Left-wing extremism in the Eastern part of India is a complex phenomenon shaped by a multitude of socio-economic, political, and historical factors. The determinants of this extremism stem from deep-rooted issues such as land alienation, poverty, inequality, corruption, and the marginalization of tribal communities. Decades of neglect, exploitation, and inadequate governance have created fertile ground for extremist ideologies to thrive, particularly in regions like Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Bihar. Additionally, the presence of natural resources like forests and minerals adds another layer to the conflict as various stakeholders vie for control and exploitation.
To effectively counter the threat posed by left-wing extremism, a multifaceted approach is essential. The Government of India must prioritize inclusive development policies that address the grievances of marginalized communities, ensure land rights, provide access to basic services, and promote sustainable livelihood opportunities. Civil administration should focus on enhancing governance, transparency, and accountability to build trust and confidence among the local populace. Furthermore, initiatives aimed at improving education, healthcare, and infrastructure are crucial for fostering social cohesion and resilience against extremist ideologies.
Tag: Linkages between development and spread of extremism. Role of external state and non-state actors, in creating challenges to internal security.
Decoding the Question:
- In Introduction, try to write about left-wing extremism(LWE) in India.
- In Body,
- Discuss determinants of LWE in eastern part of India.
- Explain strategy to be taken by government, civil administration, and security forces.
- Try to conclude with a way forward.
Answer:
Left Wing Extremism or Naxal Movement has been the source of extreme violence in some parts of the country. These extremists are internally waging wars against the state. It is considered to be the most important security concern. These extremist movements have disconnected several tribal villages from the national mainstream. They want the abolition of the state to establish the rule of people. These extremists attack the symbols of the country’s power such as the police, schools and other government institutions.
Determinants responsible for rise of LWE in eastern part of India:
- India’s land reform policy: The land reform policies of India could not be successful in some parts of the nation post-independence, which led to the growth of Maoists and Naxals in India.
- Tribal issues: Tribals face exploitation and harassment from government and corporate bodies to extract resources since the eastern region is rich in natural resources including forests, minerals and mines. Also, issues of trafficking of women and girls are mostly seen among tribal groups.
- Support to leftist parties: This disillusionment found expression in the increased support in favour of the left parties in elections and given fertile ground for rise in extremist thinking in Bengal and peripheral regions.
- Naxalbari phase: The Naxalbari incident could be seen as the trigger that launched the transformation of a primarily political and socio-economic agrarian movement into an armed struggle.
- Government deficit: Government is unable to provide sufficient education facilities, basic healthcare facilities, employment, etc. in the eastern part of India. Also, there are issues related to law and order and grievance redressal. Poor implementation of special laws and mismanagement of schemes like PDS.
- Development deficit and forced displacement: In this region, people are solely dependent on the primary sector since the region has significant natural resources. Exploitation of the natural resources for economic progress has led to the forceful displacement of tribes which results in the alienation of tribal communities.
- Socio-economic and cultural factors: There is a direct correlation between economic deprivation and growth in the influence of the LEGs. Beyond doubt, the areas where these groups are the most active, have been the most underdeveloped and neglected ones. Loss of land resulted in loss of identity of these down trodden sections as land was central in their social and cultural aspect of life.
Strategy should be adopted by Government: To address the LWE problem in an effective manner, the Government has formulated a National Policy and Action Plan adopting a multi-pronged strategy in the areas of security, development, ensuring rights & entitlement of local communities etc.
- Innovative measures are required to be employed in preventing IED (Improvised Explosive Device) related incidents which have caused significant casualties in recent years.
- States play a vital role in maintaining law and order. So, emphasis should be laid on the capacity-building and modernization of the local police forces. Local forces can efficiently and effectively neutralize the LWE organizations.
- States should rationalize their surrender policy to bring innocent individuals caught in the trap of LWE in the mainstream.
- Rehabilitation plans for surrendered Naxalites.
- National Policy and Action plan to address LWE.
- LWE Mobile Tower Project: To improve mobile connectivity in the LWE areas, the Government approved installation of mobile towers in LWE affected States and 2335 mobile towers have been installed in Phase-I.
- Special Central Assistance (SCA) for 30 most LWE affected districts: This is a sub-scheme of the Umbrella Scheme, ‘Modernization of Police Forces’. The main objective of the Scheme is to fill the critical gaps in Public infrastructure and Services, which are of emergent nature.
Strategy to be adopted by security forces:
- Strengthening security forces and their intelligence gathering capacities: Recent casualties among Central reserve police force (CRPF) has given emphasis on use of technologies like drones, night vision cameras and goggles, mine protected vehicles etc.
- SAMADHAN doctrine: It was introduced as a one stop solution for LWE affected areas; it includes both short- and long-term government policies to deal with LWE.
- S: Smart leadership.
- A: Aggressive strategy.
- M: Motivation and training.
- A: Actionable Intelligence,
- D: Dashboard Based KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) and KRAs (Key Result Areas),
- H: Harnessing Technology,
- A: Action plan for each Theatre,
- N: No access to Financing.
- Collective Effort: In case of hard intelligence available, small Special Forces teams of the Army could be ferried in Air Force helicopters to undertake surgical strikes against the top LWE leadership apart from raids on the LWE main bases as identified.
- Innovative efforts must be made by the government and security forces to intensify WHAM (Winning the Hearts and Minds) operations employing the media, leaflets, radio and TV as applicable.
For the holistic last-mile development of “New India”, it is necessary to get rid of the menace of such radicalized groups and the synergized efforts of the Centre and the States are crucial in achieving the same.
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