The Maoist insurgency is facing its biggest challenge — a “degeneration of ideology” and a “split” within its ranks. The killings by Naxals over the last three months show that the violence is no longer aimed only at security forces but at innocent civilians too, and that there are also caste battles.
Intelligence reports submitted to the home ministry also indicate that the CPI (Maoist) has split on tribal and non-tribal lines in Bihar and Jharkhand and that their cadres are killing each other. The CPI (Maoist) recently killed five people in Bihar’s Rohtas district in apparent retaliation to the recent killing of their zonal commander by a splinter group of Naxalites.
Rallying behind states that are mustering “local support” to tackle the Naxal menace, the Centre is set to file a petition in the Supreme Court in the next 10 days asking it to review its judgment on disbanding Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh.
“The CPI (Maoist) are no longer targeting only security personnel. Earlier, the outfit used to express regret at the inadvertent killings of civilians through statements by its spokesperson. This has stopped,” a security official said. The change in the Maoists’ strategy and its “degeneration”, the official pointed out, can be gauged from the fact that more than 25 civilians, mostly children and tribals, have been killed by Maoists in Maharashtra, Bihar and Jharkhand since May this year using “brutal” methods like breaking heads with stones, as well as in shootings and landmine blasts.
A total of 999 incidents of Naxal violence have occurred up to July 26 this year, targeting 241 civilians and 92 security personnel.
Observers within the government claim that Maoist sympathisers, who openly criticised the joint anti-Naxal operations, will find it difficult to explain the “use of torture and brute power against civilians” by the Maoists, “who have completely lost their so-called ideological moorings”.
Intelligence reports given to the Union home ministry have noted that in states affected by left-wing extremism — such as Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh, the Maoists are striking up partnerships with local civil and forest contractors, mine-owners and petty businessmen. “They are no more class enemies but partners in looting the country’s resources,” an official said.