Note4Students
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Maosism
Mains level: LWE in India
Central idea: Ten security personnel returning from a counter-insurgency operation and a civilian driver were killed by Maoists, in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada.
Why discuss this?
- Media seems to be confused with the terms and uses Maoists and Naxalities quite inter-changeably for Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
Current LWE situation in the country
- According to the MHA, Maoist violence in the country has gone down by 77% since 2010.
- The number of resultant deaths (security forces + civilians) has come down by 90% from the all-time high of 1,005 in 2010 to 98 in 2022.
- Chhattisgarh accounted for more than a third of all Maoist-related violence in this period.
Naxalites vs. Maoists
Naxalism |
Maoism |
| Originated as a rebellion against marginalisation of the poor forest dwellers and gradually against the lack of development and poverty at the local level in rural parts of eastern India | Originated in China as a form of communist theory derived from the teachings of Chinese political leader Mao Zedong |
| Began with an armed peasant uprising in Naxalbari village of Darjeeling district in West Bengal in 1967 | Maoist Communist Centre (MCC) was formed in West Bengal around 1966 |
| Originated from the split that took place in the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 1967 | A section of communist rebels retained a distinct identity after the Naxalbari uprising |
| Spread to lesser developed areas like Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh | Initially kept a low profile, shot into prominence in Bihar in mid-1980s when they killed 54 Rajputs in Dalelchak-Bhagaura village of Aurangabad |
| CPI-ML has been fighting elections in several states across India | Do not support elections |
| Focuses on mass organizations | Relies mainly on armed struggle |
| May have an armed wing, but not their sole reliance | Existence depends on their armed militia |
Why have the Maoists carried out this attack in Chhattisgarh now?
- Anti-state ops: The Maoists have carried out this attack as part of their strategy of heightened military activity and more attacks on security forces.
- Revenge: CRPF conducts Tactical Counter Offensive Campaigns (TCOCs) from Feb to June yearly as monsoon makes offensive operations in the jungles difficult from July.
Why Chhattisgarh?
- Dense forests: The absence of roads in the interiors of Chhattisgarh has stymied the operations of security forces.
- Asylum for the offenders: Police of neighbouring states had pushed Maoists from their states to Chhattisgarh, making it a concentrated zone of Maoist influence.
- Lack of governance: The minimal presence of the administration in the interiors of South Bastar has ensured that Maoists continue to have influence in the region and enjoy local support through a mix of fear and goodwill.
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