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Bloodshed in Sukma

Kashmir Times. Dated: 4/27/2017 10:23:26 PM

Chhattisgarh attack deadliest in 7 years is a reminder of the Maoists' strength and calls for a dialogue with the local people

The ambush of a CRPF company in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Monday and the tragic death of 25 personnel is not only shocking but also a grim reminder of the failure of the Indian state and its flawed policy while dealing with the security challenges posed by Maoists. It also points to the failure of the intelligence agencies in collecting information about the movement of the Maoists in central Indian states. This also calls for a broad-based dialogue with the tribals who are opposing carving out of a road through the forest areas where population is angry over intrusion in their habitat for the past many decades. It is worth noting that at least two dozen CRPF men were killed in Sukma while they were providing protection for road construction on Dornapal-Jagargunda belt when Maoists struck in a deadly manner. Seven years back, at least 76 CRPF personnel were killed in the neighbouring Dantewada district in the same Bastar division of the state. While the Maoists need to arrest this practice of deadly attacks that help in no way to shake the establishment out of its complacency and slumber but only end up killing poor soldiers, the State also needs to sit up and rethink its policy of militarily tackling tribal areas and turning security personnel into cannon-fodder.
The NDA-government's confession that these areas have strong Maoist hold raises questions about the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and precautions adopted by the para-military force. It is also surprising that about 300 armed men carried out the attack on the CRPF company around noon when they were having lunch and their guard was presumed to have been down. Though there is no independent confirmation about the exact number of Maoists involved in the attack but one thing is certain, according to eye-witnesses, that they were carrying arms which they had stolen last month after an attack killing about a dozen CRPF men not very far from the encounter site. The site of Monday's attack also carried a message for the powers that be in the state. The road under construction in the region will provide easy access to the backward areas where Maoists are holding their sway. This is not possible unless they enjoy popular support among the masses. They are opposing all sorts of development and communication which establishes the presence of the state in the areas which they consider are being encroached by the government. They are also against raising of any infra-structure that gives an expression that these areas are under the control of the Indian state.
The hawkish elements within the state government and the centre are propagating a strong response to the attack with the extension of administration presence in Bastar region. But the policy adopted by the government of "bullet for bullet" is unlikely to succeed and there is an urgent need for initiating a dialogue process with the people living in the backward region. The government can at least involve the civil society members who are working for the welfare and development of tribal population besides reaching out to their leaders. Instead of branding the civil society members and Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) working in the tribal belt as Maoists or their sympathizers, the government can learn from past experiences and involve them in reaching out to the tribal leaders. In fact, the recent spate of attacks and ambushes indicates a breakdown in intelligence-gathering, possibly on account of a lack of effective coordination between the state police and paramilitary forces. This also points to inadequacies of the state administration in the tribal belt where the government does not enjoy support from the local population. The only way forward is opening up channels of dialogue and reach out to the angry tribals for restoration of peace and normalcy in the region and prevent the bloodshed that is going on for the past many years. There is also need for addressing the concerns of the tribal population, which has not allowed any administrative machinery to function in their region. It will be in the fitness of the things that such a process is initiated with all the tribal populations in not only Chhattisgarh but also Odisha, Jharkhand, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where mining and other infra-structure development is being opposed. The present rulers need to realize that Indian state policy is working at cross-purposes with the aspirations of the people leading to armed conflict.