{"id":158006,"date":"2021-04-21T10:15:49","date_gmt":"2021-04-21T04:45:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/?p=158006"},"modified":"2021-04-21T11:48:04","modified_gmt":"2021-04-21T06:18:04","slug":"paramilitary-forces-maoists-naxals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indialegallive.com\/column-news\/paramilitary-forces-maoists-naxals\/","title":{"rendered":"Paramilitary forces vs Maoists: An unequal war"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
By Praful Bakshi<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n It is a universal phenomenon for any state to be in a situation of an armed conflict, be it external or internal. However, any international armed conflict, though more severe, is far easier to handle than the one within its own boundaries with its own people. This type of conflict is called insurgency warfare. If this situation gets more serious, it could develop into what the Geneva Convention terms as a Non International Armed Conflict (NIAC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n This type of conflict is carried out by anti-government forces, which occupy a vast amount of national territory, have an independent governing mechanism and their own well-armed and disciplined fighting force, with a proper chain of command like the one created by the LTTE in Sri Lanka. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In an external conflict, the entire nation comes together as one body to face the threat. However, when it comes to an internal conflict like the Naxal problem, it becomes a protracted armed struggle between the central government and a number of politically motivated bodies with different ideologies, supported by the local population and sometimes with external armed and monetary support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Naxals, at one time, occupied over 40,000 sq km of territory in the Red Corridor, extending from the south of Nepal to the north of Andhra Pradesh, challenging the security forces very aggressively. The recent loss of 22 CRPF jawans in an ambush by Maoist insurgents in Bastar is one of the many examples of internal conflict. The entire problem, which is socio-economic, has taken firm root and would require a deep understanding of the situation if we want to eradicate it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The insurgency in question is an ongoing conflict between Maoist groups and the government. As per Maoists and their supporters, the colonial policy that makes the State the custodian of tribal homelands was ratified by the Constitution. This automatically made the tribals helpless squatters in their own homeland. They were not only deprived of forest resources and produce, but dissuaded from taking advantage of other bounties like water bodies, fishing areas and mines which were their source of livelihood for ages. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Naxalite conflicts started somewhere in the sixties, and the failure of each government to introduce much-needed constitutional reforms to bring in tribal autonomy with respect to use of natural resources, introducing land ceiling laws, limiting the land possessed by the landlords, and subsequently, distribution of excess of land to landless farmers and labourers further added to the problem. However, the most important point which gave birth to the Naxal movement was giving away of tribal land to non-tribals. Thus started the conflict between the aggrieved tribals and the landless and rich exploiters supported by government forces.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n