The spread of Naxalism

Published: 3rd May, 2024

Context

The Naxalite–Maoist insurgency in India is an ongoing conflict between Maoist groups known as Naxalites or Naxals and the Indian government.

1: Dimension- Origin and Ideology:

Naxalism represents both a socio-economic issue and a law and order problem.
Naxals are far-left radical communists who support Maoist political sentiment and ideology.
Their followers primarily include Adivasis, Dalits, and the poorest of the poor—often landless laborers working below India’s mandated minimum wages.
Impacted region:Naxalism is concentrated in Eastern India, particularly an area known as the Red Corridor spread across the states of Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, and Andhra Pradesh.
- Some districts of Kerala, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, etc. are also impacted by Naxalism.

2: Dimension- Causes of Naxalism

Development deficit: Evasion of land ceiling laws by politically and economically stronger classes, Encroachment and occupation of Government and community lands, Disruption of the age-old tribal-forest relationship
Social exclusion: Unemployment and Poverty, Infrastructure deficit, Lack of education and Poor health facilities
Governance deficit: Violation of human rights, Abuse of dignity of life, Disconnect with mainstream society, Discontent against government
Exploitative Deficit: Incompetent, ill-trained, and poorly motivated public personnel, Mismanagement and corruption, Poor implementation of laws and schemes

3: Dimension- Challenges and Criticisms:

Inefficient Service Delivery: Naxal-affected areas remain deprived of basic services, justice delivery, and community participation among others.
Lack of coordination: States have not done satisfactorily in joining hands. This lack of coordination between State police and Central forces results in security voids which are exploited by the Naxals.
Inability to maintain created infrastructure- It hampers the trust of locals and disrupts channels of communication for security forces.
Inability to curb sources of financing for Naxals – Demonetisation also proved to be insufficient.
Inadequate use of Technology-The use of drones, ground sensors, smart guns, AI, etc. has been inadequate in Naxal areas.

Fact Box: Government Response:

The Indian government has launched several operations to counter Naxalism:
Operation Prahar (Launched in 2017):
- A collaborative mission involving the CRPF and Chattisgarh Police.
- Focuses on removing extremists from their hideouts, particularly in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.
- Reports indicate that over 79 Naxals have been neutralized in different encounters since the start of 2024.
Other notable operations include Operation Green Hunt, Operation Hill Vijay, Operation Samadhan-Prahar, and Operation Thunder.

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