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Naxalite hotbed

Chhattisgarh's reputation as the State worst hit by `left' extremism has found grisly reconfirmation in the killing of nine policemen in the Bastar region. The policemen, who were on an anti-naxalite patrol in a remote area, were killed in a series of landmine explosions and an unremitting volley of gunfire. The modus operandi reflects the growing capacity of Maoist extremists in Chhattisgarh to carry out coordinated operations. The ambush is one of a string of deadly Maoist attacks this year; the most lethal was the slaughter of 55 security personnel in a police camp in March. Data compiled by the Institute of Conflict Management reveal that in 2005, 2006, and 2007 Maoists have killed more security personnel in Chhattisgarh than in other hotspots such as Bihar and Jharkhand. The marked increase in naxalite activity in the State over the past three years can be traced back to the merger and resulting consolidation of the two major extremist formations — the People's War and the Maoist Communist Centre of India. The most significant expansion of their destructive capacities came during the 2004-2005 ceasefire in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh between the Congress government and the Maoists. The A.P. ceasefire, supported by the Central government, was worth trying under the circumstances but failed in its objective of de-escalation. Intelligence officials believe it actually led to an expansion of the theatre of extremist operations.

But the worsening situation cannot be blamed, as the BJP regime in Chhattisgarh tends to do, on neighbours and the Central government. There is a nexus between the deepening crisis and the State government's policies in dealing with the naxalite challenge. This is highlighted by the notorious Salwa Judum or Purification Hunt campaign. This officially sanctioned effort to mobilise tribal people against the Maoists has caused enormous social damage. It has pitted tribal against tribal, village against village, and resulted in the death and displacement of huge numbers of innocent people. As the writer Arundhati Roy observed earlier this month, the Salwa Judum campaign is "a dangerous trend... which will result in society becoming militarised." The State government has also failed disastrously to distinguish between the perpetrators of violence and the voices of legitimate dissent and democratic protest. The outrageous arrest of Binayak Sen, a well-known civil rights activist, is a case in point. Rather than tackle the extremists clear-sightedly and address the socio-economic conditions that provide a backdrop to their violence, the Chhattisgarh government seems bent on framing activists and engaging in anti-democratic crusades in the name of counter-insurgency.

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