War on India�s Democracy

An analysis of recent events related to Maoist terrorism indicates that the four decade old phenomenon has entered the most dangerous phase. The abduction of two Italian nationals Paolo Bosusco and Claudio Colangelo on 18 March 2012, the deportation of 10 French tourists from Bihar in last week of April 2012, the abduction of the Odisha MLA Jhina Hikaka on 24 March 2012, and the abduction of Alex Menon, the Sukma Collector in Chhattisgarh and the killing of his two bodyguards on 21 April 2012 — may appear ostensibly disparate occurrences, but are linked. When coalesced, they suggest that Maoist terrorism has entered the critical phase, wherein the final assault is being made on India’s democracy. Allied to the Maoists are their international benefactors and home grown over-ground elements in the garb of intellectuals and social-activists.

That international activists were sympathetic to the Maoist cause was apparent some years ago when members of the European Commission descended on Raipur, the capital of Chhattisgarh to witness the trial of Binayak Sen in the High Court. What came as a rude shock however was the appointment subsequently of Binayak Sen as a member of a health committee of the Planning Commission. Here was an organ of government cocking a snook at another segment of government engaged in restraining the Maoists, assaulting in the process the psyche and morale of the security forces. The anti-national agenda of the white-collared Maoists triumphed over the patriotism, sacrifice and diligence of the security forces.

The collaborative, dismissive and nonchalant attitude of some elements within the Indian establishment continues to sink to abysmal depths. While politicians, bureaucrats and media personnel make a beeline to the house of Alex Menon, the abducted collector, the sacrifices of the two policemen guarding him have gone altogether unsung. One of them was 28 year old Amjad Khan, shot three times by the Maoists from point blank range. Why three bullets one may ask when one was enough? It was because Amjad had dared to retaliate when his colleague Kujur, the other jawan, was killed. Amjad belonged to the minority community and Kujur was a tribal.

The BJD MLA from Laxmipur in Odisha, Jhina Hikaka, is also a tribal. It was the tribal who voted him to the Assembly and he is thus a ‘peoples representative’. In a ‘kangaroo court’, the Maoists allegedly extracted a promise that he would resign from the Assembly. This was stated by a Maoist leader calling herself ‘Aruna’ in an audio message aired by a local television channel. Ironically, a woman was also in the forefront in the abduction of Alex Menon in Chhattisgarh. It appears that the Maoist leadership has over a period of time created such terror that women have no option but to become tools of violence and sex in service to the male cadres. Villages are also being forced to ‘donate’ at least one child from each family to join the Maoists. Those who resisted formed the ‘Salwan Judum’ (peace-march) to find security under state protection. India’s white-collared criminals supporting the Maoists gave the ‘Salwan Judum’ movement a totally new meaning, vilifying the oppressed people in every conceivable public platform including the media and the judiciary.

The gunning down six months earlier of another BJD legislator, Jagabandhu Majhi and his security guard represented yet again an assault on India’s democracy. Majhi was a popular tribal leader who had fought for land rights of tribal and represented the Umerkote constituency. He was wheel chair bound as a consequence of an attempt on his life by the Maoists in 2004. Ironically he was killed while distributing land ownership papers (pattas) to landless tribal. He was killed because the Maoists were unnerved by their constituency being weaned away. They do not brook any element or organ of the state to dilute their sway over the people. The people’s representatives are being targeted because only they can wean the people away from the vicious grip of the Maoists. Even in the recently concluded panchayat elections in Jharkhand and Odhisa, candidates were forced to abstain leaving the seats open to Maoist candidates who were elected unopposed. With large sums of money now being allocated by the government directly to panchayats, it is apparent that most of it will find its way to the Maoists.

That elected representatives are being targeted by the Maoists is a clear warning sign of Maoist intentions. As per a released press statement during the hostage crisis of Jhina Hikaka by the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee (AOBSZC) of CPI (Maoists), the MPs and MLAs of Koraput district are in the hit list of the Maoists. As per a member of parliament of the Congress party from Odisha, about 70 MLAs and 10 MPs are under constant Maoist threat which constitutes about half the elected members from the state. It appears that Maoists have spread their influence in 24 of the 30 districts in the State. This is a growing phenomenon in the entire ‘red corridor’ spanning Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Bihar. During elections, in most Maoist affected areas, there is no polling after 3.00 pm notwithstanding the large presence of para-military and police personnel. Odhisa is now serving as the pivot for political subversion of India by the Maoists.

In February 2012, the Maoist leader Sabyasachi Panda confessed that it was the Maoists, who indeed killed Odhisa MLA Jagbandhu Majhi in September 2011 and Swami Laxmananda Saraswati in 2007. The killing of the latter was motivated by the religious discourse in Maoist terror that has pervaded the Kandhamal district. It is intriguing, rather revealing that the two Italians chose to travel to Kandhamal area ignoring the travel advisory of Italian government and warning by the Indian government. One of the Italians Paolo Bosusco had visited the area several times before and enjoyed the hospitality of the Maoists. His being taken hostage was a staged drama to humble the Indian state. Paolo is a member of an Italy based ultra-leftist organisation, Party of Committees to Support Resistance for Communism (CARC). In December 2011, Maoist Communist Party of Manipur in a press release had acknowledged its association and support of some foreign based ultra-leftist outfits. They are: Communist Party of Philippines, Association for Proletarian Solidarity, Italy (ASP), Maoist Communist Party of France, Revolutionary Communist Party Canada (PCR – RCP), and Party of the Committees to Support Resistance for Communism (CARC) Italy. Some of the western countries had played a very dubious role in fanning Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in Nepal to facilitate religious conversion. Kandhamal district of Odisha suffers from the same paradigm. Nepal’s example should not be lost out on India.

As far as military prowess of the Maoists goes, there is evidence of AK-47 rifles being supplied by the United Wa Army in Myanmar. The AK-47 manufacturing facility has been provided by China to the said insurgent outfit. The Maoist – ISI – LeT – militant groups in Kashmir and Northeast nexus is fairly well established. The Chinese, as per a national television channel have also begun to supply sophisticated signal equipment with encryption capability to the Maoists. The war is on. In this war the adversary has a deadly cocktail of ideology, foreign support, religious agenda, armed cadres, criminal financing and terror. We can no longer treat it as a law and order problem. The assault is now on Indian democracy and the unity of India. If we wish to preserve our democracy and freedom, this war has to be won at the earliest.
 

RSN Singh is a former R&AW Officer and author of book ‘Military Factor in Pakistan'