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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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