Editorial: Red terror strikes again

The killing of jawans in Dantewada district is yet another grim reminder of the lethal capability of Maoists to strike at will

Hyderabad: The merchants of death, masquerading as messiahs of the poor, are on the prowl again. The killing of ten jawans in a landmine blast in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district comes as yet another grim reminder of the lethal capability of Maoists to strike at will, despite a steady erosion of their support base and disillusionment among the cadre. A more distressing aspect of the attack was that the District Reserve Guard (DRG) personnel were lured into a trap, virtually making them sitting ducks. About 50 kg of explosives were believed to have been planted five-six feet below the road, making it difficult to spot. A command Improvised Explosive Device (IED) appears to have been used, which means a Maoist cadre was keeping an eye on the road from a distance and triggered the blast when the vehicle approached. This is the biggest attack carried out by Maoists on the security forces in the State in the last two years – 22 security personnel were killed in 2021 in an ambush along the border of Sukma and Bijapur districts. The latest attack exposed the chinks in the security apparatus and a shocking failure to follow a well-established security protocol in a region notorious for such strikes in the past. Unlike other vulnerable States, Chhattisgarh has been slow to raise a local anti-Maoist force, which is considered key in the fight against left wing extremism. The timing of the attack fits into a familiar pattern of the Maoist strategy of heightened military activity and more attacks on security forces every summer.

Though there has been an overall decline in the Maoist attacks across the country in recent times, Chhattisgarh continues to be the epicentre of left wing extremism, with the miserable living conditions of the poor in the tribal-dominated, mineral-rich region providing the perfect ground for Maoists to pursue their goal of capturing political power through the barrel of the gun. The poor are often caught in the crossfire. The experience shows that accelerated development alone is the effective antidote for naxalite violence. The States which successfully blended a comprehensive development agenda with effective intelligence gathering, modernisation of police force and coordinated anti-Maoist operations have managed to check the spread of left wing extremism. Unlike in the 1970s when naxalite ideology had a romantic pull and commanded considerable following among urban intellectual circles for its pro-poor formulations, the movement today is largely lumpenised and consists of criminalised gangs that thrive on extortions, looting and hit-and-run tactics. A majority of the victims of Maoist violence are Dalits, tribals and backward classes. Development with a human face and equitable distribution of benefits alone can prevent rural distress from being exploited by the Maoists. Over the years, the naxalite-infested States have forged better coordination among themselves in terms of intelligence gathering and specific field operations to marginalise the outlawed outfit.