In a meaningful democracy, political stability and working within the conventional framework of law and ethics are the two most desired virtues. Democracy has been hailed as the true and authentic voice of people, working for both their tangible and intangible interests. People across the country have long cherished the dream of living under healthy governance, which has led to their reaffirming the mandate for constitutionally approved governments irrespective of their efficiency levels or experience. In this article we shall dicuss origin, history, causes and solution to Naxalite movement in India.

Origin of Naxalist Movement:

Naxal, Naxalite and Naksalvadi are generic terms used to refer to various militant Communist groups operating in different parts of India under different organizational envelopes. The term ‘Naxal’ derives from the name of the village Naxalbari in West Bengal, where the movement had its origin. The Naxals are considered far-left radical communists, supportive of Maoist political sentiment and ideology.

While the origin of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) in the country goes back to the Telangana peasant rebellion (1946-51), their origin can be traced to the split in 1967 of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), leading to the formation of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist). Initially the movement had its centre in West Bengal.

The rebellion gave birth to what would be called the Naxalite movement led by the Charu Majumdar and his close associates, Kanu Sanyal and Jangal Santhal. The rebels quickly found support not only amongst the nearby villages, but also from the People’s Republic of China. The Communist Party of China’s mouthpiece, People’s Daily, not only called the event “Spring Thunder”, it also devoted an entire editorial page highlighting the importance of the Naxalbari incident. Majumdar and Sanyal took initial inspiration from China’s founding father, Mao Zedong, and his tactics to capture political power; the Naxalite movement eventually became radically different from what Maoism stood for. Maoist movement in India is among the longest and most deadly insurgencies that originated in India.

The Naxalites regard the 1947 Independence as a sham. They see India as a semifeudal and semi-colonial country which can achieve true independence only through protracted armed struggle as there has been in China.

History of Naxalite Movement in India:

The communist movement in India officially began in the 1920s with the formation of the Communist Party of India (CPI). In 1964 a serious ideological rift within the party, corresponding with the Sino-Soviet split, led a breakaway group to form the Communist Party of India (Marxist) which is now a mainstream Marxist political party.

Phase-I (1967–1973):

In 1967, oppressed peasants inspired by the communist movement raised their bows and arrows against the feudal landowners in Naxalbari, the village in West Bengal. It featured peasants seizing land by force and then taking up arms to protect themselves against police and landlord response. Soon these rural activities merged with politically disillusioned and ideologically driven university students from Kolkata and other urban areas in India’s Far East—with active cells stretching from the state of Bihar in the north to Andhra Pradesh in the south.

In 1967, India had been independent from the British for 20 years, the country had retained the colonial land tenancy system. Under the British imperial system, indigenous landlords were granted pieces of land in return for their collection of tax revenue and as in Medieval European feudal systems, these landlords subleased their land to peasants for half their yield. As shown by the 1971 census, nearly 60% of the population was landless, the lion’s share of land being owned by the richest 4%. Oppressed peasants inspired by the communist movement raised their bows and arrows against the feudal landowners in Naxalbari, the village in West Bengal. The Indian government looked at it as a law and order problem. It did not analyze the causes of the movement and the extent of mobilization of people. Hence, it believed that it could and would put an end to it in a short span of time using force.

The leaders of the Naxalbari uprising broke away from CPI (Marxist) in 1969 to form the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) — the Maoists, or Naxalites. This party advocated armed revolution and denounced participation in the electoral process. Communist Party of India (M-L) which followed the ideologies of Marx and Lenin was established in 1969 by then charismatic leader Charu Majumdar. The members of movement attempted more centralized and violent tactics. CPI-ML moved to organize peasants and seize political power through guerrilla warfare while focusing on annihilation of its class enemies. In urban areas such as Kolkata, Naxalite insurgents targeted police and local constables, attacking police outposts and patrols with an aim to capture weapons. After the death of Charu Majumdar the CPI (M-L) became CPI (L-M) Liberation but maintained the same ideology more or less. 

The Naxalites remained fragmented and without much training or organization. This first wave of Naxalite violence peaked in 1971 when over 3,650 acts of class-based attacks were reported and more than 850 people were reported killed. But it quickly succumbed to its own weaknesses and a state counterinsurgency response that featured two waves of activity.

In this first Naxalite insurgent phase, the national government followed a pattern that would be repeated in subsequent phases. It did not forcibly intervene in the beginning. In keeping with the federalist framework of the constitution, the government in New Delhi left it to local and state officials in West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and other afflicted states to take their own security actions to stop the threat. In the late 1960s, these state and local responses were often inadequate and ineffective.

Phase-II (1977–1994):

The first phase of Naxalite movement ended badly but did not eliminate the conditions inspiring the movement or all of those willing to hold to the Naxalite cause. The movement fractured into more than 40 separate small groups. Slowly—over the course of a decade—these groups began to remobilize and consolidate. Particularly in the south-eastern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, a new Naxalite organization called People’s War Group emerged in 1980. Its leader, Kondapalli Seetharamaiah, sought a more efficient structure to boost morale, recruitment, and funding. By 1978 Naxalite peasant revolts had spread to the Karimnagar District of Telangana and Adilabad District of Andhra Pradesh. The major grievance was unpaid wages.

In the second phase Naxalite insurgents kidnapped landlords and forced them to confess to crimes, apologize to villagers, and repay forced bribes. By the early 1980s insurgents had established a stronghold and sanctuary in the interlinked North Telangana village and Dandakaranya forests areas along the Andhra Pradesh and Orissa border.

In 1985 Naxalite insurgents began ambushing police. After they killed a police sub-inspector in Warangal, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh responded by creating a special task force called the Greyhounds to establish control in the seven worst affected districts.

Affected states responded by establishing special laws that enabled police to focus on capture, detention, and extra-normal means of violence against Naxalite cadres— fighters and presumed supporters. The States of Andhra Pradesh and Orissa invited additional central paramilitary forces in Telangana to augment state and federal government security forces already there. In 1994, the second wave of the Naxalite insurgency had been stopped.

Phase-III (2004–2015):

Taking advantage of rising local support for violent response to economic conditions, fragmented Naxalite groups created a united front. In Andhra Pradesh’s PWG and Bihar’s MCC were merged to form CPI (M) in 2004 and since then the Indian Government has declared the Maoists to be the biggest internal security threat to the country.

Naxalite leaders expanded control over natural resource rich areas (for example, coal, gas, precious minerals, and timber). They also collected taxes and extortion money to fund weapons production, including the production of crude but effective improvised explosive devices (IEDs). They embarked upon more choreographed terror campaigns including the murder of local politicians, overwhelming attacks on local police stations, impressment of child soldiers, and a general campaign to scare away outside investors. In 2006 and 2007, this trend expanded. In 2006, Naxalite groups launched several high-profile attacks against civilians and security forces, expanding the rural territory under Maoist control and under threat of extreme violence.

By 2010 the Naxalites were active in nine Indian states and reported to have a strong foothold in parts of seven: West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. This region happened to sit atop tremendous iron ore, coal, and aluminum deposits as well as irrigation and hydroelectric power potential.

In April 2010, Naxalite insurgents ambushed 80 troops of the Indian Central Police Security Forces (CPSF) in Chhattisgarh, killing an estimated 75 in the worst attack on Indian security forces since the third phase of the Naxalite insurgency began.

Better coordinated joint federal-state anti-Naxalite security operations killed a prominent Naxalite military leader, Koteswara Rao, in a November 2011 operation. In 2012 government paramilitary and police operations in West Bengal and Chhattisgarh began to produce results, with more than 1,800 Naxalite insurgents reported arrested and another 440 surrendered during the year.63 In late 2012 several Naxalite regional military leaders were captured and killed in those provinces.

Time Line of Naxalite Movement in India:

1. Tebhaga Movement- It started in 1946 and led the peasants to be united
2. Telangana Movement- It took place between 1946-1951. This movement united the farmers in the area of Telangana.
3. In 1967, the peasants, landless labourers, and Adivasis raided the granaries of a landlord in the Naxalbari village in West Bengal. This rebellion was suppressed by the police force, which consequently led to the Naxalite movement under the leadership of Charu Majumdar and his close associates, Kanu Sanyal and Jangal Santhal. These rebels not only were assisted by the people from nearby villages but also from the People’s Republic of China.
4. In the 1980s, Andhra Pradesh saw the formation of People’s War Group (PWG) under the leadership of Kondapalli Seetharamaiah. This group fought for the cause of peasants and the landless through a series of violent attacks, assassinations, and the bombing of Andhra Pradesh’s landlords, upper-caste leaders, and politicians.
5. In the late 1990s, Andhra Pradesh police had decimated the PWG. However, this did not end the insurgency problem in India as it had spread across the nearby Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and parts of Maharashtra.
6. In 2004, the merging of the Communist Party of India (Maoist-Leninist), PWG, Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) and 40 other armed factions under the Communist Party of India (Maoist). This merger led to the strategic breakthrough, allowing the insurgents to enhance their strength, spatial spread, and firepower.
7. The massacre of 76 soldiers in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district in April 2010 and the assassination of top leaders of the Congress Party in Chattisgarh’s Jerram Ghati area in Sukma district in May 2013.
8. In 2019, the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), known also as Maoists or Naxalites, raised their upgraded, more sophisticated weapons against mining corporations and development projects which threatened to expel indigenous tribes (or Adivasis, an umbrella term to describe tribal populations) from their ancestral lands in order to exploit the mineral-rich soil.

Causes of Naxalite Movement in India:

Forest Mismanagement:

Forest mismanagement was one of the main causes of the spread of Naxalism. In the colonial era the British administration passed law to create monopolization of forest resources and this system was continuous even after independence. The administrative machinery became more exploitative and extortionate at functional level. Loss of access to forest produce which had constituted a significant part of their income and was also an integral part of their way of life, led to deep discontentment among the tribes.

Bad Implementation of Tribal Policies:

Under the British imperial system, indigenous landlords were granted pieces of land in return for their collection of tax revenue and as in Medieval European feudal systems, these landlords subleased their land to peasants for half their yield.  India retained the colonial land tenancy system.  Even during the post-independence era, the government was not able to stop the process of the tribal alienation and their displacement caused by large projects. Even the issues of food security were not fully sorted out. Haphazard tribal policy implementation, marginalisation, and displacement of the tribal communities worsened the situation.

Social Iniquity and Exploitation:

Naxal-groups mostly consist of the poor and the deprived like the anglers, small and landless farmers, daily labourers, etc. The government policies have failed to address this issue. This class wanted a new social order with equity and the upper classes wanted to retain the prestige and status that was associated with the zamindars under the old and capitalist system. Also, in India, since there wasn’t any distinction between class and caste relationships at that time, class conflict was manifested as caste conflict.

Land Reform Policies of India:

The half-hearted implementation of land reforms by the government has yielded negative results. After independence, the land reform policy of India was not so successful in some parts of the country, which lead to the evaluation and growth of the Naxal movement in India.

Development Projects and Tribal Alienation. The dispute between economic progress and aboriginal land rights continues to boost the Naxalite’s activities.

Absence of Proper Industrialisation: 

Unemployment is the root cause for the tribal people joining naxals. Absence of proper industrialization has failed to generate employment for rural people leading to dissatisfaction with the government. It is also one of the causes behind Naxalism.

The Indian government framed various plans and implemented programmes for development of this people but because of improper awareness, corruption and middleman this plans failed to make any changes in this areas. To get rid of this humiliation and pathetic life the youth are joining naxal.

Sexual Exploitation & False Charges Against Tribal:

Tribal people are living in remote areas where the development, education and legal awareness yet to spread properly because of this the tribal women sexually harassed by many government employees and police framing false charges against the tribal people. These things are creating anti-government feeling in them.

Government Policies:

Prohibition on  CPI Maoist, as well as all its formations and front organizations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 resulted in the unrest under cadre. The government policies have failed to stem the growing inter and intra-regional disparities. The poor people think that Naxalism can provide solutions to their problems.

Urban: Middle Class Youth:

The term Urban Naxals loosely means people of the Naxalite bent of mind who reside in urban areas and work as activists, supporters, and protectors of the ideology, while the active Naxals battle it out in the jungles and vast swathes of Maoist-dominated areas. The Naxalist movement found enormous support among the middle class educated youth. These young men and women belonged to the petty bourgeoisie. Many of the young Naxalites who went off to the forests were medical and engineering graduates. Universities became hotbeds of radical ideology. Some went to rural areas to mobilize the people there. They shunned politics, disdained going in for the drudgery of mobilizing and organizing fellow students. The repression of Naxalism during the emergency also attracted a large number of youth to Naxalism as a rebellious reaction to the government’s oppression.

Laws Enacted by Government:

Rehabilitation and Resettlement Policy, 2007:

The main aim of this act is to minimize the displacement of people and to promote non-displacing or least displacing alternatives. The Government issued a rehabilitation policy on 11 October 2007 for the easy displacement of people who lose their land for industrial growth. Under this policy land in change for land will be given, job prospective to at least one member of the family, vocational training and housing benefits including houses to people in rural areas and urban areas will be some of the benefits.

Forest Rights Act, 2006:

The Scheduled Tribe and Other Traditional Forest dwellers (Recognition of forest Rights) Act 2006 or the Forest Rights Act recognizes the rights of the scheduled tribes and forest dwellers who have been living in the forests for years but their rights have still not been recognized. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has also allowed use of 1 hectare of land for non-forest purposes and conversion of kattcha roads into pakka roads.

Chhattisgarh Special Public Securities Act, 2006:

This bill provides definition of unlawful activities, declaring an organization unlawful, formation of an advisory board wherever the state government feels the need for its establishment, procedure of the formation of the advisory board, action of the advisory board, penalties viz punishments even for not committing a crime, the power to notify a place being used for unlawful activities and taking occupation of such place thereof and revision/bar against intervention by the courts.

Remedies to Naxalism:

The solution which will solve the problem of Naxalism is the Social Integration. The tribals and scheduled castes that live in the Naxal affected areas have been neglected for the past many decades and now want some attention from the government. Providing them with incentives like giving them right over the forest produce from the forests in which they have been living for generations, providing them with houses etc. is the right modus of solving their basic problems.

Socio-Economic Development:

Naxal-groups mostly consist of the poor and the deprived like the anglers, small and landless farmers, daily labourers, etc. The national budget must be allocated to addressing the needs of these people and regions. The development should focus on health, education, social welfare and rural and urban development. Government service delivery should be improved in these tribal areas. Both state and government must ensure that things such as statutory minimum wages, access to land and water sources initiatives are implemented. The state should focus on fast growth for all socio-economic groups in a country. The government should take necessary measures to setup a corruption free government-offices so they can successfully implement the various education programs of the government and the people for whom this programs had launched get benefited. If the social needs of these marginalized people are addressed, there will be no discontent to fuel the Naxalite’s movements.

Infrastructure Development:

The infrastructure in these regions should be developed. It includes up-gradation of roads and rail tracks to improve the mobility of the security personnel and providing secure camping grounds and helipads at a strategic location in remote areas. Increase in infrastructure facilities can increase possibilities of employment.

Dialogue:

The government should initiate sincere dialogue with these marginalised groups, the Naxalites and state leaders. By communicating and starting a dialogue between these stakeholders, these groups will feel that they being listened to. By opening dialogue, the government can give opportunity for the rebels to join the mainstream by showing them that solutions can be created together with the government, by being part of the political system in a legitimate way. They no longer need to resort to violence to get the state’s attention.

State and Centre Co-operation:

The growing Naxalite insurgency also reflects a flaw in the federal structure. Because law and order is seen as a state responsibility, the central government is unable to be implementing a coherent national strategy to address the threat. The central government and the states need to cooperate together to solve the internal security threats and co-ordinate the implementation of this multi-dimensional approach.

Modernizing the Police Force:

The government has launched a Police Modernization Scheme in areas affected by Naxal movements. Under this scheme huge sums of money have been provided to the state governments by the central government to modernize their equipment and tactical gear including latest communication, vehicles and infrastructure facility. States have also been told to determine police stations and outposts that are susceptible to Naxal attacks and have to be fortified. Central Para Military Forces have been deployed on a long term basis by the government to help the state governments to fight against the Naxals.

Invoking Social Responsibility Between People:

A country or a society cannot grow without sense of social responsibility between its people. The industrialists who have industries in the remote areas should exhibit social responsibility by setting up school, colleges and health center for welfare of the poor people. And the persons from these areas by the support of the various scheme of government held high official post in the government, industries and political parties should contribute something to their own community.

Conclusion:

After close examination of the historical and ideological origins of the movement, it is clear that the movement thrives on the dissatisfaction of the marginalized and alienates the population. The state has to do much more than plan counter-insurgency operations or support violent vigilante groups to suppress the Naxalite movement. The state must start to fight the conflict legally, minimize collateral damage, strengthen the leadership of the security forces and abstain from any human rights violation. The security forces should better start protecting the population living within the area of conflict instead of merely confronting the Maoists on large scale. The state should start addressing the basic needs of the poor and fulfilling its main responsibilities to deliver human development to these disadvantaged areas.