The Hindu : New Delhi News : “Naxalites attempting to strike terror among tribals”

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Sunday, Jan 06, 2008
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“Naxalites attempting to strike terror among tribals”

Aarti Dhar

NEW DELHI: The left-wing extremists perceive “Salwa Judum” (peace mission) as the biggest challenge to their movement since 1972 and believe it needs to be crushed at all costs.

Literature seized from naxal activists by police in the worst-affected Bastar region suggest that repeated attacks on tribal people living in camps were an attempt to create terror, Chhattisgarh Director-General of Police Vishwa Ranjan told The Hindu.

Claiming that 306 civilians were killed by naxalites in 2006, Mr. Ranjan said the number of civilian killings in 2007 were 172. However, 108 security personnel, 72 special police officers and an informer also lost their lives last year.

The Chhattisgarh police also believe that the naxalites suffered heavy loss of life in 234 encounters reported from across the State. As many as 67 naxalites were killed, more than 250 arrested and about 200 surrendered.

All this was possible because of the strong resistance put up by the local population, alertness of the police, improved intelligence network and blocking of supply channels to the naxalites through their sympathisers, the DGP said.

In camps

More than 50,000 tribal people, displaced from their villages, have been living in the government-sponsored camps since 2005 when the so-called “spontaneous” uprising by the tribal people against the Maoists activities began in the region.

Started by the local Congress legislator, Mahendra Karma, the movement was subsequently backed by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

However, human rights activists allege that the movement was a ploy by the Chhattisgarh government to isolate the Left-wing extremists by shifting the villagers to the camps. And, the result has been disastrous for the innocent people as it resulted in an armed conflict in the region. If the displaced return to their villages, they are killed by the police as naxal sympathisers and when inside the camps, the naxalites suspect them of being informers.

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