Maoist attack :Aggressive and comprohensive action is required

Maoist Attack –Aggressive and Comprehensive Action Is required
V. Shanmuganathan
On April 6th early morning at about 5 am, 75 CRPF personnel and
a head constable lost lives in the worst Maoist attack in Tarmetla a
deep forest Village in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh province.
This brutal massacre was the most daring and the biggest single strike
by Naxalites during the past 50 years.

The actual event that took place on 6th April highlights the
leadership failure during and after the worst ever Naxalite attack.
After the CRPF forces were trapped and butchered by the Maoists, they
collected weapons and personal belongings like wrist watches. Then the
Maoists split into two groups. One major group went towards
malkanjigiri in Orissa and the other minor group slipped into Andhra
Pradesh. The attack reportedly started a little before sunrise and
lasted for three hours. Apparently barring seven or eight Maoists
killed during the attack and most of the attackers got away and
disappeared without any pursuit of police forces.

It now comes to light, that there was a deplorable lack of quick
decision and action. If some senior officers in the state alerted
their counterparts in the neighbouring states, the major group which
entered Orissa could have been fought vigorously. There was no
immediate response after the killing of 76 CRPF Jawans had taken place
because of poor intelligence.

The case study will reveal many more details.

CRPF Jawans were sent to locate and fight the naxals. It is a
tough task of penetrating inside the deep forest. The CRPF personnel
were carrying a considerable load. It seems that the long march
without sufficient food made them tired and exhausted. They were not
so alert. In any counter insurgency operation, a large force has
proved to be counter productive. The CRPF has undertaken an expedition
of this nature without collaboration and co-ordination with the state
police.

It was not a prudent step on the part of the Home Ministry to
plan an offensive against the Naxalites by CRPF without sufficient
arms and ammunition. From the state police only one head constable was
involved. The Local State Police force knows language of the people.
They have a better chance of gathering information from local sources.
So the local State Police force should be encouraged to take more
initiative. They can establish bondage because of the understanding of
the nature, customs and practices of the villagers.

The threat must not be underestimated. Police forces must have
complete knowledge of the Maoist insurgency and their ways and means
of attacking and retaliation. Security Forces must be well trained to
face the menace. We have to create awareness about the danger of
Maoists among the people at large.

The left wing extremism and violence is continuing unabated.
Available reports indicate that 160 districts in 13 states, have how
been affected by violence in varying degrees. About 5000 persons lost
their lives so far. A large numbers had lost their limbs .More than
1000 children became orphaned. The naxals blasted Govt. buildings,
Railway Stations, Bridges, Telephone Exchanges, Microwave towers and
police stations. Their motive is clear. State power can be seized only
through armed revolutions. They believe that Guerilla war alone can
expand their bases. Maoists ultimate plan is to capture the Indian
state. Maoists are for dictatorship. They are not for Ballot or
Freedom or fundamental rights. They plan to grab the power through
barrel of gun. Maoists thrive in poverty. They don't allow any
development activity to take place.

They extort money from contractors, farmers, employees and
traders. They snatch weapons from the armory of govt. Every State Govt
employee posted in the affected area has to give a certain percentage
of pay to them. The extortion money collected by Maoist are estimated
over 1500 crore. They eliminate anybody as class enemies or police
informer. At the end they dream to eliminate democracy itself from our
country. So Maoism is a militarised movement, it will have to be
fought by the security forces. Definite measures are necessary to
mitigate the lapses so that Dantewada like incidents do not occur in
the future.

Hence, the violence of Maoists are the serious challenge to our
national security and integrity. It is essential for the central and
state forces to carry on joint operation. They should give master
training to their forces to face any eventuality. Forces must be
equipped with the modern weapons, arms and ammunition. An all
encompassing and aggressive action is required in a cohesive manner.
It is equally important to win the support of the villagers by
empowering them with all facilities and full protection.

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