What kind of organisation, equipment and strategic revamp is required for the state and Central police forces to effectively combat Maoist guerrilla tactics? Amiya Samanta, author and former IB director in West Bengal, joined IBNLive readers for an interaction on the issue.
Q. Will a single command centre will help to control this menace, instead of different agencies working? Asked by: Nisha
A. I do not think so. Maoists are a decentralised party wherein decisions are taken in a decentralised manner. Highly centralised command for operational activities will not produce good result. However some kind of central command may be necessary.
Q. What should be govt's approach in dealing with Naxalism/Development dilemma? Are there examples from other parts of the world that India can learn from? Asked by: Anuj
A. They can perhaps. But it has to be remembered that the Maoists are confined to the Jungle area of eastern tribal area for last 45 years. The areas of V, Satya Narayan, P Krishnamurthy, S.N.Sinha, Asim Chatterji are even today affected by the menace. The terrain is their best protector. Now they have got funds: Govt. development funds, ransom money from mine owners, operators, forest contractors etc. So they operated more dangerously. Ideology a veneer of the rampant militarism and adventurism to bluff the civil right and other designing social activists. The Govt should control the area first and then develop, of course ,honestly. Funds should not be siphoned off by thieves. At least law and order action and development should go hand in hand.In dealing with the Maoist General Templer's strategy may be of help.
Q. What about bureaucrats and political executives who never visit Naxal effected areas to monitor development activities except at election time? Are they responsible for heroism of Maoists in the eyes of local people? Asked by: Vinod K R
A. This is correct. There is a political vacuum in these areas. Surface political parties do not visit or develop support base; on the contrary they garner votes by manipulating the Maoist leaders and that eventually adds strength to the Maoists.All political parties in all the states do this, and their responsibility for escalation of violence is considerable. Bureaucrats are equally responsible mostly tribal bureaucrats. They vie with non-tribal bureaucrats in corruption and inefficiency--that SC/ST people consider as signs of upward mobiliti and modernization in Indian context. Ashis Nandi was not incorrect in Jaipur.So good bureaucrats are to be selected. Tribals will help tribals honestly is a wrong concept. Non-tribals often will do better.
Q. Don't you think there is bound to be collateral damage in populated areas especially when it is difficult to distinguish between the Maoists and innocent civilians? Also the Maoists using tribas as a human shields there is bound to be collateral damage. We did see this in Sri Lanka. Do you agree that winning the confidence is the best way to resolve the crisis and isolate the Maoists along with stopping the exploitation of the tribals? Asked by: AKS
A. Sri Lankan was a military operation. Our situation does not justify deployment of the army.We can still deal with it by strengtening the ground level police units, ground level collection of intelligence. No outside force can have knowledge about the locality, people etc.and without such knowledge no police operation can be successful. A good o/c is more useful in a situation like this than a general from Delhi.Collection of village wise grass root intelligence is necessary and that has to be followed by prompt action. Interrogation of one may lead to arrest of two and from two a few more and thus there will be an 'expanding torrent' which will unnerve the terrorists. But it needs efficient and knowledgable interrogator and promptness in action. Government, in stead spending money on mul;tiplication of elite intelligence and investigative agencies should have paid attention to this. Take for instance the NIA investigation in Bastar case. They will have to take 90% of the materials and evidence from the local police.So the emphasis should be at the proper place. Only through the local officers the confidence building should start. Saiwa Judum might have committed excess, but the idea was not wrong. It should have been purged of the evils and more correctly and legally used. The SC did a bit of judicial activism. The best way to overcome alenation is to fill the political vacuuam.
Q. Why is it that for last 65 odd years, we are still finding a solution to this problems. Have we been able to pin point the problem? Asked by: SE
A. Probably some people want to perpetuate it. When the Centre losened its purse string for the Naxal affected areas there is a scramble for more funds by the state governments and the number of affected districts are often inflated. Buring the last 25/30 years the policy of mineral exploitation and forest resource exploitation has changed leading to strengthening of the Maoist groups. So the basis of the problem has shifted from land to minerals, from social equality to empowerment and accordingly the contours of the problem have changed.
Q. Who is helping naxals in terms of money and arms? Asked by: Jagdev babu
A. They take a share of the tribal development funds as the political parties in all states take a share of the development funds in the cities and towns.Means are much too well known. They collect ransom money. They take regular cut money from the forest contractors, illegal mine operators (certain CM had 95 illegal mines in Jharkhand alone) Three years age IB roughly calculated Rs 1000 crores to be their fund. It may not be accurate. Arms they have taken for certain from the ULFA and the LTTE. They also manufacture in a decentralised manner, Parts are made in different places and assembled at certain secret place. They handsomely pay their experts. Riflemen used to be paid too.
Q. Why still the Central Government can't win the hearts of tribal people in Dandakarunya region who are the backbone of Maoists? Asked by: nask08
A. Centre is distant. The nearest one should try to win first.Political parties can win the hearts through their political ideology. But they are not inclined to sale their ideology in difficult areas.
Q. Is Army a solution to combat naxalism Asked by: Mara
A. No, certainly not.
Q. Sir, if Govt takes tough stance against Maoist like it did in Punjab, there would be a large number of innocent victims. Can we win against Maoists in a short span of time without this? Asked by: Anshu
A. Punjab method was not a tough method, it was a thoroughly illegal method. No extra judicial killing. Even in lawful encounters innocent may be spared as far as practicable. No time limit can perhaps be set for tackling such a menace.
Q. sir, mineral resources are to be found in forests, and they are identified by Geologists, but until somebody excavates, processes it and converts it to usable form, it is of no use to the tribals as well as country. Asked by: SE
A. True. Niyamgiri is the case in point. Let us convince the people first that their place of worship should remain undisturbed abd the quality of life as they understand should also change. But what they see is displacement and see the profit made by others. Why cant we find some ways and means to associate tangibly with the material development.
Q. Bringing Naxals to main stream will end this problem Asked by: Rakka
A. The idea of Naxalism has to be exposed first and then they may be brought to the main stream of democracy.
Q. Is the Naxal problem present in other countries also. Asked by: Rohit
A. I have replied this.
Q. Nayagarh armory looting and now this one. is it ever really possible that hundreds can assemble and plan an attack without intel agencies hearing a squeak? Asked by: amar
A. Very correct. As a professional intelligence officer,though retired now, I can say with certainty that there was no intelligence whatsoever about the assemblage. Such intelligence should be collected by the ground/local level agencies. There is no system like this operating in entire Chattisgarh perhaps. Elite agencies willnot do. Grass root intelligence has to be developed.
Q. Better coordination and no political interference is the mantra. this should be simultaneously carried out with gaining the confidence of the tribals and not allowing vested interests exploiting the tribals. Don't you think this is the only way ewe can isolate the Maoists? Asked by: AKS
A. I fully agree. But having seen the Indian political leaders and administration I dare not imagine such an ideal situation.
Q. Has support of the sympathetic educated class affected the fight against Maoism in the country? Asked by: Arun Dev
A. Though vocal sympathetic educated class is a small minority. But the wider civil society is not vocal. The political parties and the administration should ideologically counteract them.But such efforts are not noticed.The media also often opt for sensationalism.
Q. Unless Politicians stop Financial terrorism (scams,scams and scams) Any number of Forces will not be able to handle this insurgency. Or shall we ignore that corruption, resource exploitation etc has any role to play in the emergence of this violence from Maoists. Asked by: Raj
A. Corruption has provided moral justification to the Maoists, and it is correct that those who are out to suppress are not morally unblemished to challenge the Maoists. So we start off from a point of disadvantage and weakness. Morally and ehically at times we can not claim to be superior. That in fact is a point which earned for the Maoists some public confidence.
Q. How to fight Naxalism? Asked by: Rohit
A. 1. Good grass-root intelligence- wide spread and all-comprehensive. 2. Penetrating top and middle level intelligence. 3. Good interrogation- prompt workout leading to expanding torrents of suspects.. 4. Source and routes of arms and funds traced and isolated. 5. Recruitment stopped by providing jobs to probable recruits. 6. Development of village resistance groups. Never allow mobilization of young unnoticed. 7.Striking force in strategic places and also at police stations. 8. Local police given due responsibility and importance. 9. Involvement all departments according to their nature of work in anti-insurgency tasks- not overtly but covertly if needed. 10. Training of the armed police in anti-insurgency operation and in other tactical methods.
Q. Why we do not use air power. I am not saying use MIG's and bomb them but we can use un-manned planes for continuous surveillance. These planes do have light ammunition. Are we technically handicap? Asked by: Prateek
A. Airpower not against the Maoists but for evacuation or if necessary tracking of the fleeing gang.
Q. What kind of organisation, equipment and strategic revamp is required for the state and Central police forces to effectively combat Maoist guerilla tactics? Asked by: vinny
A. I have replied in brief.
Q. Sir don't you think political party who make these Maoist HERO and savior of tribal people are actually responsible for massacre and this party should be banned by EC. Asked by: Randhir Thakur
A. In a democracy we should not try to make up our intellectual deficiency by power and authority. We should logically counteract that such attitude is untenable in a democracy.
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