<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Target the stimulus </b>
The Pioneer Edit Desk
War on Maoism must begin in AP ---- The killing of Burra Chinnaiah, better known by his nom de guerre, 'Madhav', in the jungles of Prakasam district, is the most salient evidence that Andhra Pradesh's renewed war against red terror is working. Madhav, general secretary of the State CPI(Maoist), died in an encounter with the Greyhounds, Andhra Pradesh's crack, anti-insurgency commando force, on Sunday, July 23. This capped a series of recent successes for the Greyhounds, which has, in the past few weeks, been given the green signal to go on the offensive, finally junking the Congress Government's misplaced amnesty with the Maoists, in prevalence since 2004. There is a recognition in Hyderabad - not entirely appreciated in Delhi, at the Home Ministry, and among the Left-liberal intellectuals who seem to have disproportionate influence on the Congress' central leadership - that the so-called misguided boys have used the two-year respite to their benefit. They have regrouped, re-armed and expanded their territory further into Chhattisgarh and Karnataka as well. Indeed, as Mr Jairam Ramesh, Minister of State for Commerce and MP from Andhra Pradesh, recently remarked, the Maoist belt has become the State's 'special export zone': An SEZ that sends out Telugu-speaking Maoists to foment trouble in neighbouring States. Chhattisgarh has borne the brunt of Andhra Pradesh's laxity - the Salwa Judum popular resistance being a response to the excesses of the Left-wing guerrillas. From Maharashtra to Orissa, Andhra Pradesh's 'revolutionary' bandits are everywhere.
As numerous security specialists have pointed out, Andhra Pradesh is best placed to begin India's war against Maoism. Of all the major affected States, it has the longest experience of the enemy. Its Greyhounds are technically the best suited for combat operations. What has been missing is the political will. Its return - evident in the effacement of Madhav and at least seven of his compatriots on Sunday - is a welcome sign. Indeed, after the massacre in a Salwa Judum camp in Chhattisgarh, it was Andhra Pradesh that offered the services of its Greyhounds to its beleaguered neighbour. At the Centre, UPA Ministers reacted with predictable churlishness and sought to criticise the BJP Government in Raipur. It is apparent that there are wide differences in perception between Delhi-based drawing room politicians who dominate the Congress all-India office and the grassroots politicians who run its State governments. It is national imperative for Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy to work towards a multi-State, multi-party coalition to take on the Maoists in the 'red corridor'. He needs to bring on board his counterparts in Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Orissa. Much like the war against jihad, the battle against Maoists cannot be fought in isolation, within territorial boundaries.
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<b>Maoists launch attack on police camp in W Bengal</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Heavily-armed Maoists carried out a massive attack on a camp of Indian Reserve Battalion in the violence-ridden Belpahari area of West Midnapore district late on Monday night.
At least 16 Moists stormed the camp at Churimara village, firing from automatic weapons, District Superintendent of Police Ajay Nanda said.
Alert policemen retaliated and exchange around 60 rounds with the ultras. However, there was no report of any injury to anyone on both sides, the SP said adding a combing operation had been launched in the deep jungles surrounding the area.
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<b>Jharkhand bans CPI (Maoist</b>)<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->"Though there has been a ban on both MCC and PW, the fresh decision to outlaw the CPI (Maoist) was required," to put the outfits under one umbrella, Tubid said.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
# DIG optimistic of joint operation on the border
# New program tobe introduced to educate Girijan youth
VISAKHAPATNAM : The success achieved by the Andhra Pradesh police would be repeated in the Andhra-Orissa border area and the joint operations with the Orissa police, after the CPI (Maoist) was banned in that State, would yield good results, said DIG of Police (Visakha range) Govind Singh on Thursday.
The terrain of the Andhra-Orissa border was difficult owing to the thick forests and hills but the naxalites would not be able to gain control of the area. "We are upgrading our skills and weapons. We can use helicopters also. We are up to the task. You know what the State's power is. It (Maoist party) is only an organisation through which some are getting benefited. It's business," Mr. Govind Singh said.
Border safety
SP J.G. Murali said the Andhra-Orissa border was not as safe as the naxalites believed. Only a few areas like G.K. Veedhi and Koyyuru mandals had some naxal presence. The CPI (Maoist) party had only 84 underground cadres and about 120 militants in the district, he said. Mr. Murali said a new programme would be introduced soon to provide help to the Girijan youth in education and employment.
The data of boys and girls of each village in the agency area was being collected regarding their education. The programme would be launched soon since the code of conduct for elections had come to an end. Training would be provided to the illiterate to be able to pursue some trade. As many as 1,000 jobs could be provided, Mr. Murali said
Regarding surrender of Maoist party members and sympathisers, the DIG said the joint operations with the Orissa police had resulted in naxalites of the border area surrendering to the police.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>The lifeline of Maoist violence</b>
Pioneer.com
Saji Cherian | Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
In 2002, a former Maoist district commander estimated that the Maoists needed Rs 10 million every month to keep the war going. A halt to their available methods of garnering finance would result in dismantling their militia ---- Even before the Ceasefire Code of Conduct was signed on May 25, 2006, between the Government and the Maoists, there were concerns raised from all quarters of Nepal with regard to extortion by the latter. The crisis persists even after both the sides agreed on August 8, to seek the assistance of the United Nations in the entire peace process. On July 6, the Council of Ministers criticised the Maoists for continuing extortions and not shutting down the "people's courts" as per their agreements and promises.
The Maoist leadership, of course, projects a very different view on these demands. On August 7, interacting with the business community in Kathmandu, Maoist leader Baburam Bhattarai stated that his party's 'donation and taxation' drives were a transitional arrangement to raise resources to take care of its militia and urged the business community to bear with it till the political problem is solved. "In the absence of budgetary support from the Government, we have no option but to raise money from donations. But this phase will pass off as soon as the interim government, including the Maoists, is formed," Bhattarai stated. He added further that the Maoists were soon coming up with a centrally controlled donation collecting mechanism so that non-Maoists could not take advantage of the situation: "It will be a one-window system, as you businessmen prefer to say", he clarified.
Reports of massive extortion by the Maoists continue to pour in from different parts of the country In Sankhuwasabha District, the Maoists have started collecting 'donations' from government officials and semi-government organisations. The Maoists visit each office demanding an amount equal to 60 days' salary as "tax for people's war", a government staffer disclosed. The Maoist district committee member, Rajan, claimed that collecting 'donations' and 'tax' was essential for the arrangement of the needs of 725 full time members of the party. In Sarlahi District, Maoists have, since July 23, reportedly set up a check post at Ranigunj Chowk of Lalbandi-Phuljor road section on Mahendra Highway to collect donations from vehicles plying on the highway. Maoist cadres in combat dress collect Rs 10 from every vehicle, including passenger buses and cargo trucks, using a donation pad receipt with "security patrol help" written on it.
Similarly, in Bardiya district, in disregard of the cease-fire code of conduct, the local Maoist leadership on August 2 announced that they would start collecting 'donations' from industrialists, businessmen, employees, teachers and others in the district.
"At least 300,000 rupees is the monthly expenses just for a battalion of the People's Liberation Army in Bardiya" said 'Sandiv' district secretary of the party at a press meeting, adding, "Therefore, we are planning to launch a donation campaign which is voluntary and not forced donation."
Earlier, one of the daily newspapers obtained a letter sent by chief of the Special Central Command of the CPN (Maoist), Anant, on May 14 asking over a dozen private banks to cough up Rs 2.5 million each as 'donation'. The letter asked for "financial support" from the private banks to push the people's movement to a "new high".
The Maoist extortions and intimidation does not, of course, come as a surprise; maintaining the Maoist army requires funds. 'Bibidh', a Maoist commander was quoted by the Nepali daily Kantipur in July 2006 as claiming, "we are about 36,000 (fighters) in the People's Liberation Army now." Earlier, according to a 2004 study based on direct interviews with Maoist fighters, it costed NPR 17,000 annually to provide one armed guerrilla with clothes and other basic necessities (raising a basic 'maintenance' cost of over NPR 612 million). At the same time, during the time of hostilities, in early 2002, a former Maoist district commander had estimated that the Maoists needed to spend about Rs 10 million every month to keep the war going. A halt to their available methods of garnering finance, would mean dismantling their army, which could prove disastrous in the future, if the peace process fail.
While the 'Maoist economy' of extortion booms, the Nepal Economic Survey, 2006, presented in the House of Representatives on July 11 paints a dismal picture of the country's economic situation. The economy of the country grew by a mere 2.4 per cent this year, with the manufacturing sector growing at just 2.1 percent as against the 2.6 percent last year. The growth of the transportation and communication sectors and the real estate sector also slowed down to 2.2 per cent each as compared to 5.1 percent and 4.6 per cent last year, respectively. Only 18 km of road were constructed during the entire fiscal year. Not a single new hospital was added to the existing 87 hospitals throughout the country.
For the Maoists, the very existence of their army is based on extortion and this is their lifeblood. To bring a halt to such operations strike the Maoist death knell. That is why Maoist leaders like Baburam Bhattarai continue extortion or "revolutionary tax" in terms of the "absence of budgetary support from the government". The fact that continuing Maoist extortion violates the Ceasefire Code of Conduct of May 25, basic human rights, is and will remain besides the point.
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08-14-2006, 09:53 AM (This post was last modified: 08-14-2006, 09:54 AM by Husky.)
<!--QuoteBegin-Mudy+May 27 2006, 03:18 AM-->QUOTE(Mudy @ May 27 2006, 03:18 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->Its time to start recording every event related to War against Maoist in India.
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- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4212746.stm
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->4 September 2005
<i>Indian landmine blast kills 24 </i>
A suspected landmine blast in the central Indian state of <b>Chhattisgarh</b> has killed 24 paramilitary police, media reports and officials say.
Ministers said Maoist rebels were suspected of carrying out the attack.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4216630.stm
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->5 September 2005
<i>Indian state bans Maoist groups </i>
The government of the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh has banned all Maoist groups following a landmine blast that killed 24 policeman. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4757776.stm
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->28 February 2006
<i>'Many dead' in India rebel attack</i>Â
An anti-Maoist rally in Chhattisgarh
At least 25 people have been killed after Maoist rebels blew up two trucks carrying civilians in India's central state of Chhattisgarh, police say. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4715734.stm
Also has a good photo of an anti-Maoist rally mounted by the affected people:
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->15 February 2006
<i>Indian Maoists 'attack village'</i>
By Faisal Mohammed Ali
BBC News, BhopalÂ
Authorities in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh say Maoist rebels have killed three tribes people on suspicion that they were police informers.
Residents have begun abandoning the village for government-run shelters out of fear, eyewitnesses told the BBC.
Maoists say they are fighting for more rights for indigenous people in at least five Indian states.
The police say there are more than 20,000 people, mostly tribes people, living in the camps.
Maoist rebels have attacked one such camp recently in which eight people were killed.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->The usual Red doublespeak: saying they fight the govt in the name of tribes people - they do this by terrorising the very same people that they pretend to fight for who then flee to govt facilities to escape the terror, where the reds then attack and murder them.
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4159672.stm
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->17 August 2005
<i>Indian state ban on Maoist group</i>Â
The Indian state of <b>Andhra Pradesh</b> has imposed a ban on the rebel Communist Party of India (Maoist) group and what it says are six front organisations. <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->Finally Christo CM decided to do something other than trying to turn Tirupathi into a Christo-pilgrimage centre.
The Indian government is experimenting with new ways of fighting back against Maoist fighters, who now operate in almost half of the country's 28 states. In the past year, the Chhattisgarh state government has introduced new anti-terrorism training for the police - and is backing a civil militia called Salwa Judum.
The BBC's Jill McGivering spent three days travelling with Maoist fighters in the jungles of Chhattisgarh.
Driving through Chhattisgarh at dawn, we saw a group of villagers by the road, shouldering sticks as if they were guns and marching up and down doing military drill.
There were about 30 of them, many just young boys who looked about 12 or 13 years old.
Some of the men were middle-aged and looked unfit, with pot bellies.
As we stopped and walked across to talk to them, a group of young women, in brightly coloured saris, crossed too and formed their own marching unit alongside the men.
The man leading the training session told me his name was Bagil.
He was a former police officer, he said, appointed to train villagers who lived in nearby areas which were hard hit by Maoist or Naxalite violence.
They were part of the Salwa Judum, the civil militia, supported by the state government, which was launched officially one year ago.
Civil militia
I asked him how well these villagers would be able to defend themselves. Many seemed malnourished, I said. Many were under-age. These were, after all, just villagers.
He nodded. "Yes, some of them are malnourished, some of them are under age," he said.
"If they applied to join the police, most of them wouldn't be selected. But what matters is that they're from Naxal-affected areas. They'll go back and help the police there. I need to train them."
I spoke to some of the village volunteers. Mahendra Kumar Dorgum said he was 27.
"I live in a remote area," he said, "and I know a few Naxalites personally. When I get a gun, when I see them, I'll try to eliminate them. That's my purpose."
As we talked a young boy, who had also been training, listened in. He said at first that he was 18 but then he looked much younger, more like 14.
He was shy when I questioned him and gave the standard answer: "I want to eradicate Naxalites from my area."
Once they had had several weeks training, the instructor told us, all these people, men, boys and young women, would be given a gun each and sent back to their villagers to kill Maoists.
Filling the gap
There are clear concerns about this arming of civilians and the lack of accountability of this new civil militia.
As I drove around Chhattisgarh, we frequently passed through road blocks controlled by Salwa Judum members, often youngsters, guns slung on their shoulders.
In the relief camps which have sprung up in parts of the state, many villagers told me they had had to flee after Salwa Judum members burned their houses or threatened to kill them.
I put some of these allegations to Madhukar Rao, a former schoolteacher but now a leader of the Salwa Judum.
He said it was understandable that many of those who joined the group wanted to kill local Naxalites.
"Many in the Salwa Judum have personal experience of terror from Naxalites," he said. "They have a feeling of revenge which I think is very good. I think it's a good idea that we should go after them and kill them."
I asked him about the allegations that the Salwa Judum had beaten villagers and force them from their homes.
"That was not true," he said.
"Those allegations were spread by people who were pro-Naxalite."
Actually the Salwa Judum was helping villagers, he went on, by protecting them and keeping them safe from the Maoists.
Some of those who try to justify the civil militia say it is filling a gap left by an inadequate police force, a force that is simply no match for the Maoists.
'Order in disorder'
As well as supporting the civil militia, the state government has just introduced a new intensive training programme for the police in the hope of improving their performance.
It is under the command of Brigadier Basant Kumar Ponwar, a man with extensive experience in the Indian army of fighting insurgencies.
He is now the head of the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College in Chhattisgarh and showed me some of the exercises, from killing a cobra to storming a militant hideaway. His mantra is: fight a guerrilla like a guerrilla.
He told me he saw his role as trying to fill a perception gap, converting the police officers from conventional policing to unconventional warfare.
"If the threat changes, they've got to change," he said.
"They can't just get away by showing their weapons to innocent civilians or firing a shot in the air and saying: Ok, now the police have come, everything will be settled."
I asked him why he thought the number of people being killed in Chhattisgarh in Maoist-related violence had doubled each year in the last few years. Most of the people being killed are civilians.
"Civilians do get into crossfire between the security forces and the terrorists," he said.
"It'll take a little time. When you have to bring order in disorder for the cause of many, some may suffer."
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<b>600 rocket launchers seized in Andhra Pradesh</b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In the biggest arms haul in Andhra Pradesh, the police have seized 600 rocket launchers in Mahabubnagar district meant to be used by Maoist extremists.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
<b>High alert in Chhattisgarh after killing of Maoist leader</b> <!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Raipur, Sept 18: Chhattisgarh Police on Monday issued a high alert in the state in the wake of the death of CPI (Maoist) Gadchiroli division secretary Vikas in a shoot out with the police in Kanker district.
<b>"Since he was the Supreme Commander of the Maoists in Maharshtra's Gadchiroli area, and working directly under the powerful Central Committee of the CPI (Maoist), most likely the Naxalites would try to take revenge of his killing," </b>Director General of Police Om Prakash Rathor said here.
Keeping in mind the possible reaction of the ultras, the state police have been put on high alert, the DGP said.
<b>"Vikas is involved in over 100 crimes of various nature in Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra, and when he was arrested in 1991, the Maoists kidnapped the then Sironja (in Maharashtra) MLA and secured the release of the rebel in exchange for the MLA,"</b> Rathor said.
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The author of this blog Badri Seshadri is one of the co-founder and owner of a publishing house based in Chennai called kizhakku pathippagam. He is a sort of Left liberal secularist. And an IIT alumni.
<!--QuoteBegin-bengurion+Oct 5 2006, 11:28 AM-->QUOTE(bengurion @ Oct 5 2006, 11:28 AM)<!--QuoteEBegin-->The author of this blog Badri Seshadri is one of the co-founder and owner of a publishing house based in Chennai called kizhakku pathippagam. He is a sort of Left liberal secularist. And an IIT alumni.
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I figured as much. All the more reason for having a good strategy for this. Hindus should not vacate this platform for commies & missionaries. Read this too..
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->In a major setback to the Naxalite movement in Andhra Pradesh, top Maoist leader Sudarshan, who carried a reward of Rs 3 lakh on his head, was killed, along with two others, in an encounter with the police in a forest in Anantapur district on Friday.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Maoists launch Muslim outfit </b>
Pioneer.com
Preetam Srivastava | Lucknow
<b>Cashing in on anti-India sentiments of some misguided Muslims, the Maoists have offered to train them and even launched a new Muslim outfit. At a recent meeting, they also thrashed out a blueprint to divert terrorist activity in India through Nepal.</b> In pursuit of this, of late, ISI masterminds and Maoists have held meetings.
The ISI, with the active help of Maoists have been successful in preventing the Nepal Government from penning an extradition treaty with the Indian Government.
<b>Intelligence Bureau sources revealed that the new Muslim outfit has been named the 'Muslim Mukti Morcha' and regular training camps are being organised for carrying out jihad in the Terai areas of Nepal.</b>
The Maoists had recently organised a meet of the Muslim Morcha at Manchwar locality of Rupaidiha (Nepal) on September 16 in which Maowadi Jan Mukti Sena Brigadier Arjun Singh, assisted by Vinod Upadhya imparted military and tactical training.
Muslims of Maharajganj and Siddharthnagar participated in the meeting and the Maoists promised to ensure proper representation to 35 lakh Muslims of Terai in the Nepalese Government and the declaration of Eid and Bakrid as holidays.
<b>The IB has asked the Centre to take up the matter with the Nepal before it is too late. </b>
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<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Naxal arms stolen from government </b>
Â
Kolkata, Oct. 12: The Army and the State police on Thursday recovered a huge stockpile of arms and ammunition, including over 500 anti-personnel landmines, all manufactured at the Ichapur ordnance factory, from a rented house at Behala, Kolkata. Three people, including an Army jawan, were arrested in connection with the arms seizure. The Army is certain that the arms were meant for the use of Maoist militants in the state.
The seized arms and ammunition include 543 anti-personnel mines (non-metallic model NMM-14), 691 9 mm bullets, 340 7.62 mm bullets, 58 bullets for the .303 and 5.56 mm INSAS ammunition. âThe seizure is perhaps one of the largest recoveries of mines and other warlike weapons from any metropolitan city in recent times,â the press release issued by the Eastern Command Headquarters said. The weapons were kept in gunny bags.
The price of one anti-personnel mine is between Rs 3 lakhs and Rs 4 lakhs. The Easter Commandâs Army intelligence unit, the CID and the Intelligence Bureau raided a house in Jorapukur, near the old bus stand in Shyam Sunder Pally, in Behala area.
The spokesman who addressed the news conference, Wing Commander R.K. Das, revealed that lance naik was being watched because of his âquestionableâ activities. This jawan was earlier posted in Jammu and Kashmir and was transferred to Kolkata a few months ago.
âAfter we arrested him, he led us to the house and told us about the other two civilians whom we later arrested,â he added. But he refused to identify either the Army jawan or the two others. âI can tell you only that they are in their mid-thirties,â he added. He pointed out that these anti-personnel mines were very dangerous and not used by ordinary criminals. âThese weapons are definitely used by militants and terrorists,â the officer added.
When reporters asked how such a huge stock of weapons and ammunition could be smuggled out of the ordnance factory, a high security area, he said: âThere has certainly been a breach in the ordnance factory and we are investigating how the operation was carried out.â The Army is making further investigations to ascertain who else was involved in the stockpiling of ordnance factory arms. More arrests are likely in the next few days.
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->Naxal arms stolen from government <!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
From Ministers, Babus to Police all are involved in stealing and killing Indians for money.
