The Red Menace

[chaanakya]

More importantly. Where is the equivalent of Walter Dewaram in the center who will vow to wipe out the Maoists ?. Where is the leader with the firm resolve of purpose of Jayalalitha in the center ?

P. Chidambaram's words are instructive. He comes across like a total babe in the woods. "The Maoists have imposed ware on US" . He should be fired,if he didnt realize that the Maoists were fighting a WAR. WTF ?. Their entire literature and starategy is based on "People's War" . They knew they were fighting a war and PC and the Home Ministry babus thought they were controlling a riot in Hyderabad?

You forgot to mention K Vijay Kumar ADGP, Comndt of TN STF which hunted down and killed Veerappan. Presently he is Director of the Academy. He could very well be drafted for it. There are many such officers who could achieve the results provided not held back by political powers that be.

[Kati]

Ex WB CM SS Ray can give a few tips. Though he is not doing well due to advanced age, he still has a very sharp mind. He was credited for neutralizing the naxals in early seventies in WB. But he had otwo advantages – (i) naxals were more concentrated in urban areas; and (ii) he could rely on a handful of very very efficient police officers who remained unsung heros. (One of them, an ex Kolkata Commissionar, wrote a trilogy on his experience of combating naxals, but not all trade secrets were revealed.) On the other side, in our extended family we had a few black sheeps who were doe eyed revolutionaries – who were also on the run from the police when SS Ray cracked the whip. One of the strategies police used was to create a massive confusion about friend and foe among the naxals. Police would pick up, say, two mid level leaders. Then release one deliberately and hold the other one (mostly dump the dead body in the Ganges with face covered with molten asphalt so that the identity becomes difficult). Then the rest start suspecting the released one as a turn coat, and try to kill him. This created an utter confusion in naxal rank and file. …………………But very recently, SS Ray also admitted that the current maoist problem can not be solved by police alone. One reason is it is rural, and some developmental work must must must be done to turn the tide. Yes, Maoists will do every thing to prevent that developmental work, but that is the first challenge.

[Aditya_V]

More confirmation it is the Mining Mafia and not tribals which are behind Naxalism. The last thing these people want is education and factories providing jobs to Tribals, all they want to do is keep ore exports where money getting deposited directly in Swiss Banks, camen islands etc.

Forests, mines keep Maoist location out of bounds

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 774202.cms

Identify a forest with good mineral wealth, kill the animals, blow up schools etc, however, mining and ore export for rawe materials from these forests continue, how is this possible?. Looks like the only reason Maoism was killed of in the Nallamalla forests in AP was there not too much mineral wealth. HMMM.

The Mining Mafia with thier Deep Black money accounts are able to Hire an army of P-sec media and Activists...

One more question, dont Maoists use UAE based Thuriya company Satellite phones, why dont we take this up with UAE, action will be taken against EMAAR etc unless they give the constant position of these worthies.

I think we start introgating the main ore exporters and we will start getting answers

[chaanakya]

Maoists feel more emboldened in recent past. The main reason for this could be that they feel victory is in sight. They can capture power of Indian State through barrel of the GUN. Chinese have done it and serve as inspiration. But maoists resurgence in Nepals has what fired them to take on Indian might . They have now developed a full comm link with china through Nepal. And who are reponsible for it. Did not Indian Govt held secret talks with Prachanda duly escorted by IB during his clandestine visits(widely reported by Media, so much for secrecy) to India. Now Maoists have an example of a successful and long struggle and draw inspiration from it. Tribals and their plight --- they are just a pawn in the broader power game. Neither Govt nor maoists care for their interests and use them when it suits them. Maoists also use political fault-lines to survive when heat is on . Their strategy is forward two steps and retreat one step. This lulls the adversary into thinking that they are winning despite reverses whereas maoists feel they have advanced one step. The limits of Indian power and patience is not yet reached, if ever it reaches. It is tested time and again by terrorists/TSP and maoists and so many Indian insurgent groups. Landscape is littered with several examples. GNLF is one and AGP is another. Our tolerance for violent means to reach power is infinite.

[chaanakya]

"It was our turn to deceive Veerappan"
K Vijay Kumar speaks after Veerappan was Killed

"It was the escalation of the level of complacency that made him enter the plains" knowing fully well that "he would be virtually a fish out of water."

In an interview The Hindu at the Sathyamangalam STF camp, about 90 km from here, Mr. Vijay Kumar recounted the factors that contributed to the downfall of the elusive brigand on Monday night.

"We deliberately kept a low profile. It was a conscious decision," he said. Another important decision was "not to be a bull in a china shop. There would be only specific arrests and specific surgical action. We ensured that the protracted disappointment and frustration never led to any distraction among the rank and file of the force. In the last 15 years, we had been deceived by an overcautious Veerappan and it was our turn to deceive and lure him to the trap."

[Aditya_V]

Dont compare the situation in India and Nepal. The maoists India despite all talk is not revolution is all about Mining and ore export especially ecologically sensitive areas like Indravati Tiger reserve in Dantewada, Chatisgarh. How come there are no factories but ore mining is safely going on Dantewada right under the maoist noses?. Funny all these villages CHinta Gupta, Tadimetla etc were villages where Man eating tigers were hunted by one Reddy guy in the late 40's and 50's.

[Kati]

Raman-ji has pretty much nailed down the laundry list of "things to do" in his latest write-up. A excellent action plan, but are the state govts willing to cooperate 100%? Some babus want to keep the problem smouldering so that central funds keep coming in the name of combating central funds. (TSP style of 'show and tell' unkil about killing talibs.)

[chaanakya]

It is not a question of comparison ( India is a democracy and Nepal was Monarchy),but what is important is that it does serve as inspiration and rejuvenates Maoists cadres.

[Abhi_G]

Kati,

SS Ray's police officers committed unmentionable atrocities on women relatives of many naxals. Runu Guha Niyogi was the hated officer in question. Ranjit Gupta (brother of CPI leader Indrajit Gupta) was the police chief. The fight against naxalism in Bengal was a very complex turf war between INC, CPI(M) and of course naxals.

I do not know if these accusations of police torture are rumours but over time they have become legends. However, there seems to be some degree of responsibility on the police forces. This has provided raison d'etre for overground orgs like PUCL etc. Unfortunately, the state has failed in numerous occassions. The very notion of a "punishment" posting in the mind of an officer is a big hole in our system of governance. It seems that the police forces are deliberately kept inept in all senses of the term (for corrupt political goals which are extremely short term but destroy the system beyond repair or recovery) . The police can only apply sadistic torture to weaker sections of our society, when required.

[RamaY]

There are umpteen problems in India, against which the commons can take up arms. But the state cannot allow such nonsense.

The population has every right to punish the leadership in electoral process, an approach proven successfully for the past 60 years.

No civil army should be encouraged within the rashtra IMHO. One excuse leads to another and soon there will be social chaos with all these militias fighting different (justified) causes.

[Kati]

Abhi_G,
Agree. The legends were in fact truth.
But as I look back, and ask the elders about the actions police took, I get a grudging
acceptance. According to them, without those legendary actions, the society would have fallen into a deeper hole causing misery to more people (including women).
However, SS Ray lost the subsequent election. Ballot is stronger than bullet.

Back to CRPF massacre: As usual, Telegraph is miles ahead in providing indepth post-mortem.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100408/j ... 316585.jsp
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100408/j ... 316451.jsp

[Abhi_G]

We are dealing with two extremes:

1. Forces are sent to fight without adequate intelligence and sometimes arms. Sometimes sub inspectors have gone to perform their duties just with their service revolvers. One concerned OC died leaving behind his young family. In the Purulia station attack case, the injured RPF personnel just bled to death. There was no emergency vehicle to take these soldiers to hospital. The GoI was "paying" their salaries in cash in the railway station. Human life and lives of soldiers is cheap for GoI.

I mean no element of strategy seems to be there w.r.t security. The media which IMO is the single most subversive element in India, leaks intelligence to the entire nation 24/7.

2. Police in many situations perform sadistic torture on weaker sections of the society. These alienate people. Why allow those methods wholescale in the first instance? Is there no other way of interrogation? Who allows them? They are the same ones who come through the ballot.

[sum]

Collection of the current top brass scum of the Maoists:
India is hunting for these Naxal leaders

[brihaspati]

Kati ji,
SSR created the conditions for Leftist revival and continued dance of Naxals. Ask your elders exactly how these famous Police Officers actually helped curb Naxal violence by passing iron rods into the private parts of a female relative of a Naxalite. She was living proof of what these police officers were really up to.

That crackdown was successful because it was on inexperienced urban youth mostly armed with nothing more than rusty 3-not-3's or revolvers and country-made rudimentary guns and explosives. Rarely smuggled slr's. In many cases, the weapons and explosives failed to work in critical encounters. With full state protection of whatever they could do - and state resources - against an idealist, youthful contingent with little or no military training and combat experience is one thing. Facing up to battle hardened, cash flush, bristling with modern high performance weapons, "trained" - and most likely with foreign intelligence and resource inputs, as well as likely support from international religious networks and crime networks - is a different ball game altogether.

As Shivji pointed out in a different context, idealists can always be screwed up by those not constrained by ideology. Which I agree with but also observe that "ideology-free" ones also scre up society in general in the long run even if winning spectacularly in the short term.

Notice that, any extremist movement in India that constrained itself by ideology not only in thoughts or objectives but also in "action" were always easily digested by the rashtryia forces. So the educated Bengali urbanite youth, or Andhra educated urbanite youth, or the types of Bhindranewale were easy to destroy. Face Jihadis, and the neo-Maoists who have no constraints in action by their ideology - kaput.

There were sincere and genuine officers in the Bengal cadre at the time who refrained from sexually enjoying or abusing female relatives of Naxalites. Those who used the times and circumstances to justify their own lusts and perversions were following in a very old colonial times tradition of the wonderfully disciplined [ and as some rightly and gloatingly acknowledge -were the founders of our modern security setup-ethics-whatever] British officers who supervised such minor rebellion-suppressing methods as the "legends". Its old stuff - directly learnt/practised/adopted from Brit "masters" [those interested can look up "Ila Mitra", or some other female "anarchists"].

The females I knew about who were viciously and sexually abused at the hands of these officers - were typically unrelated to the Naxalite activities. As far as I know, the justifications were that this would create "psychological pressure" on the absconders. Well, well - several females I found were "made over" when the concerned Naxalite had already been bumped off at the hands of the officers. I guess it was the "Iron Duke" mentality - who had an extra bit of enjoyment in using the women/mistresses Napoleon bedded - after the "Duke" defeated Nap.

This is exactly the thing that sustains and rejuvenates insurgency. This was exactly the thing that burnt into those who survived eternal revenge. Problem is once vendetta goes into that range, it is brought upon successors who were not involved in the atrocity in the first place. Those officers helped Naxalism to re-emerge in an even more vicious form - thanks to the figurehead SSR - a curious case of a descendant of CRDas, who vacillated all his political life, played around with tantrums with BC Roy, and finally filled the empty slot of a young courtier without political base so needed by IG. He was not really the prime inventor of the "Naxal-daman" strategies.

Yes, the "ideology-free" police officers [whose methods appear to me to be closely parallel to those adopted on female captives in Argentina or Chile or Peru in the 70's-80's - which in turn closely parallels the Gestapo many of whom portions of a certain world faith and even US intel allowed to safely escape into South America] managed to liquidate the more idealist of that generation. This gave space to the more opportunistic sections of the Left to stake a claim to power and the hardcore and battle hardened survivors to melt into Bihar and MP [even Assam, NE, Orissa, Maha, Nepal and BD] to regroup.

Ironically these Maoists have now learnt to be "ideology free" in actions, and the marxism-good-only-some-misguided restriction of ideology now hampers available "options" for the successors of those police officers. This is the lasting contribution of short term "ideology free" actions in the name of "Chankianism" [who on the contrary was quite idealistic].

[Frederic]

We are dealing with two extremes:

1. Forces are sent to fight without adequate intelligence and sometimes arms. Sometimes sub inspectors have gone to perform their duties just with their service revolvers. One concerned OC died leaving behind his young family. In the Purulia station attack case, the injured RPF personnel just bled to death. There was no emergency vehicle to take these soldiers to hospital. The GoI was "paying" their salaries in cash in the railway station. Human life and lives of soldiers is cheap for GoI.

I mean no element of strategy seems to be there w.r.t security. The media which IMO is the single most subversive element in India, leaks intelligence to the entire nation 24/7.

2. Police in many situations perform sadistic torture on weaker sections of the society. These alienate people. Why allow those methods wholescale in the first instance? Is there no other way of interrogation? Who allows them? They are the same ones who come through the ballot.

I am wondering a bit about the training imparted to the CRPF. Is it just the standard lathi wielding pandu stuff or is it more like the classic light infantry training that Rashtriya Rifles undergo?

Does anybody know?

I have personally witnessed the following scenario, which did not uplift my faith in the police training much:

Place: A large city in Karnataka, a public ground where the helicopter carrying the state CM was about to land. This was my ususal jogging ground.

Scenario : One armed inspector ( service revolver only), two or three sub-inspectors, perhaps a platoon (30 to 40) of Karnataka Police.

The inspector was putting the platton through its paces on the ground, left wheels, forward march, right wheels etc etc. The drill response was pathetic to say the least. There was joking in Kannada, taunts to the flank guy who missed a wheel etc. While all this tamasha was going on the inspector looked just bored while leading the platoon with his obligatory super heavy paunch flapping in the air.

One hopes that the CRPF guys get a slightly better drill and training regime.

Best Regards
Fred

[Haresh]

From the Times in London
Maoists represent a greater threat to India than the Islamist militants

[Abhi_G]

^^^
Taking eyes off the islamist threat is as fatal as the maovaadi insurgency.

[jaibhim]

Very sad to hear of the blood bath. One one hand we have a very self centred class of urban middle class for whom 70 jawans dying would make at most a newspaper glance, and on the other hand pampered "activists" who regularly post their wares in the guardian and want the overthrow of the indian state and cherish the day of an anti imperialist peoples democracy! It is an industry now with fashion models,writers, poets, activists born with a silver spoon and children who were recipients of the cambridge nehru scholarship for past services to the government by parents[or those who worked it their way, its possible because many awards in economics etc happen that way especially if you are in delhi] to talk of total dissemination of the idea of the bourgeouis indian state [please check the website kafila run by the caravan where only an occasional interjection by Jairus Banaji made sense and put a big brake on their run away maoist dreams, but was countered by viscous personal attacks in cryptic academse language particular to delhi's JNU etc]. There are so many ordinary people, who do 1000 things more to change other people's lives than the above. Who is bourgeoius the activist who chatters in a posh london pub and scoops the next peace prize or the student who looks after toilets in paddington station?
There is no doubt that the state has failed to serve the poor and the weaker sections of society. Ambedkar's words of the constitution are very valid indeed even today. The gung ho feeling will itself is not sustainable if 20 percent of the population controls 80 percent of the resources before it is too late. Multiplex and cybercoolie[that is another matter an Indian OS,an Indian word processor{the chinese are well ahead in that aspect} growth is not going to help India. I humbly opine that we cannot discuss security if there is no internal stability which is being challenged at regular intervals and this is undoubtedly stretching the forces capacities!

Coming back to the naxal issue after a few generic notes, massive corruption and alleged rape of tribal women in the corridor is not going to help matters. The tribals are now caught in the cross fire. This problem must be settled immediately or it will end up like old burning fires which India has been fighting for the part 60 years. India's enemies are just waiting to jump in. I also get the doubt that its all shout and no work. Great leaders do not shout from the rooftop but do their job quietly. What was the need to do the drum beat about orange hunt or green hunt? Churchill for all his jibes against Indians is always worth a visit. It seems that the government has got its strategy all wrong. Giving more publicity and using air-force is going to make matters worse and dragging the army looks the security apparatus look very vulnerable.If the Indian army[which is burdened with its own issues that it is trying to resolve but will need time to do so] is needed to deal with a bunch of spring thunder marauding red army stalinists, then one wonders about how much more the army must do for the country and secondly a poor reflection on the security system and the police[whose accounts of corruption and brutality in the poor other India, is there everywhere in the internet] and the forces and their ability. Honest offices unfortunately might not survive in Jharkhand and states in the corridor and their lives are in danger from both ends. It only takes 2-3 clean officers to clean up the system to a substantial degree and this is shown in the railways [which is an area I am more conversant] for example when a no-nonsense DRM takes over. The government sleeps while spring thunder, tamil tribune, indianvanguard, sahniti happily go about doing their business and brainwashing more people and enlarging the catchment area. The large number of unemployed and frustrated souls are always there to tap into as a ready resource. For instance let us consider epw[miss the old days when a different editorial team ran it, the irony being an eminent economist like Y.V.Reddy writes with a political prisoner an anointed term of-course in the same space].
Violence alone is not going to answer this problem. Development, respect for property rights and clean administration backed by co-option of dissent[ especially the gandhians who from the distance to a secondary observer seem to make a lot of sense] and clinical force is the only answer. The pm[whom we had very high aspirations about] -his planning commission adviser and the home minister seem to be sending the wrong signals to the poor and this was pointed out in a different way by B.Raman in a recent piece. Will the elite delhi circuit go to interior champaran or rayalaseema to mourn with the dead CPRF forces, will the india internation circuit and the stop we want piece activists lift their little finger, no! Who cares if a jawan dies,forget it change the channel and watch ipl!

I am no expert on security, but a long time reader of this forum and a proud admirer of the great regiments of the Indian army. I hope I make some sense and am not speaking to the choir as it were!

[Viv S]

PC best bet for the job: BJP

Chidambaram has understood the magnitude of the problem, BJP leaders said, and his “sincerity” could not be doubted.
“He understands the problem and is trying to do something compared to his predecessor (Shivraj Patil) who refused to act,” Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley said.
Chidambaram’s challenge is to upgrade the intelligence network and get the government to act in unison, he added.
The change in the BJP’s attitude seems to be a reflection of regular interaction between Chidambaram and BJP leaders. Two months ago, Chidambaram sent ministry officials to brief Jaitley on the “size” of the issue. When Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren was reluctant to launch the anti-Maoist drive, Chidambaram got in touch with Arun Jaitley, who spoke to Soren to rope in the state.

[Muppalla]

The real PC

[Gerard]

Vacant cop posts in Maoist belt

Rammohan to probe attack

Who funds Maoists? The govt

[Sachin]

There are many such officers who could achieve the results provided not held back by political powers that be.

True. In states where naxalism was wiped out (or it became a risky business) there were good strong willed politicians, and strong willed and brilliant police officers who could go that extra mile and terminate the menace for ever. It is also a sad fact that many of these politicians and the police officers were portrayed as blood thirsty hounds and villains by the media and vested interests. Naxalites who killed people citing reasons like "anti-people", "police informer" etc. were given the garb of an angel .

One of the strategies police used was to create a massive confusion about friend and foe among the naxals.

In Kerala the CB CID was used to extensively infiltrate the naxalite circles. The Naxalites also had lots of sympathisers who were like "over ground workers". The police infiltrated their ranks. And because of this when ever brazen attacks like attacking a police station was done, arrests would happen in a matter of hours. This was when naxals covered their faces, and even used pseudonyms. The police knew exactly where these people would hide after the attack, wait for them there and pick them up. At the end of it the state Crime Branch CID DIG joked that "half of the naxalite cadre in Kerala are now his 'boys'" .

PS: My dad had the fortune to see a 'pick up' happening at a major railway junction in Kerala. A land lord's head was chopped and placed on the gate during the 1970s, by the naxalites. The master mind ran away to Chennai after the deed. The police did a thorough investigation, all the people involved were identified. The murderer hiding away in Chennai thought that things were cooling down a bit, and decided to come back. The train stopped at the station, our man got out. There was a tap on his shoulders, and his name was asked. 'Kerala finest' were there with a glee on their faces. It seems they knew the train and even the coach number this fellow decided to travel.

All said and done, "if there is a will, there is a way".

[Philip]

This is equivalent to civil war.The asinine statements about non-use of air power as "they are our people",cuts no ice with me.Did Lincoln during the American Civil War say that "no cannons are to be used agaainst the Confederates..." .because they too were Americans? No on your nellie! The attitude of the GOI shows instead a cowardly duplicitous face,trying to be both hunter and have sympathy for the hunted.The stark fact is that we are at war with the Naxals who want the Indian Constitution overthrown and thir sympathisers and PR consultants like Ms.A Roy are guilty of treason.Read this great piece from the N.Indian EXpress' editor.

PC — Pandora Centauri

http://expressbuzz.com/opinion/columnis ... 63763.html

P Chidambaram’s predecessor Shivraj Patil may have been more mannequin than minister but he certainly knew when not to speak out of turn. When Chidambaram vowed on Sunday he’d get rid of the Maoist menace in three years he practically signed the death warrant of 76 young CRPF jawans with his goal-oriented escalatory statement. Now he has a lot of blood on his hands. Something has gone terribly wrong indeed but it is not what the minister thinks. Over the past few months a war of words has ensued between the minister and his shadowy enemies. Chidambaram considers Maoists to be more dangerous than jihadists while Kishenji, India’s second most wanted man, thinks of himself as “the real desh bakht” who will stand with the people and rally against the Taliban should they attack India. Moreover, Kishenji is against the Lashkar as well and has shown no interest yet in setting off bombs in Delhi’s Lajpat Nagar, Sarojini Nagar Market or taking hostages in Mumbai’s Taj Hotel. Maoists might detain the odd Rajdhani Express here or there but have not shown an inclination so far in stuffing commuter trains with suitcase bombs.

Our current home minister is Iron Man Three but his inspiration is more Donald Rumsfeld than Sardar Patel, and at any rate certainly not Advani. Unlike Rumsfeld who didn’t do numbers, book reviews, or predictions (sample: “Osama is either alive and well or alive and not too well or not alive”), Chidambaram seems to be developing a remarkable propensity to do quagmires. Thus he is personally masterminding the operations against the Maoists. He has publicised his war plans, his modus operandi. He has let us know the massive scale of the exercise, the companies and the battalions he is mobilising. We get updates on his strategy. Chidambaram has promised to drive the Maoists into a “headless condition”; he will go after the leadership. He promises to show us plenty of special operations “based on specific intelligence”. It is a multi-pronged operation. It includes large-scale removal of mines laid by the Maoists, identifying and taking control of Maoist ambush points, breaking up Maoists camps, restricting them, and dominating them. Broadly, all this is Operation Green Hunt. But Chidambaram denies it. He says Green Hunt is “a pure invention of the media.” Going by that of course our CRPF comrades in arms were on a picnic in Dantewada, strolling in the jungles wearing uniforms, taking in the scenery when they were mercilessly, savagely, brutally killed by marauding Maoists who let a few get away on purpose so they could tell their uniformed fraternity horrific tales of the attack designed to cause recurring nightmares for years to come.

Maybe this Operation Green Hunt is Maoist fiction. The Maoists believe Chidambaram and Manmohan Singh want to populate the affected areas with MNCs and hand the land over to them. The Maoists will not lay down arms; they will not abjure violence. They believe they are waging a just war, with the occasional mistake thrown in here and there — like beheading policeman Francis Induwar. The Maoists want to seize all big companies from Tatas to Ambanis, cancel all the MoUs, even the secret ones, declare their wealth as national wealth and throw them all in jail. The Maoists, unlike the former finance minister, want to establish a communist state. But unlike Chidambaram they are in no hurry, as the home secretary G K Pillai so helpfully informed us. By 2050 or 2060 they will be nearer their goal, give or take a few decades. They are well on their way. Already they have Arundhati Roy doing their PR. Who does Chidambaram have doing his? Unnamed sources spouting gibberish? Kishenji is gloatingly contemptuous of our Iron Man. “I thought Chidambaram and Pillai were my competition, but I never imagined I have such low-standard enemies. They are flashing swords in the air. Victory will be ours.” Clearly these guys are not challenged in terms of sound-bytes. Chidambaram hurls a fax number at the Maoists, Kishenji spits out his mobile number at Iron Man who has already had the honour of watching a Sikh shoe fly-past. All this is like a movie.

In fact, a desi version of James Cameron’s Avatar, with Chidambaram cast as Col Miles Quadritch not in fatigues but in a veshti pitted against the Maoist Na’vi over mining rights of precious Unobtainium for various mining interests; not in a distant fictional moon called Pandora in Alpha Centauri but in our tribal heartlands with names like Dantewada and Dandakaranya and Abusmad, places that were never in the tourist map, places without a known topography, our very own Waziristans. A smart guy like Chidambaram ought to know that beyond Jagdalpur it is not Kansas anymore. By signalling three years Iron Man Three surely had potential investors in mind.

But Maoists have made Iron Man Three look very silly. It is not an easy task that the CRPF have accomplished: allowing 76 of their young uniformed personnel get killed in one gory go so senselessly. Somebody ought to be given a chest-full of medals for this unparalleled feat, at least a double promotion. For deploying the CRPF, more used to spending time in urban surroundings on bandobast duties and perimeter security, in tract-less jungles, the Iron Man also needs to be felicitated for thinking out of the box. For pushing green horns not trained in guerrilla warfare into forests which have no exit signs. From here it could go either way. Our CRPF comrades could go berserk next time they go into the jungle on ops which will serve to swell the ranks of the Maoists instantly, complicating Chidambaram’s prediction. Or the CRPF might think twice before going on patrols in those forests but their patrol logs might show otherwise. Neither outcome ought to comfort our Iron Man.

Just think of it: Not everybody in the Green Hunt is as enthusiastic as Chidambaram — not Shibu Soren, not Nitish Kumar. Iron Man has so far not been able to present a coherent alternative vision for the way forward on his. Ultimately, he cannot place a soldier behind every tree in those forests. Nor can he sit in his North Block office and call up instant real-time data on his computer screen on which Maoist is hiding behind which rock. Maoists continue to grow because there has simply been no administration in those areas worth the name decade after miserable decade. The Maoists are not funded by the ISI. If there is an ISI at work here it has the imprimatur of the Indian Standards Institution. We should be thankful that there is no foreign hand that reaches out to the Maoists. This thing is about governance, at the very least. Iron Man Three should keep that in mind every second he is out of Kansas. Right now he is pretty far out. If he goes any further he will find himself in a place where no Iron Man has ever gone before: Pandora.

[email protected]

About the author:V Sudarshan is the Executive Editor of The New Indian Express

[sanjeevpunj]

I have seen this man in person once. He is just a paper tiger.I am referring to P Chidambaram.

[joshvajohn]

I do not understand why people protest using heavy arms against Maoists when they have declared war against Indian people not against CRPF. It is essential either to use airpower that we have got or buy airpower for the CRPF. No question about Chidambaram handling this. I also do not understand why army was not willing to help in this regard. I wonder whether there is any influence of marxian thinking into certain top level people! I think there are a few who are either related to CPIM or sympathisers for maoists in the central ministers who oppose the use of airpower to clear off the Maoists. It means Naxalites are more powerful than people thought. Indian government should also seal off Nepali borders incase the arms are supplied through them or through West Bengal with the blessings of CPIM government there. Somehow the naxalites are no more fighters of justice and poverty, they are sent with an ideology to destroy India. are'nt they?

[kittoo]

PC — Pandora Centauri

http://expressbuzz.com/opinion/columnis ... 63763.html

P Chidambaram’s predecessor Shivraj Patil .... If he goes any further he will find himself in a place where no Iron Man has ever gone before: Pandora.

[email protected]

About the author:V Sudarshan is the Executive Editor of The New Indian Express

I dont get it. What is the author trying to say exactly? Is he trying to say that Chibambaram should keep his mouth shut and do the job? Or to do nothing? Or that the maoists are correct 'give or take a few mistakes'? Or that it is sure that Maoists will win?
Whose side he is?

[sanjeevpunj]

If Naxals are killing just about anyone they can, they are dfinitely not friendly to India in any manner and must be defeated.In fact the countries supporting the growth of Naxalism in India must be tackled politically to stop supporting them.

[Kavu]

PC is best as we can get today, He is no "With us or get ready for Stone age" person. And there are facets of his, "we are ready to talk even now" which reeks of Indian Stupidity. But this rot is not 2 years old, the problem we are facing is atleast 40 years old. There is absolutely nothing to be gained by asking PC to resign. I rather throw in money and time into CRPF training into a Qausi Army mode, where we expect them to as effective as the MVD. Airpower should be only used in isolated cases, where are there none in vicinity than Naxals. There should be NO COLLATERAL damage.
Col.Shukla has written a good piece on it.

http://ajaishukla.blogspot.com/2010/04/ ... ining.html

Lessons from the Dantewada debacle: training, not threats

by Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 9th Apr 10

It has been 44 years since that forgettable incident when New Delhi --- for the first and only time --- used its air force against its own citizens. With the Mizo National Front rampaging through Mizoram in 1966, the government warned that any Mizo who did not relocate to designated safe villages would be treated as a rebel. On the heels of that announcement came the Indian Air Force, bombing and machine-gunning stretches of jungle. Resentment against that indiscriminate killing, in which innocent Mizos died, sustained the insurgency for years thereafter

[rohitvats]

Before we over do the hyper bole on maoists, it is pertinent to go through this(http://ajaishukla.blogspot.com/):

by Ajai Shukla
Business Standard, 9th Apr 10


It has been 44 years since that forgettable incident when New Delhi --- for the first and only time --- used its air force against its own citizens. With the Mizo National Front rampaging through Mizoram in 1966, the government warned that any Mizo who did not relocate to designated safe villages would be treated as a rebel. On the heels of that announcement came the Indian Air Force, bombing and machine-gunning stretches of jungle. Resentment against that indiscriminate killing, in which innocent Mizos died, sustained the insurgency for years thereafter.


Home Minister P Chidambaram’s warning, after the killing of 75 men of the 62nd Battalion of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in a Naxal ambush on Tuesday was put into context by an alarmed IAF chief, who clarified quickly that air power was a blunt weapon ill-suited for discriminating between insurgent and innocent. Mr Chidambaram’s words, however, linger as a reminder that the Home Ministry still considers --- as it did after the terror strike on Parliament in 2001, and the Mumbai attack of 26/11 --- that bluster and threat are convenient tools for masking abysmal security failures.


The CRPF’s operational debacle has transformed Operation Green Hunt: the hunter now seems the hunted. In the first three months of this year, 42 naxal rebels had been killed in Bastar at the cost of 4 policemen’s lives. In innumerable small operations, the state police and central police organisations (CPOs) had engaged and bested Naxal dalams; after this disaster, Naxal morale will be revitalised.


The Naxals’ dwindling strength before this week was also evident from the statistics of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) attacks mounted by them over the last three years. In 2007, Chhatisgarh experienced 76 IED attacks; the next year, it was down to just 58; in 2009, the Naxals could successfully detonate only 29 IEDs. But Tuesday’s fiasco has made this depleted organisation look powerful enough to have the Prime Minister threaten that all options remain on the table.


A key reason for the CRPF’s dismal response to the Naxal attack has been their lack of training. As CPO units poured into Chhattisgarh for Operation Green Hunt, 5 battalions of the Border Security Force (BSF), 5 battalions of the Indo-Tibet Border Police (ITBP) and 2 battalions of the Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) were all put through jungle warfare orientation courses at Chhattisgarh’s well-reputed Jungle Warfare College in Kanker. The CRPF, inexplicably, refused to undergo this training. Neither did CRPF HQ in New Delhi order them to do so; nor did the Home Ministry.


Training at the Jungle Warfare College, as every organisation except the CRPF seems to have known, has underpinned anti-naxal operations in Chhattisgarh since 2005, when the college was set up with the help of the Indian Army. Over the last five years, Chhattisgarh has trained 12,700 policemen (including 3700 from other states) at this institution. The college’s credo: fight the guerrilla like a guerrilla.


A senior official of the Chhattisgarh Police has pointed out to Business Standard that the CRPF has the worst record of all the police organisations that are conducting counter-Naxal operations in that state. “CRPF columns have often got caught in Naxal ambushes; many of the Naxals’ recent successes are against the CRPF.”


Instead of providing adequate training to each battalion that is sent into counter-insurgency operations, the CRPF has relied heavily for success on “elite” units, like its feared “Naga Battalion” which was based in Bastar for several years before being pulled out. In 2008, the Home Ministry authorised the CRPF to raise 10 COBRA (Commando Battalions for Resolute Action) units, for counter-naxal operations. But the regular battalions remain largely untrained, pushed at will from election duty, to counter-insurgency, to patrolling riot-affected areas, to anti-Naxal operations. The Home Ministry’s approach has always centred on getting the CRPF to the trouble-spot. After that, it is left to the harried battalion or company commander to deliver the goods.


The answer clearly lies in carefully training CPOs, especially before they go into counter-insurgency operations. The advantages are evident of stiffening the CPOs by laterally inducting retiring military jawans. Even without that boost forces like the CRPF are better equipped and armed than the Naxals that they confront. It is the Home Ministry’s job to ensure adequate training and then holding the force accountable for debacles like the recent one that sets back a campaign by years.

[Kavu]

I also do not understand why army is not willing to help in this regard. I wonder whether there is any maoist minded fellows or sympathisers infilterated into Army decision makers or among the central government ministers.

Uncalled for, not to mention unsubstantiated and over simplified. Sad, coming from a senior member.

[Rahul M]

And there are facets of his, "we are ready to talk even now" which reeks of Indian Stupidity.

that is not stupidity. statements like this takes the air out of the overground activists' sails. pretty calculated move on his part.

excellent article by ajai shukla as well, the best so far IMO, the IED data and CRPF's refusal to undergo training at JWS is very pertinent.

manoj joshi talks sense in an article for a change.
http://indiatoday.intoday.in/site/Story ... inion:+Don

Opinion: Don't send in the Army but learn from them
Manoj Joshi
April 8, 2010

................
Why is it that in Kashmir, counter- insurgency operations in the urban and semiurban areas are left to the police forces, including the CRPF, and the task of handling the larger groups of militants in the forested heights of the Pir Panjal and the Rajwar area is taken on by the Army? The answer is simple. In terms of training and their working the police are most effective where the militants have to be ferreted out of the populace with the use of ground intelligence. Whereas the Army alone is equipped and oriented to handle larger groups of insurgents who are wellversed in guerilla tactics.

Wrong-headed
This simple truth of the Indian experience in counter- insurgency is staring at us in the face, yet, the mandarins of New Delhi are unable to see it. The media, too, has been knocking on wrong doors. Neither KPS Gill nor Prakash Singh have really dealt with insurgencies involving thousands of armed men who are organised like an army and operate freely in a large geographical area. Such experience only resides with the Indian Army- or in a specialised unit like the Assam Rifles.

Ambushes are a devastating military tactic that the Indian Army understands well.
.................

Leaders
The problems of a police- led counter insurgency campaign are fundamental.

Normally CRPF and BSF battalions, which are in themselves one thousand or so strong, are deployed in company-sized formations of some 100-120 men. These may be spread out in an unconnected fashion. The company commanders and battalion commanders are cadre officers, whereas most of the senior officers belong to the Indian Police Service who are most likely not to have served with the battalions at an operational level.

The army, on the other hand does not deploy anything less than a battalion which can be anywhere from 800- 1000 men. While these are divided into companies, the command and control is exercised at the battalion level by a commanding officer who deploys his companies in a mutually supporting role.

Army officers learn combat craft along with their men. Their first posting is with the jawans in mountain pickets, and their experience is gathered in long- range patrols and operations in Kashmir or the North- east. The vital bonding that takes place between an officer and a soldier in the army at a lower level serves in good stead when confronted with an emergency like an ambush. Given their rural and semi- educated background, Indian jawans require good training and leadership to be effective, whether in the Army or police. But while the Army caters for this, the police units do not.

This is not an argument for sending in the army to take on the Maoists, yet.

There are several other options before the government. It could set up a new Assam Rifles like force which is officered by Army personnel, matches the Army in its training, but is run by the Home Ministry.

The other is to sharply upgrade the quality of the existing CRPF units through better training and provision of better officers. In the meantime, perhaps, the Home Minister should persuade his Home Secretary to confine himself to running the day-to-day affairs of the ministry, and get himself a new security aide-an experienced Army officer-to advise him on the military aspects of tackling the Maoists.

[Kavu]

that is not stupidity. statements like this takes the air out of the overground activists' sails. pretty calculated move on his part.

excellent article by ajai shukla as well, the best so far IMO, the IED data and CRPF's refusal to undergo training at JWS is very pertinent.

I am going to go a bit off topic. It is the same Indian idioticy which led to recognition of Tibet but not AP. The same talk about Kashmir, but conveniently forgot about PoK. India sometimes looses their way talking. It is quite evident, this is NO time to talk. It sends the wrong msg to all stake holders and enemies.

[Rahul M]

joshvajohn wrote:
I also do not understand why army is not willing to help in this regard. I wonder whether there is any maoist minded fellows or sympathisers infilterated into Army decision makers or among the central government ministers.

I also do not understand why you are insinuating without any proof ? the army hasn't said it's not willing to help (FYI it has been 'helping' for more than 5 years now ) .
there are enough reasons for the army to say what it has even though that may be beyond your comprehension.
as for your comment, either
> show backing info for your insinuation
or > delete it
else you get warned.

[Rahul M]

I am going to go a bit off topic. It is the same Indian idioticy which led to recognition of Tibet but not AP. The same talk about Kashmir, but conveniently forgot about PoK. India sometimes looses their way talking. It is quite evident, this is NO time to talk. It sends the wrong msg to all stake holders and enemies.

'that' has nothing to do with 'this'. the issues are separate, let's keep them that way.

this is NO time to talk

and they aren't talking are they ?
it doesn't send any 'wrong' signal to anybody, except those that don't understand the nuances of the issue.

PC knows quite well that the maoists aren't going to agree to talk on 'his conditions' and he has insisted on that throughout. and if the maoists do agree to talk on PC's laid down conditions, it is certainly a victory for the Indian state, if you go back and look what those conditions are.

any case of an underground group coming into the open for whatever reason serves as a windfall for the intel agencies. the insurgencies in the NE were broken that way.

[Kavu]

Rahul,

I do understand your point of view and contention, lets say I hope you are right and me wrong. We have had more than enough examples in history to be scared about the stupidity of Indian Babu's tunnel vision. What India lacks, and same as in the Islamist case, is our ideology and way of life of democractic, republic, capitalist-socialist India to people who are yet to understand them or dont believe them. Its about time we have a clear ideology, which is the only way we can stop the ideological spread of Islamism and Communism.

[AjayKK]

Dynasty vs government -R Jagannathan in DNA on the reasons for the gap between thought and action by the GoI on the red menace.

http://www.dnaindia.com/opinion/main-ar ... nt_1368625

Well written. Read in full. Reminded me of the point Muppalla's made in one thread

[Suppiah]

Media is reporting that PC wanted to quit, MMS refused...dont know if this has been planted to turn PC into a victim of circumstances or a genuine one...perhaps he wants out anyway because he is a suitwala guy, not ready for rough and tumble of home ministry or internal security.

In any case, he is the best bet, if he goes there is always a chance that one of their puppets planted in Congress by Stalinists in the mould of Arjun Singh or Patil will take his place...

[Sachin]

In any case, he is the best bet, if he goes there is always a chance that one of their puppets planted in Congress by Stalinists in the mould of Arjun Singh or Patil will take his place...

^^^^
+1. PC seems to be the better amongst the lot. What we really dont want at this time is a gent like Shivraj Patil . The "resignation drama" also seems to be a kind of chankian move against the opposition. If some opposition starts whining that PC should take moral responsibility and resign (as if that is the solution to the problem), he can at once shoot it down saying he had already offered his resignation.

[Kavu]

^^^^
+1. PC seems to be the better amongst the lot. What we really dont want at this time is a gent like Shivraj Patil . The "resignation drama" also seems to be a kind of chankian move against the opposition. If some opposition starts whining that PC should take moral responsibility and resign (as if that is the solution to the problem), he can at once shoot it down saying he had already offered his resignation.

I dont think so, BJP yesterday has given categorical support to PC.

[Singha]

PC has definitely lost some hair and looks older and tired now compared to FinMin days. HM is not picnic in this rough neighbourhood. either it needs a good man or patilji types who would sleep through a JDAM attack on nai dilli.

Pranabda is too old for the high stress of such a post probably.

Maybe the yuvaraj could take over - entering at a high level than as minister of state?