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{{short description|Indian left wing political party members}} |
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{{POV|date=December 2019}} |
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{{use dmy dates|date=March 2013}} |
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{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}} |
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| footer = Areas with Naxalite activity in 2007 (left) and in 2013 (right). |
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A '''Naxal''' or '''Naxalite''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|n|ʌ|k|s|ə|l|aɪ|t}}<ref>. '']''.</ref>) is a member of militant political organisation that claims the legacy of the ], founded in Calcutta in 1969. |
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The term ''Naxal'' derives from the name of the village ] in ], where the ] took place in 1967. Naxalites are considered ], supportive of ]. Their origin can be traced to the split in 1967 of the ] following the Naxalbari peasant uprising, leading to the formation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) two years later. Initially, the movement had its epicentre in West Bengal. In later years, it spread to less developed areas of rural southern and eastern India, such as ], ], ] and ] through the activities of underground groups like the Communist Party of India (Maoist).<ref>{{cite web| last = Ramakrishnan| first = Venkitesh| title = The Naxalite Challenge| publisher = Frontline Magazine (])| date = 21 September 2005| url = http://www.flonnet.com/fl2221/stories/20051021006700400.htm| access-date = 2007-03-15| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061017003538/http://www.flonnet.com/fl2221/stories/20051021006700400.htm| archive-date = 17 October 2006| df = dmy-all}}</ref> Some Naxalite groups have become legal organisations participating in parliamentary elections, such as the ] and the ]. As of February 2019, 90 districts across 11 states are affected by left-wing extremism.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Naxal affected Districts|url=https://www.pib.gov.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=188075|website=www.pib.gov.in|access-date=2020-05-15}}</ref> |
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== History == |
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The term Naxalites comes from Naxalbari, a small village in West Bengal, where a faction of the ] (CPI-M) led by ], ], and ] initiated an armed uprising in 1967.<!-- A backgrounder of how the Telangana and Naxalbari are connected and how they are different is relevant, but the passage found here was incoherent and misleading to the point that it was better removed --> On 18 May 1967, the Siliguri Kishan Sabha, of which Jangal was the president, declared their support for the movement initiated by Kanu Sanyal, and their readiness to adopt armed struggle to redistribute land to the landless.<ref>{{Cite book |
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| title =Peasant movements in India: mid-nineteenth and twentieth centuries| author=Sen, Sunil Kumar| year = 1982 |
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|location=Calcutta| publisher = K.P. Bagchi}}</ref> The following week, a ] near Naxalbari village was attacked by the landlord's men over a land dispute. On 24 May, when a police team arrived to arrest the peasant leaders, it was ambushed by a group of tribals led by Jangal Santhal, and a police inspector was killed in a hail of arrows. This event encouraged many ] tribals and other poor people to join the movement and to start attacking local landlords.<ref name="rediff">{{cite web |
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| last = Diwanji |
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| first = A. K. |
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| title = Primer: Who are the Naxalites? |
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| work = ] |
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| date = 2 October 2003 |
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| url = http://us.rediff.com/news/2003/oct/02spec.htm |
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| access-date = 2007-03-15 }}</ref> |
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] provided ideological inspiration for the Naxalbari movement, advocating that Indian peasants and lower class tribals overthrow the government of the upper classes by force.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/history-of-naxalism/story-4f1rZukARGYn3qHOqDMEbM.html|title=History of Naxalism {{!}} india {{!}} Hindustan Times|date=2018-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222151700/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/history-of-naxalism/story-4f1rZukARGYn3qHOqDMEbM.html|access-date=2019-12-08|archive-date=22 February 2018}}</ref><ref name=diplomat.com>{{Cite web|url=https://thediplomat.com/2017/09/half-a-century-of-indias-maoist-insurgency/|title=Half a Century of India's Maoist Insurgency|last=Roy|first=Siddharthya|website=thediplomat.com|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-12}}</ref> A large number of urban elites were also attracted to the ideology, which spread through Charu Majumdar's writings, particularly the ']' which formed the basis of Naxalite ideology.<ref>{{Cite news|date=15 December 2005|newspaper=Hindustan Times|title=History of Naxalism|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/news-feed/nm2/history-of-naxalism/article1-6545.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208212611/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/nm2/History-of-Naxalism/Article1-6545.aspx|archive-date=8 February 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref> These documents were essays formed from the opinions of communist leaders and theorists such as Mao Zedong, Karl Marx, and Vladimir Lenin.<ref name="hindustantimes.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/history-of-naxalism/story-4f1rZukARGYn3qHOqDMEbM.html|title=History of Naxalism {{!}} india {{!}} Hindustan Times|date=2018-02-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180222151700/https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/history-of-naxalism/story-4f1rZukARGYn3qHOqDMEbM.html|access-date=2019-11-12|archive-date=22 February 2018}}</ref> Using ]s, similar to those established by Mao, Naxalites try opponents and execute with axes or knives, beat, or permanently exile them.<ref name="ng201504">{{Cite journal |first=Anthony |last=Loyd |year=2015 |title=India's insurgency |journal=National Geographic |issue=April |pages=82–94 |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2015/04/india-coal-conflict-minerals-maoist-insurgency/ |access-date=13 March 2018 }}</ref> |
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At the time, the leaders of this revolt were members of the CPI (M), which joined a coalition government in West Bengal just a few months back. However, this plan of action led to dispute within the party as Charu Majumdar believed the CPM was to support a doctrine based on revolution similar to that of the People's Republic of China.<ref name="hindustantimes.com"/><ref name=diplomat.com /> Leaders like land minister ] had been until recently "trumpeting revolutionary rhetoric, suggesting that militant confiscation of land was integral to the party's programme."<ref> |
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{{cite book |
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| title = From breakdown to order: West Bengal, in Partha Chatterjee, ''State and politics in India'' |
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| author = Atul Kohli |
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| publisher = OUP |
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| date = 1998 |
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| isbn = 0-19-564765-3 |
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| title-link = Partha Chatterjee (politician) |
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| author-link = Atul Kohli |
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}}p. 348</ref> However, now that they were in power, CPI (M) did not approve of the armed uprising, and all the leaders and a number of Calcutta sympathisers were expelled from the party. This disagreement within the party soon culminated with the Naxalbari Uprising on May 25 of the same year, and Majumdar led a group of dissidents to start a revolt in the West Bengal village of Naxalbari.<ref name="hindustantimes.com"/> The uprising occurred because an individual who was of tribal background (]) was attacked by a group of people who acted on the orders of the local landlords, and this caused other Adhivasis in the area to retake their land, and after seventy-two days of revolt the CPI (M) coalition government suppressed this incident.<ref name="hindustantimes.com"/> |
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Subsequently, In November 1967, this group, led by ], organised the ] (AICCCR).<ref name=mukh> |
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{{cite book |
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| title = Maoist "spring thunder": the Naxalite movement 1967–1972 |
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|author1=Mukherjee, Arun | publisher = K.P. Bagchi & Co., Calcutta |
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| date = 2007 |
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| isbn = 978-81-7074-303-3 |
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}}p.295</ref> Violent uprisings were organised in several parts of the country. On 22 April 1969 (]'s birthday), the AICCCR gave birth to the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) (CPI (ML)). |
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Practically all Naxalite groups trace their origin to the CPI (ML). A separate offshoot from the beginning was the ], which evolved out of the Dakshin Desh group. The MCC later fused with the ] to form the Communist Party of India (Maoist). A third offshoot was that of the Andhra revolutionary communists, mainly represented by the ], following the ] legacy of ], which broke with the ] at an early stage. |
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The early 1970s saw the spread of Naxalism to almost every state in India, barring ].<ref>{{cite web|title=Naxalite violence continues in Calcutta|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=P9oYG7HA76QC&dat=19700822&printsec=frontpage|website=The Indian Express|access-date=10 April 2017|page=7|date=22 August 1970}}</ref> During the 1970s, the movement was fragmented into disputing factions. By 1980, it was estimated that around 30 Naxalite groups were active, with a combined membership of 30,000.<ref>Singh, Prakash. ''The Naxalite Movement in India''. ]: Rupa & Co., 1999. p. 101.</ref> |
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=== Violence in West Bengal === |
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Around 1971 the Naxalites gained a strong presence among the radical sections of the student movement in ].<ref>Judith Vidal-Hall, "Naxalites", p. 73–75 in ''Index on Censorship'', Volume 35, Number 4 (2006). p. 73.</ref> Students left school to join the Naxalites. Majumdar, to entice more students into his organisation, declared that revolutionary warfare was to take place not only in the rural areas as before, but now everywhere and spontaneously. Thus Majumdar declared an "annihilation line", a dictum that Naxalites should assassinate individual "class enemies" (such as landlords, businessmen, university teachers, police officers, politicians of the right and left) and others.<ref>{{Cite news|author=Sen, Antara Dev |date=25 March 2010|title=A true leader of the unwashed masses|newspaper=DNA (Diligent Media Corporation)|location=Mumbai, India|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column_a-true-leader-of-the-unwashed-masses_1363010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107190230/http://www.dnaindia.com/analysis/column-a-true-leader-of-the-unwashed-masses-1363010|archive-date=7 January 2014|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|author=Dasgupta, Biplab|year=1973|title=Naxalite Armed Struggles and the Annihilation Campaign in Rural Areas|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=1973|pages=173–188 |url=http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/audience.nsf/b1bc9409c64d85a06525698d0025dc3c/5813146ae3eeee2e652572870041e297/$FILE/A0260027.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127164644/http://www.cscsarchive.org:8081/MediaArchive/audience.nsf/b1bc9409c64d85a06525698d0025dc3c/5813146ae3eeee2e652572870041e297/$FILE/A0260027.pdf|archive-date=27 November 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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The chief minister, ] of the ], instituted strong counter-measures against the Naxalites. The West Bengal police fought back to stop the Naxalites. The house of Somen Mitra, the Congress MLA of Sealdah, was allegedly turned into a torture chamber where Naxals were incarcerated illegally by police and the Congress cadres. CPI(M) cadres were also involved in clashes with the Naxals. After suffering losses and facing the public rejection of Majumdar's "annihilation line", the Naxalites alleged human rights violations by the West Bengal police, who responded that the state was effectively fighting a civil war and that democratic pleasantries had no place in a war, especially when the opponent did not fight within the norms of democracy and civility.<ref name="rediff"/> |
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Large sections of the Naxal movement began to question Majumdar's leadership. In 1971 the CPI(ML) was split, as ] revolted against Majumdar's leadership. In 1972 Majumdar was arrested by the police and died in ] presumably as a result of torture. His death accelerated the fragmentation of the movement. |
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=== Operation Steeplechase === |
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{{see also|Operation Green Hunt}} |
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In July 1971, ] took advantage of ] to mobilise the ] against the Naxalites and launched a colossal combined army and police counter-insurgency operation, termed ''"Operation Steeplechase,"'' killing hundreds of Naxalites and imprisoning more than 20,000 suspects and cadres, including senior leaders.<ref>{{cite book |title=The Maoist Insurgency in Nepal: Revolution in the Twenty-first Century |chapter=Part V: Military and state dimension |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KtGNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA208 |page=208 |first1=Mahendra |last1=Lawoti |first2=Anup Kumar |last2=Pahari |publisher=] |location=London |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-135-26168-9 |quote=The second turning point came in the wake of the 1971 Bangladesh war of independence which India supported with armed troops. With large contingents of Indian Army troops amassed in the West Bengal border with what was then East Pakistan, the Government of Indira Gandhi used the opening provided by President's Rule to divert sections of the army to assist the police in decisive counter–insurgency drives across Naxal–impacted areas. "Operation Steeplechase," a police and army joint anti–Naxalite undertaking, was launched in July–August 1971. By the end of "Operation Steeplechase" over 20,000 suspected Naxalites were imprisoned and including senior leaders and cadre, and hundreds had been killed in police encounters. It was a massive counter–insurgency undertaking by any standards.}}</ref> The ] and a ] of ] also participated in ''Operation Steeplechase.'' The operation was choreographed in October 1969, and Lt. General ] was enjoined by ], the ], that "there should be no publicity and no records" and Jacob's request to receive the orders in writing was also denied by ].<ref>{{cite book |title=Hello, Bastar : The Untold Story of India's Maoist Movement |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IZ83V3JLXFMC&pg=PA23 |first=Rahul |last=Pandita |pages=23–24 |publisher=Westland (Tranquebar Press) |year=2011 |location=Chennai |isbn=978-93-80658-34-6 |oclc=754482226 |quote=Meanwhile, the Congress government led by Indira Gandhi decided to send in the army and tackle the problem militarily. A combined operation called Operation Steeplechase was launched jointly by military, paramilitary and state police forces in West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa.<br />In Kolkata, Lt General J.F.R. Jacob of the Indian Army's Eastern Command received two very important visitors in his office in October 1969. One was the army chief General Sam Manekshaw and the other was the home secretary Govind Narain. Jacob was told of the Centre's plan to send in the army to break the Naxal. More than 40 years later, Jacob would recall how he had asked for more troops, some of which he got along with a brigade of para commandos. When he asked his boss to give him something in writing, Manekshaw declined, saying, 'Nothing in writing.' while secretary Narain added that there should be no publicity and no records.}}</ref> |
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==Active regions== |
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{{as of|April 2018}}, the areas where Naxalites are most visible are: |
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* Andhra Pradesh: ] |
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* ]: ], ], ] |
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* Chhattisgarh: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] |
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* ]: ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] |
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* ]: ], ] |
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* Odisha: ], ] |
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* Telangana: ], ]<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/naxalism-maoist-attacks-home-minstry-modi-govt-national-policy-and-action-plan-5140028/|title=The contours of the new Red map|date=2018-04-17|work=The Indian Express|access-date=2018-09-10|language=en-US}}</ref> |
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==Situation during 2000–2011== |
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Between 2002 and 2006, over three thousand people had been killed in Naxalite-Government conflicts, and by 2009, the conflict had displaced 350,000 members of tribal groups from their ancestral lands.<ref name="globalsecurity-naxalite" /> |
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In 2006 India's intelligence agency, the ], estimated that 20,000 armed-cadre Naxalites were operating in addition to 50,000 regular cadres.<ref name="edbowring2006">{{cite web|author=Philip Bowring|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/17/opinion/edbowring.php |title=Maoists who menace India |publisher=International Herald Tribune |date=18 April 2006 |access-date=2009-03-17}}</ref> Their growing influence prompted Indian Prime Minister ] to declare them to be the most serious internal threat to India's national security.<ref name="south1">{{Cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7151552.stm |title=South Asia | Senior Maoist 'arrested' in India |newspaper=BBC News |date=19 December 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071220004218/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7151552.stm|archive-date=20 December 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> Naxalites, and other anti-government militants, are often referred to as "ultras".<ref>{{Cite news|author=Press Trust of India (PTI)|date=25 March 2006|title=Naxals attack Orissa jail, free prisoners, kill 3 cops|newspaper=Indian Express|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/naxals-attack-orissa-jail-free-prisoners-kill-3-cops/1106/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20140107200723/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/naxals-attack-orissa-jail-free-prisoners-kill-3-cops/1106/|archive-date=7 January 2014|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref> |
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In February 2009, the ] announced a new nationwide initiative, to be called the "Integrated Action Plan" (IAP) for broad, co-ordinated operations aimed at dealing with the Naxalite problem in all affected states (namely ], Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Jharkhand, Bihar, ], and West Bengal). Importantly, this plan included funding for grass-roots economic development projects in Naxalite-affected areas, as well as increased special police funding for better containment and reduction of Naxalite influence in these areas.<ref name = "Integrated Action Plan">{{cite news |
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| url = http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-08/india/30490059_1_naxal-violence-districts-in-eight-states-integrated-action-plan |
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| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130429194400/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-12-08/india/30490059_1_naxal-violence-districts-in-eight-states-integrated-action-plan |
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| url-status = dead |
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| archive-date = 29 April 2013 |
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| title= Special project for Naxal areas to be extended to 18 more districts |
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| access-date = 2012-01-02 |
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| work = ] |
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| date=8 December 2011}} Times of India describes some details of ongoing nationwide Naxalite containment program, India's "Integrated Action Plan". |
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</ref><ref> '']'', 6 February 2009.</ref> |
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In 2009, Naxalites were active across approximately 180 districts in ten states of India.<ref>{{cite web |
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|url = http://www.pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=50833 |
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|title = Naxal Problem needs a holistic approach |
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|last = Handoo |
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|first = Ashok |
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|publisher = Press Information Bureau |
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|access-date = 2009-08-08 |
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|url-status = dead |
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|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090908173208/http://www.pib.nic.in/release/release.asp?relid=50833 |
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|archive-date = 8 September 2009 |
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|df = dmy-all |
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}}</ref> |
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In August 2010, after the first full year of implementation of the national IAP program, Karnataka was removed from the list of Naxalite-affected states.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-08-26/hubli/28275788_1_police-station-naxal-activities-home-minister | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127165135/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-08-26/hubli/28275788_1_police-station-naxal-activities-home-minister | url-status=dead | archive-date=27 November 2011 | work=] | title=Karnataka no longer Naxal infested | date=26 August 2010}}</ref> In July 2011, the number of Naxalite-affected areas was reduced to 83 districts in nine states (including 20 additional districts).<ref>{{Cite news|author=Chhibber, Maneesh|date=5 June 2011|title=Centre to declare more districts Naxal-hit|newspaper=Indian Express|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/centre-to-declare-more-districts-naxalhit/812671/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121216133547/http://www.indianexpress.com/news/centre-to-declare-more-districts-naxalhit/812671/|archive-date=16 December 2012|url-status=live|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|author=Ministry of Panchayati Raj|date=14 January 2011|title=Sixty Tribal and Backward districts in 9 states to get Central Grant under IAP|publisher=Press Information Bureau, Government of India|url=http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=69078|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120905022203/http://pib.nic.in/newsite/erelease.aspx?relid=69078|archive-date=5 September 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-23/india/29694293_1_plan-for-naxal-hit-districts-plan-panel-member-secretary-development-plan | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111127161115/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-06-23/india/29694293_1_plan-for-naxal-hit-districts-plan-panel-member-secretary-development-plan | url-status=dead | archive-date=27 November 2011 | title=Development plan for Naxal-hit districts shows good response | date=23 June 2011 |first=Mahendra Kumar | work=] |last=Singh }}</ref> In December 2011, the national government reported that the number of Naxalite-related deaths and injuries nationwide had gone down by nearly 50% from 2010 levels.<ref name="Historic Low">{{cite web |url=http://m.indianexpress.com/story_mobile.php?storyid=894321 |title='Historic low' in terror, Naxal violence |date=31 December 2012 |access-date=2012-12-31 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130619074652/http://m.indianexpress.com/story_mobile.php?storyid=894321 |archive-date=19 June 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> |
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Maoist communist groups claimed responsibility for 123 deaths in 2013, which was nearly half of all deaths from terrorism in India.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.niticentral.com/2014/11/24/terror-activities-rise-in-india-by-70-per-cent-global-index-246388.html|title=Terror activities rise in India by 70 per cent: Global Index|work=India News Analysis Opinions on Niti Central |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150124031535/http://www.niticentral.com/2014/11/24/terror-activities-rise-in-india-by-70-per-cent-global-index-246388.html |archive-date=24 January 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref> The movement is described as "terrorist" by the Indian authorities but it is however popular in the regions where it is present. According to a study of the newspaper ] 58% of people surveyed in the state of Andhra Pradesh, had a positive perception of the guerrillas, 19% against them.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/58-in-AP-say-Naxalism-is-good-finds-TOI-poll/articleshow/6639631.cms|title=58% in AP say Naxalism is good, finds TOI poll |date=28 September 2010 |work=The Times Of India |access-date=27 April 2017}}</ref> |
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In a 2004 Indian Home Ministry estimate, their numbers were placed at that time at "9,300 hardcore underground cadre ... around 6,500 regular weapons beside a large number of unlicensed country-made arms".<ref>Quoted in Judith Vidal-Hall, "Naxalites", p. 73–75 in ''Index on Censorship'', Volume 35, Number 4 (2006). p. 74.</ref> In 2006, according to Judith Vidal-Hall, "Figures (in that year) put the strength of the movement at 15,000, and claim the guerrillas control an estimated one fifth of India's forests, as well as being active in 160 of the country's 604 ]."<ref>Judith Vidal-Hall, "Naxalites", p. 73–75 in ''Index on Censorship'', Volume 35, Number 4 (2006). p. 74.</ref> India's Research and Analysis Wing believed in 2006 that 20,000 Naxals were involved in the growing insurgency.<ref name="edbowring2006"/> |
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==Situation post 2010== |
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===2010=== |
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* 6 April: Naxalites launched the ] by killing 76 security personnel. The attack was launched by up to 1,000 Naxalites<ref name="alj">{{Cite web|title=Indian police killed by Maoists|date=6 April 2010|publisher=Al Jazeera|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2010/04/2010466515592429.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120916020541/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2010/04/2010466515592429.html|archive-date=16 September 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ndtv">{{Cite web |title=76 security men killed by Naxals in Chhattisgarh |publisher=Ndtv.com |date=6 April 2010|url=http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/20-security-men-killed-by-naxals-in-chhattisgarh-19293.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100409053805/http://www.ndtv.com/news/india/20-security-men-killed-by-naxals-in-chhattisgarh-19293.php|archive-date=9 April 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> in a well-planned attack, killing an estimated 76 ] personnel in two separate ambushes and wounding 50 others, in the remote jungles of Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district in Eastern/Central India. |
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* 17 May, Naxals blew up a bus on Dantewda–Sukhma road in Chhattisgarh, killing 15 policemen and 20 civilians. In the third major attack by Naxals on 29 June, at least 26 personnel of the CRPF were killed in Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh. |
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Despite the 2010 Chhattisgarh ambushes, the most recent central government campaign to contain and reduce the militant Naxalite presence appears to be having some success.<ref name = "Historic Low"/> States such as ] have reported significant reduction in Naxalite activities as a result of their use of IAP funds for rural development within their states.<ref name = "Madhya Pradesh Success">{{cite web |
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| year = 2011 |
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| url = http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/nation/others/mp-govt-claims-positive-change-naxal-hit-areas-893 |
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| title= MP govt claims positive change in Naxal-hit areas |
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| access-date = 2011-01-02}}</ref> |
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The recent success in containing violence may be due to a combination of more state presence, but also due to the recent introduction of social security schemes, such as ].<ref name = "NREGA Violence">{{Cite web|author=Fetzer, Thiemo |
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| date = 18 October 2013 |
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| url = http://www.trfetzer.com/wp-content/uploads/nrega.pdf |
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| title= Can Workfare Programs Moderate Violence? Evidence from India. |
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| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131119105336/http://www.trfetzer.com/wp-content/uploads/nrega.pdf|archive-date=19 November 2013|url-status=live}} </ref> |
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===2011=== |
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* Late 2011:, ], the military leader of Communist Party of India (Maoist), was killed in an encounter with the joint operation forces, which was a huge blow to the Naxalite movement in eastern India.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2657105.ece | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | first=K. Srinivas | last=Reddy | title=Kishenji's death a serious blow to Maoist movement | date=25 November 2011}}</ref> |
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* March: Maoist rebels kidnapped two Italians in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, the first time Westerners were abducted there.<ref>{{Cite news | date=18 March 2012| title=India Maoists kidnap Italian tourists in Orissa |newspaper=BBC News | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-17421561}}</ref> |
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* 27 March: 12 CRPF personnel were killed on in a landmine blast triggered by suspected Naxalites in Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.<ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article3250566.ece?homepage=true | location=Chennai, India | work=The Hindu | title=12 CRPF jawans killed in Gadchiroli Naxal ambush | date=27 March 2012}}</ref> |
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===2013=== |
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* 25 May 2013, Naxalites attacked a rally led by the Indian National Congress in Sukma village in ] Chhattisgarh, killing about 29 people. They killed senior party leader ] and ] and his son while in the attack another senior party leader ] was severely wounded and later succumbed to death due to his injuries |
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* 11 June. See: ].<ref>{{cite news|title=Naxalite attack: 2 Congress leaders massacred, Rahul Gandhi reaches Chhattisgarh|url=http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/DEL-live-sonia-gandhi-condemns-naxal-attack-4274147-NOR.html|access-date=26 May 2013|newspaper=Dainik Bhaskar}}</ref> |
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===2014=== |
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* 11 March 2014, Naxalites in Chhattisgarh ambushed a security team, killing 15 personnel, 11 of whom were from the CRPF. A civilian was also killed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/20-security-personnel-feared-killed-in-chhattisgarh-naxal-attack/article5773315.ece?homepage=true|title=Maoists kill 15 in Chhattisgarh|author=Suvojit Bagchi|work=The Hindu}}</ref> |
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* 1 December 2014 Monday killed 14 CRPF personnel and 12 injured in south Chhattisgarh's Sukma district<ref>{{cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/chhattisgarh/deadly-naxal-attack-in-chhattisgarh-14-crpf-troopers-dead-12-injured_1507701.html|title=Deadly Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh; 14 CRPF troopers dead, 12 injured|work=Zee News}}</ref> |
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===2015=== |
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* 11 April 2015 : 7 Special Task Force (STF) personnel were killed in a Maoist ambush near Kankerlanka, Sukma, *Chhattisgarh.{{Citation needed|date=June 2018}} |
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* 12 April 2015 : 1 BSF Jawan was killed in a Maoist attack near Bande, Kanker, Chhattisgarh.{{Citation needed|date=June 2018}} |
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* 13 April 2015 : 5 Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) Jawans were killed in a Maoist ambush near Kirandul, Dantewada, Chhattisgarh.{{Citation needed|date=June 2018}} |
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===2016=== |
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* 24 October 2016 : 24 Naxalites were killed by Andhra Pradesh ] forces in encounter that took place in the cut-off area of remote ] on Andhra-Odisha border.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/24-Maoists-policeman-killed-in-encounter-on-Andhra-Odisha-border/articleshow/55036202.cms |title=24 Maoists killed in encounter on Andhra-Odisha border |date=Oct 24, 2016 |newspaper=The Times of India |access-date=2016-10-30}}</ref> |
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* In November, 2016, three Naxalites were killed near Karulai in an encounter with Kerala police. Naxalite leader Kappu Devaraj from Andhra Pradesh is included in the list of killed in the incident.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mathrubhumi.com/news/kerala/nilambur-maoist-malayalam-news-1.1529750|language=ml|title=നിലമ്പൂര് ഏറ്റുമുട്ടല് : കൊല്ലപ്പെട്ടവരില് മാവോവാദി നേതാവും|date=24 November 2016|website=www.mathrubhumi.com|access-date=27 April 2017}}</ref> |
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* Late November: In Jharkhand, six Naxalites were killed in a gun battle with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) commandos. The CRPF recovered 600 bullets of various calibre, about 12 IEDs, an INSAS rifle, an SLR, a carbine and three other guns.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/6-Naxals-killed-in-Jharkhand/article16690312.ece |title=6 Naxals killed in Jharkhand |work= ]}}</ref> |
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=== 2017 === |
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* 24 April 2017 : ] - 25 CRPF officers were killed in encounter with 300 Naxals. The encounter with 74 battalion of CRPF was reported from Kala Pathar near Chintagufa in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.firstpost.com/india/all-you-need-to-know-about-naxal-attack-in-sukmas-chhattisgarh-300-maoist-guerillas-attacked-99-member-crpf-troop-3402786.html|title=Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh's Sukma: How 300 Maoists attacked 99-member CRPF troop|website=Firstpost|access-date=2 May 2019}}</ref> |
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===2018=== |
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* 13 March 2018: ] - 9 CRPF personnel were killed and two injured after a powerful IED blast that destroyed their mine-protected vehicle in Sukma, Chhattisgarh.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.inhnews.in/Bastar-News/news/Watch-Live-News-8-soldiers-martyr-encounter-Sukma-Kistaram-7123|title=Watch Live : News of 8 soldiers martyr in encounter in Sukma Kistaram {{!}} Watch Live : सुकमा के किस्टारम में नक्सलियों ने उड़ाया एंडी लैंडमाइंस व्हीकल : 9 जवान शहीद, 2 घायल; देखें घटनास्थल की तस्वीरें|website=www.inhnews.in|access-date=2018-03-14}}</ref> |
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* 22 March 2018: At least 37 Naxalites were killed by police in a four-hour gun battle on the border between Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Jadhav|first1=Rajendra|title=Police kill at least 37 Maoist militants in central India|url=https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/world/2018-04-24-police-kill-at-least-37-maoist-militants-in-central-india/|website=TimesLIVE|access-date=25 April 2018}}</ref> |
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===2019=== |
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* 8 March 2019 - 1 Naxal leader was killed in an encounter with the Kerala police at a Wayanad resort.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kozhikode/maoist-killed-in-police-encounter-inside-kerala-resort/articleshow/68298656.cms |title=Maoist killed in police encounter inside Kerala resort |first1=M. P. |last1=Prashanth |date=Mar 7, 2019 |website=The Times of India |access-date=2 May 2019}}</ref> |
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* 1 May 2019 : ] - 15 Indian commandos and driver killed in Maoist attack - ].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/possible-naxal-attack-in-gadchiroli-leaves-several-security-personnel-injured/articleshow/69127641.cms|title=Naxal attack in Gadchiroli leaves 15 security personnel dead|first=Rashmi|last=Rajput|date=1 May 2019|access-date=2 May 2019|via=The Economic Times}}</ref> |
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* 28 October 2019- Kerala Police's elite commando team "Thunderbolt" gunned down 3 maoists in an encounter in the Attappadi hills region of ]. One remaining member of the maoists group was killed a day later when the police team went to inspect the encounter site, following an attack on the team.<ref>https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/kerala-police-thunderbolts-maoists-naxals-killed-attapadi-hills-palakkad-1613891-2019-10-29</ref> |
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* 23 November 2019 - Naxals opened fire on a patrol van killing an ASI and three home guard Jawans in Latehar, Jharkhand. |
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==Situation post 2020== |
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===2020=== |
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* 21 July: In an act that was seen as a departure from the norm, ] villagers filed police complaints against 7 known Naxals for a brutal assault on villagers. {{Citation needed|date=February 2021}} |
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* 20 August: Another FIR was lodged over an incident that had occurred in Chikpal a day earlier. It is said 10 villagers, including a 12-year-old girl, were assaulted by Maoists. Their medical reports said they had bruises on their backs and above thighs.<ref></ref> |
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===2021=== |
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*3 April - At least 22 security personnel and 9 Naxalites were killed in an ambush carried out by the Naxalites and about 32 suffered injuries following an exchange of fire between the security forces and Naxals in ]. |
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==Causes== |
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According to Maoist sympathisers, the Indian Constitution "ratified colonial policy and made the state custodian of tribal homelands", turning tribal populations into ] on their own land and denied them their traditional rights to forest produce.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2010/mar/27/arundhati-roy-india-tribal-maoists-1|title=Gandhi, but with guns: Part One|first=Arundhati|last=Roy|date=27 March 2010|website=www.theguardian.com|access-date=26 April 2017}}</ref> These Naxalite conflicts began in the late 1960s with the prolonged failure of the Indian government to implement constitutional reforms to provide for limited tribal ] with respect to natural resources on their lands, e.g. pharmaceutical and mining, as well as pass 'land ceiling laws', limiting the land to be possessed by landlords and distribution of excess land to landless farmers and labourers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.outlookindia.com/magazine/story/unleash-the-good-force/281554|title=Unleash The Good Force|date=16 July 2012|author=E.N. Rammohan|website=www.outlookindia.com|access-date=26 April 2017}}</ref> In Scheduled Tribes areas, disputes related to illegal ] of ST land to non-tribal people, still common, gave rise to the Naxalite movement.<ref name="globalsecurity-naxalite">{{cite web|url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/war/naxalite.htm|title=Naxalite|first=John|last=Pike|date=2 February 2017|website=]|quote=In India today there are many Maoist parties and organisations that either predate the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) or emerged from factions when the CPI-ML split after the death of Charu Majumdar.|access-date=27 April 2017}}</ref> |
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== Tribal participation in Naxalite movements == |
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Tribal communities are likely to participate in Naxalism to push back against structural violence by the state, including land theft for purposes of mineral extraction.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Shifting perspectives in tribal studies : from an anthropological approach to interdisciplinarity and consilience|others=Behera, M. C., 1959 |isbn=9789811380907|location=Singapore|oclc=1105928010|date = 25 June 2019}}</ref> Impoverished areas with no electricity, running water, or healthcare provided by the state may accept social services from Naxalite groups, and give their support to the Naxal cause in return.<ref name="Shah 480–506">{{Cite journal|last=Shah|first=Alpa|date=2013-08-01|title=The intimacy of insurgency: beyond coercion, greed or grievance in Maoist India|journal=Economy and Society|volume=42|issue=3|pages=480–506|doi=10.1080/03085147.2013.783662|s2cid=143716444|issn=0308-5147}}</ref> Some argue that the state's absence allowed for Naxalites to become the legitimate authority in these areas by performing state-like functions, including enacting policies of redistribution and building infrastructure for irrigation.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Walia|first=H.S.|date=2018-04-25|title=The Naxal Quagmire in Bihar & Jharkhand – Genesis & Sustenance|journal=Learning Community |volume=9|issue=1|doi=10.30954/2231-458X.01.2018.7|doi-access=free}}</ref> Healthcare initiatives such as malaria vaccination drives and medical units in areas without doctors or hospitals have also been documented.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Jangalnama: Inside the Maoist Guerrilla Zone|last=Santanama|publisher=Penguin|year=2010|isbn=9780143414452|location=New Delhi}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Hello, Bastar : the untold story of India's Maoist movement|last=Pandita, Rahul.|date=2011|publisher=Tranquebar Press|isbn=978-9380658346|location=Chennai|oclc=754482226}}</ref> Although Naxalite groups engage in coercion to grow membership, the ] experience of poverty, when contrasted with the state's economic growth, can create an appeal for Naxal ideology and incentivize tribal communities to join Naxal movements out of "moral solidarity".<ref name="Shah 480–506"/> |
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== Recruitment and financial base == |
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In terms of recruitment, the Naxalites focus heavily on the idea of a revolutionary personality, and in the early years of the movement, Charu Majumdar expressed how this type of persona is necessary for maintaining and establishing loyalty among the Naxalites.<ref name="UC Berkeley Library Proxy Login">{{Cite journal|title=UC Berkeley Library Proxy Login|journal = Economic and Political Weekly|volume = 41|issue = 19|pages = 1920–1927|jstor = 4418215|last1 = Dasgupta|first1 = Rajeshwari|year = 2006}}</ref> According to Majumdar, he believed the essential characteristics of a recruit must be selflessness and the ability to self-sacrifice, and in order to produce such a specific personality, the organization began to recruit students and youth.<ref name="UC Berkeley Library Proxy Login"/> In addition to entrenching loyalty and a revolutionary personality within these new insurgents, Naxalites chose the youth due to other factors. The organization selected the youth because these students represented the educated section of Indian society, and the Naxalites felt it necessary to include educated insurgents because these recruits would then be crucial in the duty of spreading the communist teachings of Mao Zedong.<ref name="UC Berkeley Library Proxy Login"/> In order to expand their base, the movement relied on these students to spread communist philosophy to the uneducated rural and working class communities.<ref name="UC Berkeley Library Proxy Login"/> Majumdar believed it necessary to recruit students and youth who were able to integrate themselves with the peasantry and working classes, and by living and working in similar conditions to these lower-class communities, the recruits are able to carry the communist teachings of Mao Zedong to villages and urban centers.<ref name="UC Berkeley Library Proxy Login"/> |
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The financial base of the Naxalites is diverse because the organization finances itself from a series of sources. The mining industry is known to be a profitable financial source for the Naxalites, as they tend to tax about 3% of the profits from each mining company that operates in the areas under Naxal control. In order to continue mining operations, these firms also pay the Naxalites for "protection" services which allows miners to work without having to worry about Naxalite attacks.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.uni-heidelberg.de/md/awi/professuren/intwipol/india.pdf|title=Hearts and Mines: A District-Level Analysis of the Maoist Conflict in India|last=Hoelscher|first=Kristian}}</ref> The organization also funds itself through the drug trade, where it cultivates drugs in areas of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Bihar.<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite journal|title=UC Berkeley Library Proxy Login|journal = Proceedings of the Indian History Congress|volume = 76|pages = 900–907|jstor = 44156660|last1 = Prakash|first1 = Om|year = 2015}}</ref> Drugs such as ] and ] are distributed throughout the country by middlemen who work on behalf of the Naxalites.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The drug trade is extremely profitable for the movement, as about 40% of Naxal funding comes through the cultivation and distribution of opium.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> |
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== See also == |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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* ] |
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== References == |
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{{Reflist|40em}} |
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== Further reading == |
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{{refbegin|40em}} |
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* "Urban Naxals" by Vivek Agnohotri, Publisher: Garuda Prakashan |
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* ''Naxalite Politics in India'', by J. C. Johari, Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies, New Delhi, . Published by Research Publications, 1972. |
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* ''The Naxalite Movement'', by Biplab Dasgupta. 1974. |
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* ''The Naxalite Movement: A Maoist Experiment'', by Sankar Ghosh. Published by Firma K.L. Mukhopadhyay, 1975. {{ISBN|0-88386-568-8}}. |
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* ''The Naxalite Movement in India: Origin and Failure of the Maoist Revolutionary Strategy in West Bengal, 1967–1971'', by Sohail Jawaid. Published by Associated Pub. House, 1979. |
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* ''In the Wake of Naxalbari: A History of the Naxalite Movement in India'', by Sumanta Banerjee. Published by Subarnarekha, 1980. |
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* ] ''Tribal Guerrillas: The Santals of West Bengal and the Naxalite Movement'', Oxford University Press, New Delhi, 1987, p. 201, {{ISBN|978-0195619386}}, {{OCLC|17534525}} |
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* ''The Naxalite Movement in India'', by Prakash Singh. Published by Rupa, 1995. {{ISBN|81-7167-294-9}}. |
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* ] ed. The Naxal Threat : Causes, State Responses and Consequences, Publisher Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, {{ISBN|978-93-80177-77-9}} |
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* Mary Tyler (1977). . London: ]. OCLC 3273743. |
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* Verghese, A. (2016). "]" ''Modern Asian Studies'', 50(5), 1619–1644. |
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{{refend}} |
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== External links == |
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{{Commons category}} |
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* – South Asia Terrorism Portal |
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* – South Asia Terrorism Portal |
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* |
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* {{Cite news|date=15 December 2005|newspaper=Hindustan Times|title=History of Naxalism|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/news-feed/nm2/history-of-naxalism/article1-6545.aspx|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208212611/http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/nm2/History-of-Naxalism/Article1-6545.aspx|archive-date=8 February 2011|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}} |
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{{Socialism}} |
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{{Communism}} |
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{{Naxalite-Maoist insurgency}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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