30 YEARS LATER, A TRIBAL TRIUMPH
Thursday, July 19, 2007
For most people in Jharkhand, the Koel Karo project has been a familiar name since the last three decades.The project was initiated by the then Bihar government in 1973 with the objective of harnessing the Koel and Karo rivers to produce hydroelectric pwer.In 1980, the National hydroelectric corporation(NHPC) was given the task of building dams on the two rivers.Since the announcement of the project it was vehemently opposed by the tribals in Gumla, Ranchi and Singhbhum districts of Jharkhand.They felt the project would submerge a large part of their agricultural land and a number of religious places, especially forest groves calles sarnas that have from ancient times, been considered sacred by the tribals.
Official assessment of the projects scope showed the number showed the number of villages affected to be 42. This was revised to 112.Tribal leaders however claimed that 256 villages would come under the projects submergence area.Also 50,000 acres of forest area and 40,000 acres of agricultural land would be affected besides 300 sarnas,175 churches and 120 mandirs.
Although the govt. offered to resettle the affected villages, the tribals insisted on a total resettlement package. The Koel Karo Jan Sanghatan (formed by the tribals to oppose the project) demanded for resettlement, provided it was total ,social, environmental, religious factors would be considered.They proposed that 2 villages be resettled as a model.If the people were satisfied they would go ahead with the resettlement.However the govt. decided to go ahead with the project.Police were despatched to the area in 1985,. The tribals boycotted the police personnel.They were not allowed to set up their camps and no daily provisions were sold to them..making their daily existance difficult.The project died down.In 1995, PV Narasimha Rao, the then Prime Minister decided to lay the foundation stone.More than 30,000 people mostly tribals agitated.Police opened fire and 8 people were killed. The stone laying was postponed.The Jan Sanghatan then resolved not to hold any more talks for resellement. the Sanghatan thrives from the 16,000 families, most of whom contribute 100rs. a year for the cause.
In 2005, the govt. scrapped the project.But the Sanghatan vows to spread awareness till the project is officially announced as closed in the gazette.They share their experiences with the Narmada bachao andolan and Singur...
source: The Times of India.
If it happpened in Jharkhand,Bastar is not far away...............
Labels: Jharkhand
posted by Resistance 7/19/2007 10:10:00 PM,
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Here is the Naxalites’ jackpot
Monday, July 9, 2007
Deep in the remote hills of Jharkhand, in a region rich with minerals, a sprawling forest is the money-spinning treasury and operational headquarters of India's Naxalite movement.
It is the seemingly unending natural wealth of the 86,000-hectare Saranda Forest that is funding much of the insurgency — tens of crores of rupees are charged in "levy" every year from companies and traders making money here from iron ore, precious minerals and timbre, police say.
The forest is also home to cadres, training bases and the rebels' operational command, according to police and arrested rebels.
"Forests mean minerals, minerals mean money, money means guns, guns mean power," arrested Naxalite ideologue Sushil Roy, the highest ranking Naxalite leader in custody, told his interrogators.
Roy, a 66-year-old former engineer, is a member of the Politburo, the core body of the rebels and a contemporary of Naxal movement founders like Charu Majumdar and Kanu Sanyal.
Yet, even though large parts of Naxalite-held territory in India have slipped out of government control, Roy added: "If we had to walk 1,000 km, we have walked only eight."
It is a journey that began on May 25, 1967 with a peasant uprising in the Naxalbari village of West Bengal, which gave the movement its name.
For decades, several communist militant groups, mainly the Maoist Communist Centre of India and People's War, continued operations in different areas.
In a major turning point for the insurgency, the groups united in September 2004 in the Saranda Forest, followed by a three-month medley of conferences also attended by members of other communist groups from several other countries members of the Revolutionary International Movement, a worldwide communist conglomerate.
Government assessments of Naxal influence vary from 60 districts, according to the rural development ministry, to 160, according to the Home Ministry. India has 600-plus districts.
"The state is unable to solve the problems of its own citizens and socio-economic problems are dealt as issues of law and order. Why do you expect the common man to have faith in the state?" popular Maoist ideologue Gadar told the Hindustan Times.
"Only Maoists are fighting for the poor." Their bureaucracy includes a nine-man Central Military Commission, a four-member Committee for International Affairs which included Roy and publishing and editorial committees.
Investigators say the Naxalites began making Saranda their base in 2000, recently bringing in sophisticated weapons and satellite phones and setting up massive generators to use laptops in the dense forest where villagers fear wild elephants as much as the police and rebels.
It helped the rebels that there was widespread squalor. "The youth cut wood or pluck fruits or dig sweet potatoes. There is so much anger about unemployment," said teacher Menson Gladson Topno, 37, who grew up in Saranda but now lives in the nearby Manoharpur town.
There is no electricity in any village, here, and many people sleep on machans on trees, fearing wild animals. "The Naxals promised the youth up to Rs 3,000 a month. So everyone joined them," Topno said.
Soon, the rebels began earning big money from deep-pocketed industrialists. "On the conservative side, the Naxalites are raising up to Rs 60 crore a year from Jharkhand in levies," said Gouri Shankar Rath, Jharkhand's additional director-general of police.
Most of it is believed to be from Saranda. Roy, the arrested leader, said: "Most of the money received from levies is kept by local and regional committees, and only 20 per cent is sent to the Central Committee."
Down the hierarchy, there are regional bureaus one covering three states and state and area committees. But unification has had its logistical troubles. While the top leadership functions in unison, it has been slightly difficult for the rebels to unit cadres at local levels. Problems of discipline are becoming common. Several zonal commanders amassed wealth from levies and fled. Breakaway groups have also been formed.
"We are aware of some members of the organisation departing from Mao's teachings and oppressing people, sexually exploiting women, and killing innocents," Roy said. "We are trying to stop this."
Next, the Naxalites want to seek supporters in the middle class. "We see that the growing frustration in large sections of the middle class is forcing them to take to streets for their demands," said senior Naxalite leader Ganapathy.Hindustan Times
Labels: Jharkhand
posted by Resistance 7/09/2007 09:10:00 AM,
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Centre Govt. vows air vigil to tame Maoists
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Ranchi, June 18: The Centre today assured the state government of starting air surveillance to tackle the extremism problem.
The assurance came from the additional secretary of the Union home ministry, Vinay Kumar, after a marathon review meeting with senior police officials and secretaries of different departments here today.
The review meetings are a part of the Union home ministry's exercise to keep a tab on the state's efforts to check the growing influence of the Maoists in the Naxalite-hit states.
In the first phase, Kumar had a discussion with the top police officers led by home secretary Sudhir Tripathi and DGP J.B. Mohapatra. In the second phase, Kumar held parleys with the secretaries of the rural development, health, forest, HRD, rural engineering and irrigation departments.
Chief secretary A.K. Chug was present in both the deliberations.
During the meeting with the police officers, Kumar was conveyed the need to start air surveillance in the state for neutralising the Naxalites effectively. The state police reiterated its demand for additional paramilitary forces to fight the rebels.
A top police officer present in the meeting told The Telegraph that Kumar said the Centre would start air surveillance in Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh shortly. After these two states, similar exercise would be started in Jharkhand.
The Union government official also took stock of the action plan prepared by the state government to combat extremism. Although the police officers refused to divulge the details of the plan, they claimed that Kumar expressed satisfaction over that the plan the state has prepared.
Later, in the meeting with the department secretaries, Kumar reviewed different development projects in the rural parts of the state and felt that there was a need to speed up the pace of the development activities.
"We had raised the issue of problems being faced in implementing the development schemes in the Naxalite dominated areas. But Kumar suggested that the departments should take the assistance of the police to implement the projects smoothly," a source said.
posted by Resistance 6/19/2007 06:34:00 PM,
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JDP focus on role of Maoists- Help sought for tribal welfare
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
| Jamshedpur, May 14: Apparently impressed by the role of Maoists in pulling down monarchy in Nepal, the Jharkhand Dishom Party (JDP) today appealed to the Communist Party of India (Maoist) to "restore" democracy in the state. This is for the first time that any political outfit has sought the help of rebels to work for the interest of underprivileged section of the society in Jharkhand.
At a news conference here today, JDP state president Kaviraj Murmu and its central vice-president Sonaram Soren, district president Eshwar Soren with other senior members blamed the ruling government for not conducting Panchayat elections in Jharkhand despite directive from the Supreme Court. Founder of JDP and former BJP MP Salkhan Murmu said the rebels have created a strong base in the state. "But, if the rebels want to survive in future, they need to work for the larger interest of common man," he said. "The Naxalites have successfully created base at the village. But unless the armed guerrillas take up a public issue, it is not possible for them to survive in future. The people have lost their trust in the democracy and so, the rebels can play an active role in the state." Murmu said. State president of the JDP said the government has failed to conduct Panchayat polls for nearly three decades. "The panchayati election is aimed to empower villagers. The central government provides funds for the development of them. But the state has not received any fund for the last 30 years," Murmu said. Central vice president of JDP said his political outfit is against any violence. "But the people have lost faith on the politicians and bureaucrats. The politicians of the ruling and Opposition party are indulged in corruption. None of them is working for the common man and I believe, the Naxalites can change the fate of the people in Jharkhand." Soren said. |
posted by Resistance 5/15/2007 09:49:00 AM,
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Five Maoists shot dead in Jharkhand
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Garwah (Jharkhand), May. 12 (PTI): In a major encounter, CRPF today gunned down five hardcore naxalites in this district of Jharkhand.
A CRPF spokesman said that at around 1300 hours two companies of the paramilitary force engaged in a gun battle with a group of naxalites in the jungle of Tutitola village.
During the ensuing encounter five hardcore naxals including two women cadres were killed.The bodies of the militants were recovered from the encounter site, District Superintendent of Police Mohammad Nihal said.
The security personnel also recovered four self loading rifles, one AK rifle and some other objectionable material.
Director General of CRPF S I S Ahmed congratulated the team and announced handsome reward, the CRPF spokesman said.
posted by Resistance 5/13/2007 08:44:00 AM,
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Beheaded for late arrival
Saturday, April 28, 2007
| SHASHANK SHEKHAR |
| Bokaro, April 27: In a throw-back to medieval times, a security officer employed by Bokaro Steel Plant chopped off the head of a milkman last night, merely because he had been an hour late in milking the officer's cows. Petrified neighbours, warned not to interfere, watched as Jaiprakash Singh (55) held the milkman Upendra Yadav (32) and ordered his sons to chop off the head. The dutiful sons obliged. The sensational crime caused a commotion and hundreds of agitated people stormed the officer's residential quarter. But by then the officer and his sons had fled, leaving behind the officer's wife. When the older son, Kaushal (26), who had actually used the sword, was found hiding in a neighbour's house this morning and arrested, the mob surrounded the sector IX police station, demanding an eye for an eye. Tension simmered as civil and police officers tried to control the situation. The commotion continued till late in the afternoon with the mob finally demanding adequate compensation and a job for the widow. The security officer and his younger son, Chhotu Singh (22) are absconding. Upendra Yadav's wailing widow recalled that the officer reached the hutment, located barely 50 yards from the officer's quarter, late in the night in an inebriated condition. Her husband, who was ailing, was asleep on a cot when the officer woke him up, tied a towel round his neck and dragged him out. The widow and neighbours kept pleading with him but the officers warned onlookers not to interfere. Horrified neighbours watched as the officer and his younger son held the poor victim down while the elder son brought down the sword on his neck. The widow, left with three children below the age of 12, said her husband had been reaching the officer's house late because of his own illness and also because their eldest son was not keeping well. The security officer, said neighbours, is short-tempered, foul-mouthed and arrogant. "He always boasted of being a Rajput and a landlord and claimed it his right to keep swords at home," recalled one. Even the officer's eldest son, Kaushal, has a criminal past and had shot a man dead a few years ago. He was released on bail late last year. The Telegraph |
posted by Resistance 4/28/2007 08:58:00 AM,
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Cops teach to mend image
Thursday, April 26, 2007
| SUMAN K. SHRIVASTAVA | ||
Ranchi, April 24: Policemen are teaching schoolchildren in Simdega and selling vegetables on behalf of villagers in West Singhbhum. This is part of the individual exercise by some of the superintendents of police to put behind the trigger-happy image of the men in khaki and as a confidence building measure to build bridges with the people. Bullets, said Simdega SP Martin Pores Lakra, can never be an answer to extremism. "The police will have to first win the hearts of the people," he told The Telegraph . The first step he took after getting the new assignment two months ago, he recalled, was to prepare a dossier of police officers and constables about their educational qualifications and identify subjects, which they could teach to the school students. They now compulsorily teach the students for one and a half-hours whenever the police are on the anti-Naxalite operation, the SP said. Policemen now carry a bag full of instrument box, medicines, sports kits and so on. It is a kind of payback to the villagers for allowing policemen to take rest for some time in the school building, he said. But don't policemen scare the schoolchildren? "No. Rather, we have been successful in befriending hem," he claimed. "Besides, we are also doing a survey of persons afflicted with tuberculosis and carrying them to hospitals." Lakra recalled how his men played the good samaritan to three girls of Saranga village, who did not have money to fill up forms and appear at the secondary examination. All three appeared in the exam this year. Policemen on patrol have also been instructed to pick up schools students and reach them home or to their schools. In his district, Lakra said, policemen had also begun a campaign against liquor addiction. Even more impressive is Lakra's claim that the police on patrol have also been asked to prepare reports on the state of tubewells, hospitals and roads and submit their reports to the district administration for corrective measures. Director-general of police J. Mahapatra said the SPs were encouraged to promote community policing and get closer to the people. Some of them have responded well, he said. Each SP, he claimed, has been given Rs 5 lakh under community policing. On why police cannot attend to basic problems like absence of ration cards, the DGP said: "Government officials will resist the move, if we get into it." | ||
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posted by Resistance 4/26/2007 08:04:00 AM,
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Policeman killed in Jharkhand landmine blast
Monday, April 23, 2007
RANCHI: One security personnel was killed and four others were seriously injured when a police vehicle came under the impact of a landmine blast triggered by activists of CPI (Maoist) at Urdango village under Dumri police station of Giridih district at around 1.30 pm on Sunday.
The deceased police personnel was identified as Dular Chandra Ram aka Ghuran Turi. He was posted as Chokidar in Dumri police station and was driving the vehicle at the time of the incident.
The list of four injured security personnel included the names of police sub-inspector of Dumri RK Dwivedi and CRPF inspector PN Ojha. All of them were rushed to Bokaro general hospital where their condition was stated to be serious.
Giving details, Giridih SP AK Singh told TOI on phone the incident took place when police team was retuning from Urdango village after taking part in a community camp organised by the district police as part of its efforts to reduce the gap between the police and the common people. "My vehicle was just few yards ahead of the police vehicle which came under the impact of the landmine blast," he added.
Replying to a query that did police consider the attack as an act of retaliation of Saturday's incident when police shot dead two Naxalites and arrested six of their activists, the Giridih SP said that prima facie it appeared an act of retaliation.
The Times of India
posted by Resistance 4/23/2007 10:56:00 AM,
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J'khand: Naxals united in violence
Friday, April 20, 2007
Ranchi (Jharkhand): This admission from Jharkhand's top cop, after a recent landmine blast in Bokaro killed 15 STF personnel, shows that Jharkhand is losing its battle against the Naxals.
"Such incidents in the future cannot be ruled out as the Naxals have planted so many landmines in Jharkhand that even if I use my entire force it will take at least three years to clear the state of landmines," says DGP, Jharkhand Police, J Mohapatra.
Says Chief Minister, Jharkhand, Madhu Koda, "A national policy is needed for states to fight Naxals."
However, the police warn that state inaction is only allowing the Naxals to get stronger.
"The Naxals take a cut from all projects and so get stronger," says General Secretary, Jharkhand Police Association, Chandragupta Singh.
In the recent Palamau Lok Sabha by-poll, jailed Naxal leader, Kameshwar Baitha, came second winning nearly 1.5 lakh votes, showing the clout of the Naxals here.
"We give 'jolts' to the state to say the Naxals are ready," CPI-ML MLA, Binod Singh.
There is a lack of political will in fighting Naxalism in Jharkhand apart from the fact that the Naxals seem better organised, better motivated and better led than the police.
posted by Resistance 4/20/2007 01:25:00 PM,
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Government angry over slow development in Maoist-affected states
Monday, April 16, 2007
New Delhi, April 15 (IANS) Bihar and Jharkhand are likely to earn the wrath of the government for being slow in implementing various development schemes in their Maoist-infested districts. crucial inter-ministerial group (IMG) meeting of the union home ministry is meeting in Patna Monday to examine the pace of socio-economic development in insurgency-hit regions of both the states.
While Bihar is likely to be ticked off by the central government for faltering in speedy construction of roads and being slow in implementing job guarantee scheme in its affected districts, Jharkhand is likely to be told to expedite construction of roads in the vulnerable areas. The meet, which will be chaired by home ministry's Additional Secretary (Naxal Management) Vinay Kumar, comes in the aftermath of a meeting of the ministry's Task Force in Hyderabad on the Maoist movement.
The agenda of Hyderabad meeting held Friday included joint strategies to tackle the Maoists, modernising intelligence gathering, and improving inter-state coordination to target Maoist leaders and cadres.On the eve of the IMG meet, the ministry officials expressed concerns at the slow pace of construction of roads under Prime Minister's Rural Road Scheme and sluggish implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme in the two states.
In 2006, the centre had earmarked 200 districts for implementation of the first phase of rural job guarantee scheme in such a way that all 150 Maoist-infested districts were covered.Similarly, various states had been told to expedite road construction projects in the insurgency-hit districts to help security forces take up frequent patrolling there, official sources pointed out.
But Bihar and Jharkhand have performed miserably on both the counts, said sources.For the IMG meeting in Patna, the home ministry officials appeared to have done some homework about the ground situation regarding rural road construction and implementation of the rural job scheme.
Citing an example of tardy pace of rural road construction in Bihar, the sources said, over 50 villages, including Alawalpur, Jamalpur and Jamunapur - having a population of over 1.5 million and located barely 15 km from Patna - have no roads at all. These villages are situated near the Maoist-infested pockets of Masaudhi and Taregna near Jehanabad and could be a sitting duck for Maoist attacks owing to the fact that most of the villagers in this region are employed either in state police or various paramilitary forces and the army.Additionally, these villages are inhibited by upper caste people and make them vulnerable to Maoist attacks.
posted by Resistance 4/16/2007 10:10:00 AM,
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Sibu calls upon JMM cadres to take on Naxalites head –on
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Taking a strong exception to the threats issued by Maoists to some of his party's top functionaries, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) chief Sibu Soren has exhorted party cadres to "be prepared for taking the ultras head-on at the grassroots". The call has surprised one and all in the corridors of power in Jharkhand.
Soren, presently lodged in the prisoners' ward of RIMS, has sent the message through some of his trusted lieutenants.
"Guruji has given a call for a direct confrontation with the Naxalites. He has at the same time cautioned party leaders and cadres against deviating from issues, which form the core of JMM's agenda," JMM central committee secretary Suprio Bhattacharya told the HT.
"Guruji was shocked to know that Naxalites had killed Jamshedpur MP Sunil Mahto. He had, in fact, never apprehended that Naxalites would target his party cadre. But now that the Maoists have targeted Sudhir Mahto, the Deputy Chief Minister and party MLA, Soren has asked us to be ready for a showdown with outlawed outfits," Bhattacharya said.
He added that the party was also buoyed by the call for Sendra (war) given by the Nagrik Suraksha Samiti members in Baguria to avenge Sunil Mahto's killing.
Sudhir Mahto said he was yet to receive Soren's message. "I will comment only after I discuss the issue with Soren," he added.
Soren's call has, nevertheless, alarmed the state police in particular, which fears it could lead to bloodbath between die-hard JMM cadres and the ultras. "Chances of JMM cadres, armed with traditional bows and arrows, suffering heavy reverses in the hands of heavily-armed ultras can't be ruled out in such a scenario. In fact, more innocents too could be killed in the process," said a senior IPS official.
Jharkhand Yuva Morcha Chief Binod Pandey too admitted the fact. "We can not challenge them (Naxalites) physically. But our strategy will be to ensure people isolate them, particularly, in rural areas. The cadres will now have to work harder for expanding the party base at the grassroots," he said.
Police officials felt Soren's call has come at a time when the Naxalites attitude towards him has changed. "The ultras had earlier refrained from issuing statements against Soren. But now, they have started targeting him as well," they pointed out.
Hindustan Times
posted by Resistance 4/15/2007 09:12:00 AM,
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When Maoists struck, CISF jawans were in lungis
Sunday, April 8, 2007
BERMO: If men in the police post in Dantewada were caught totally off-guard by Naxal raiders last month, the same happened when more than 1,000 Maoists stormed CISF barracks in Bermo near Bokaro on Friday night. The jawans were lolling around in lungis and vests, getting ready for dinner when calamity struck. When police officers, who reached the area after repairing a bridge that the Maoists had blown up to prevent reinforcements coming on on their tails, entered the devastated Khasmahal CISF camp early Saturday, that's still how most of the men were dressed, too terrified to get into their fatigues, their weapons all gone. The Naxals, who had come with the express intention of clearing out the armoury, left a trail of eight dead and one of India's elite security forces, mandated to protect airports and nuclear plants against terror attacks, completely shaken. As the story unfolds, it seems that barring a few CISF jawans, who got killed or maimed in a gunbattle in which more than 1,000 rounds were fired by both sides, the bulk of this heavily-armed and well-trained force was completely overpowered. Cowering CISF men, eyewitnesses said, even led the Naxal raiders on a guided tour of the barracks so that every piece of ordnance and every weapon could be brought out. They also took away Rs 60,000 in cash that was kept for camp expenses. M M Ali, assistant sub-inspector of the force, who survived the Red blitzkrieg, said the raiders were particularly interested in AK-47s and AK-56 assault rifles and less in the SLRs and pistols. Even between the 40-odd Naxal guerrillas who entered the barracks, while their comrades guarded the periphery and the exit routes, there must have been more than enough to carry back. Because what they left behind was four self-loading rifles, a pistol, along with the incendiary stuff they had carried in: four petrol bombs, three can bombs of 15 kg each, two hand grenades, one Motorola walkie-talkie set, one cell phone and a leather bag packed with Maoist literature, Ali said. To boot, it appears that a bulk of the final raiding party were women. When rescuers entered the area, they found several women's shoes and sandals which were left behind by the raiders who hurriedly left and melted into the darkness. A sub-inspector of the force from Kerala, Vay Pay and constable Hoshiyar Singh were shot dead by the group of about 40 Naxalites who had entered the barrack. The two challenged the armed Maoists — an equal number being women members — and fired on them. The two died challenging the armed guerrillas in their barracks. Initial reports on Friday night had suggested the presence of 300 Maoists, but in the clear morning light of Saturday, officials said they suspected that more than 1,000 people had participated in the operation. These guerrillas were divided over four locations near Khashmahal project camp, Gandhinagar police station, Noorinagar and Bokaro thermal power police station to prevent movement of security forces. That's close to professional war-room planning. Further, groups of Maoists stationed themselves at different places where they had set up roadblocks or damaged road bridges to keep the security agencies away. Times of India | |
posted by Resistance 4/08/2007 11:34:00 AM,
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Maoists decamp with arms, ammunition from CISF camp
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posted by Resistance 4/08/2007 11:32:00 AM,
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Six die in Maoist attack on Bokaro CISF camp
Saturday, April 7, 2007
DHANBAD: At least six people were reported to have been killed when an armed group of 300 Maoists on Friday night attacked the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) camp and the adjoining Gandhinagar police station building in Bokaro thermal power city area of the neighbouring Bokaro district.
The attack on the CISF camp took place around 8.30 in the night when only six jawans were on sentry duty. According to police, the Maoists exploded a series of bombs and also blew up the Pilpilo road bridge connecting the Central Coalfields Limited's Khashmahal project with the main highway.
Reports said the six people were killed on the spot as the trucks and dumpers they were driving tossed up to 15 metres towards the sky under the impact of the explosions triggered by the Maoists.
Rocket launchers are said to have been used in the attack. The Maoists were advancing towards the Bokaro thermal power police station and were 200 metres away from the building when the reports last reached here.
Maintaining that the Maoists have been challenged by the CISF jawans, police sources in Bokaro denied receipt of reports of any casualty as the area was 40 km away from the district headquarters and the camp was located in a mining area.
The area is considered a Naxal stronghold. Last December, at least 15 policemen were killed in a landmine explosion triggered by Maoists at Kankiro near Bokaro. Koylanchal DIG Anurag Gupta said reinforcements led by Bokaro SP Priya Dubey have rushed to the spot.
According to CISF DIG Sunil Roy, around 30 CISF personnel were deployed at the camp.
posted by Resistance 4/07/2007 09:07:00 AM,
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Jharkhand to open jungle warfare school for cops
Monday, March 26, 2007
Ranchi, March 25 (IANS) The Jharkhand government has decided to start a special school to train police officials in jungle warfare to fight Maoist rebels.
"The jungle warfare school will be the first of its kind in the state. The school has been mooted to provide training to cops to fight with Maoists in every situation, particularly in jungle areas where they are ambushed by the rebels," a police official, involved in anti-extremist operations, told IANS.
Jharkhand Governor Syed Sibte Razi had announced in the state assembly's ongoing budget session that the School of Jungle Warfare would be opened in Hazaribagh district during the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
"After completing initial training, cops will be inducted into the school. The products of the school will be deployed in Maoist-dominated districts and as security for VIPs," the official added.
Asked who will train the cops, he said: "We are planning to take help of the army and Border Security Force (BSF) to train them."
"Jharkhand is covered with forests and hills and the Maoists use this cover to ambush security forces," he noted.
Two of the biggest Maoist ambushes were witnessed in Saranda jungle of Jharkhand - one in December 2002 in which 18 security personnel were killed and the other in April 2004 when 28 security men died.
According to official figures of the last six years, the casualties among security personnel are higher than that of the Maoist rebels. As many as 262 security officials of the state police and paramilitary forces were killed in comparison to less than 200 Maoist rebels. In the same period, 323 civilians lost their lives in Maoist violence.
When Jharkhand was carved out of Bihar in November 2000, Maoist rebels were active in eight districts. The rebels have now spread their network in 16 districts.
The security personnel in the state are unable to do night patrolling in fear of Maoist ambushes and landmine blasts. IndianMuslims.info
posted by Resistance 3/26/2007 09:45:00 AM,
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Maoist Rally in Ranchi
Saturday, March 24, 2007
RANCHI: The state police remained on high alert on Friday in a bid to prevent Naxal outfits participating in a rally organised at the Morhabadi Ground to mark the anti-imperialist day.
The rally organised by various democratic-socio-cultural organisations of Naxals was also attended by several frontal organisations of extremists hailing from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Orissa.
Talking to TOI, DGP JB Mahapatra said the police had information about Naxal outfits sponsoring the rally and it was maintaining a strict vigil.
"We did everything except restricting the rally," he said. Police also prevented some of the vehicles entering the capital from the Ranchi-Lohardagga route and even the rally was escorted by police force while it moved on the thoroughfares of the city.
Prior to this, the congregation of different democratic fronts held a preliminary meeting and declared a charter of Ranchi convention.
Announcing the formation of a nine-member steering committee under the chairmanship of Bramhadeo Sharma of Bharat Jan Andolan, convener of the meeting and noted social worker of Andhra Pradesh GN SaiBaba said, "They have rejected the present model of development and chalked out an annual programme to be adopted at the national-level". India Times
posted by Resistance 3/24/2007 11:14:00 AM,
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Nandigram slows down Jharkhand land acquisition
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Ranchi, March 18 (IANS) The Jharkhand government has put a brake on acquisition of land for industrial use in the aftermath of the killings at Nandigram in West Bengal due to protest against land acquisition for a similar purpose.
The state government has signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with more than 54 companies to set up steel plants, power plants and other industries.
'We will soon come out with a rehabilitation policy to acquire land. If we can assure the tribal people of their future, then land acquisition will not be a problem,' Deputy Chief Minister Stephen Marandi told IANS.
Asked when the rehabilitation policy will be announced, he said: 'By April the policy will be made known.'
At least 14 people were killed and 71 injured Wednesday in Nandigram, about 150 km southwest of Kolkata, as police opened fire to quell mobs and retake the area they lost control of in January after unrest over acquisition of farmland for a special economic zone (SEZ).
The investors are likely to pump in more than Rs.2.4 trillion in the state. The prominent companies that promised investments in the state are NRI steel tycoon L.N . Mittal's Mittal Steel, Tata Steel and Jindal Steel, besides other companies.
Land acquisition has come as big bottleneck for industrialisation in the state. To translate the MoUs in reality, the state government has to acquire more than 100,000 acres of land.
The ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) has refused to accept the rehabilitation policy announced by the previous Arjun Munda government. The UPA leaders argued that the minority government of Munda had announced it in haste.
The Nandigram violence has unnerved politicians in Jharkhand, particularly the UPA leaders who had opposed acquisitions when the Munda government was signing the MoUs.
'Unless the tribals are persuaded to give up their land, no acquisition work can start. We do not want to create scenes like Nandigram or Kalinganagar in Orissa,' said Marandi. In Kalinganagar, 11 tribals were killed in police firing while protesting land acquisition for a steel plant in the area in January 2006. M&G News
posted by Resistance 3/18/2007 06:38:00 PM,
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Lurching Towards A Crisis
Friday, March 16, 2007
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The CPI-Maoist on March 6 claimed responsibility for the killing by putting up handwritten posters in the villages of Hadia and Lango areas under the jurisdiction of Ghorabandh police station in Dhanbad district, far from the site of the killings, thus arousing suspicions that Mahato could have been the victim of his personal rivalry with the Mafia, not the Maoists. The posters, however, claimed that Mahato had instigated villagers at Lango to kill 11 Maoists, and further that Mahato was killed for two reasons: for telling contractors not to pay 'tax' to the Maoists; and, for supporting the anti-Maoist movement being led by the Nagrik Suraksha Samiti (Citizens Defence Committee) in East Singhbhum and West Singhbhum districts. The posters declared: "He instigated innocent tribals. He asked them to kill us with arrows. We killed him with bullets." Unlike the Jharkhand government, which preferred an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the killing, the union government was convinced of the fact that the act was the handiwork of the Maoists. Union home secretary, V.K. Duggal, stated on March 5, "Apparently, it looks like retaliatory action because as a key functionary of the Nagarik Suraksha Samiti, Mahato had been raising his voice against Naxals." The union minister of home affairs, Shivraj Patil, in a suo moto statement in the Rajya Sabha on May 6, before the Maoist posters claimed responsibility for the killing, provided a vivid description of Mahato's assassination. He also spoke of the customary reinforcements, 'sealing' of borders and combing operations to nab the culprits. It was, however, nobody's belief that Mahato's killers would actually be caught. There is even less faith that the unlikely event of their arrest could dent the reign of the Maoists in Jharkhand. While the ministry of home affairs (MHA) maintains that Left Wing extremism in the country has declined by 6.15 percent from 1,608 incidents in 2005 to 1,509 in 2006, fatalities in Jharkhand have actually risen from 119 in 2005 to 124 in 2006, though this rise is marginal. According to an estimate in August 2006, as many as 21 of the 22 districts of Jharkhand were affected (highly affected - 12, moderately affected - 4, marginally affected - 5) by Left Wing extremism. [There are wide variations in these estimates. While the MHA maintains that only 16 districts are affected, the Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda in December 2006 stated that 18 of the state's districts are affected.] Interestingly, the East Singhbhum district, where Mahato was killed, was in the 'moderately affected' category. Intelligence inputs indicate that most districts affected by the Maoist movement are in the "mass mobilization" stage, but pockets in the state are now in the advanced "guerrilla warfare stage". Jharkhand is the part of the CPI-Maoist's Eastern regional bureau that looks after Assam, West Bengal, Jharkhand and the Coastal belt. |
The state is also an integral part of the Compact Revolutionary Zone (CRZ) and the 'Red Corridor' that runs along India's eastern board, from Andhra Pradesh to the border with Nepal.
Mahato's killing was preceded by several operations by the Maoists in the state, in the first two
months of 2007 alone. On February 5, a group of 200 CPI-Maoist cadres attempted to overrun
a Police picket at Lawalong in the Chatra district. In the ensuing encounter a civilian was killed
and two others were injured. On February 27, CPI-Maoist cadres detonated an explosive device
and destroyed an under-construction building of the state Tourism Department at Madhuvan in Giridih district. The Maoists had warned against the construction, but the government had chosen to go ahead. Earlier, on January 23, a consignment containing spares for arms, including assemblies for mortars, sent from Indore in Madhya Pradesh to the CPI-Maoist 'area commander' Rajendra Oraon, was seized from a private transport firm in Ranchi. A man, identified as Prabhu Sao, was arrested in this connection.
The preceding year, too, was no exception. Major attacks by the Maoists in Jharkhand in 2006 included the following.
June 1: At least 12 police personnel were killed when CPI-Maoist cadres triggered a landmine explosion in the West Singhbhum district.
June 3: Maoists killed three civilians in the Hadian village under the Ghorabandha Police Station of East Singhbhum district.
June 26: At least 400 Maoists attacked a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp, killing one CRPF man in the Hazaribagh district.
December 2: Fourteen police personnel belonging to the Special Task Force of the Jharkhand Police were killed and three injured in a landmine blast detonated by suspected CPI-Maoist cadres at Kanchkir in the Bokaro district.
December 10: CPI-Maoist cadres stopped the 346 Tata-Kharagpur passenger train near the Kanimouli Station on the Gidhni-Chakulia line in the East Singhbhum district bordering West Bengal for about two hours. Maoists also looted two rifles and cash from the Railway Protection Force personnel escorting the train, and snatched walkie-talkie sets from the guard and driver of the train.
Mahato's killing could just be the starting point for the escalation of the Maoist 'people's war' through out the country, which appeared to have weakened temporarily. Premonitions of such a trend were provided by a statement released by the CPI-Maoist on February 19, 2007, to mark the successful completion of the outfit's 'Unity Congress' in January-February 2007 at an unspecified location (widely speculated to be in Jharkhand). The statement declared:
The Unity Congress… resolved to advance the people's war throughout the country, further strengthen the people's army, deepen the mass base of the party and wage a broad-based militant mass movement against the neo-liberal policies of globalization, liberalization, privatization pursued by the reactionary ruling classes under the dictates of imperialism.
The conclave, attended by 100 senior Maoist leaders from 16 states, re-elected Muppala Lakshman Rao @ Ganapathi as the 'General Secretary' of the Party. Ganapathi is reported to have remarked: "No more hit and run. Now time has come to spread in the towns and identify specific targets, hit them precisely and with impunity." There is overwhelming apprehension that the Maoists have started finalizing plans for executing hits involving high-profile targets.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, on March 6, indicated that the state was exploring options of adopting the 'Andhra Pradesh model' to tackle the Maoists, and also to "review the surrender policy for extremists." Only a day later, on March 7, the Union Home Minister made a statement in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of the Indian Parliament) noting that Andhra Pradesh had achieved "note-worthy success in controlling the problem through Special Forces, namely, Greyhounds, and other measures". However, given Jharkhand's past record, replicating the 'Andhra model' is easier said than done.
Reports indicate that Jharkhand has not being following the directions laid down by the union government for Left Wing extremism-affected states. The Jharkhand Police has an alarming vacancy rate of 29 per cent and there has been little attempt by the state government to recruit additional personnel. The state also has a poor police-population ratio of 85 per 100,000, compared to the national average of 122. Similarly, the density of police personnel (policemen per 100 square kilometre area) in Jharkhand is 30.8 against an all India average of 42.4. Given the fact that nearly 30 per cent of the state's geographical area of 79,714 square kilometres is forested and consequently virtually un-policed, such a profile of the state's Police Force can hardly make the task of countering the Maoists easier.
In addition, the state government is known to have failed to utilize the central funds released under the Police modernization scheme. According to the MHA, Rs 1.827 billion were provided to Jharkhand in six financial years between 2000 and 2006 under the scheme. Utilization has, however, been abysmal. In 2004-05, for instance, the utilization of the Rs 220 million released was a minuscule 7.33 per cent.
Jharkhand appears to have faltered miserably in executing the development schemes that the union government supports in the Left Wing extremism affected districts. The state has an unutilised balance of Rs 2.4 billion allotted to it under the Backwards districts Initiative (BDI) component of the Rashtriya Sam Vikas Yojana (RSVY) and other schemes to fill in the critical gaps in physical and social development. Under the BDI Scheme, an amount of Rs 150 million per year is sanctioned for each Maoist affected district for three years. The state government shares 25 percent of the expense on BDI. There have also been allegations of widespread corruption in the implementation of schemes like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). Interestingly, lack of finance has never been cited as a reason for the poor implementation of projects by the Jharkhand government.
In a way, Jharkhand represents all that's currently lacking in most of the states affected by Maoist activities. Union home minister Patil, on March 6 informed the Rajya Sabha that a strong mechanism for 'monitoring' Left Wing extremist activities had been put in place. However, as the Maoists bid to intensify the peoples' war throughout the country, there appears to be little hope that a comparable mechanism will emerge that goes beyond a role that simply 'monitors' to one that effectively counters the extremist depredations.
Bibhu Prasad Routray is Research Fellow, Institute for Conflict Management. Courtesy, the South Asia Intelligence Review of the South Asia Terrorism Portal
posted by Resistance 3/16/2007 09:39:00 AM,
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Eight arrested for killing of Jharkhand MP
Monday, March 12, 2007
Eight Jharkhand villagers, including two top Maoist leaders, were arrested Monday in connection with the killing of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Sunil Mahato last week.
Police here said most of those held were villagers in the know of the Maoists' move - the Lok Sabha MP from Jamshedpur and four others were killed on March 4 while watching a football match at a village in Jamshedpur.
Those arrested include Ranjan Mahto and Nirmal Mahto, known to be hardcore rebels belonging to the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist). A former village headman Sudhir Soren has also been arrested.According to officials, the Maoists first visited the site of the match on March 2 and 3. On D-day, when the soccer match was under progress, they surrounded the village and shot the MP at close range. They stayed at a nearby hill and sneaked into West Bengal thereafter.
Said an official: 'The Maoist rebels had reached the village 48 hours before the killing where Mahto was killed. Two women Maoist rebels were involved in the killing.''Till now the evidence we have collected indicates that the Maoists killed Mahato in revenge for the killing of their cadres in Lango village,' Additional Director General of Police (Crime Investigating Department) R.C Kaithal told IANS.
He was referring to the 2003 incident in Jamshedpur's Lango village when nine Maoists were killed by members of the village defence committee, which aids the security forces in tracking the guerrillas. 'We are also investigating the political angle in the murder but till now no evidence of that nature has come to surface,' said Kaithal.
According to police sources, the contractor mafia could also have a hand in the killing. Some people were apparently unhappy with Mahato over a Rs.4.4 million irrigation project being handed over to a close associate of the MP's, speculated a senior official. India e news
posted by Resistance 3/12/2007 10:52:00 PM,
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Woman took gun from her bag, shot Mahato: Police
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Manoj Prasad
RANCHI, MARCH 10:It was a woman who shot JMM MP Sunil Mahato, the police now say. Though there were initial reports that women were involved in the operation, investigators have now confirmed that a woman took out a gun from her bag and fired at him.
Mahato and three others, including his party's local leader Prabhakar Mahato, were killed at a football match on March 4.
Jharkhand DGP J B Mahapatra told The Sunday Express that after the match, some women, suspectedly belonging to the CPI-Maoist, came and sat in front of the MP. "Minutes later, a woman got up and came to garland him. Right then, another woman took out a revolver from her bag and shot him," Mahapatra said.
Mahapatra, who along with Jamshedpur SP Pankaj Darad, was supervising the case returned to Ranchi on Friday. Darad is still camping there.
Investigations so far have revealed how the Naxalites, with their effective local network, managed to lure the MP to stay back for the match.
Ten persons have been detained for interrogation. They include Bagudia's ex-Mukhiya Sudhir Soren, Gram Pradhan Dashmat Soren and Sonaram Soren, president of the Jarpa Club which organized the match.
The police have learnt that Dashmat who had occupied the seat next to the JMM MP had left just before the woman opened fire. Four days before the incident, some Naxalites had visited Dashmat's house and had dinner there, the police have learnt.
They spent the night at his house and left in the morning for the Dalma hill forest where they exchanged fire with a police party led by Darad. "After the encounter, we came back but the Naxalites appeared to have stayed back," said Darad. Though the police have neither recovered the mobile phone of the slain MP nor acquired details of calls made from the phone of Prabhakar Mahato, investigators suspect Prabhakar, the JMM block president, too, was linked to the Naxalites.
The JMM MP was slated to go to New Delhi the same evening but Prabhakar, probably under the pressure from the club's officials and the Naxalites, repeatedly requested him to attend the match. "He went there at Prabhakar's insistence. The Naxals killed Prabhakar to eliminate the witness," said an investigating officer.
However, the investigators are not yet ruling out the involvement of rival mainstream politicians in the conspiracy. They felt insecure by Mahato's increasing popularity and may be involved in the conspiracy, the officers say. "Some politicians are to be interrogated in this connection," said IG A.K. Sinha. The Sunday Express
posted by Resistance 3/11/2007 05:43:00 PM,
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