuals still does not oblige the police to reveal their grounds for the arrests. But the political subtext of the charges is anything but ambiguous.
It is aimed at ‘tarnishing’ the reputation of many of the country’s leading activists and intellectuals as “Maoists” to link rising Dalit anger against the ruling government to Maoist violence, and to suggest they not only seek to overthrow the lawfully elected government of the day with violence, but also assassinate the country’s prime minister. It is a naked bid to enfeeble democracy and warn other dissenters. India’s democratic forces are fighting back, and the battle is turning increasingly ugly.
