RECENT NAXAL ATTACKS IN CHHATTISGARH
AUTHOR: Brahamdeep Kaur
INTRODUCTION
India is the largest democracy in the world whereby everyone has a right to elect their representatives. After independence from the British rule, sovereignty of people was upheld and attempt was made to create a system of state-building of the people. Even during the British regime as well, the people of our country tried their level best to obtain independence from the Britishers and make their country a sovereign one. But it is equally notable that both before as well as after the independence of India from the British regime, there has been a trend of rebellions in India against the atrocities of the rulers or the government. Along with such rebellions, came the rebellions by the backward tribes and peasants.
In India, although there has been a system of socialistic approach whereby the society is the owner of the means of production and other resources of the nation, but still there have been numerous instances of inequality and discrimination faced by the poor stanza of the country. On account of such discrimination with the people of our country, the poor people are becoming poorer and the rich people are becoming richer. Communist party always came forward to raise voice on behalf of the exploited and underprivileged section of the society. It has been insisted by the people of communist ideology that in India, such a society should be created which is based on social justice by abolishing the system of poverty, economic inequality and unequal distribution of means of production. The movements which led to this are known as Naxalite movements. Such Naxalite movements, however, have now become a threat to the internal security of our country. Every year, a lot of army personnel lose their lives because of the attacks by the Naxals.
NAXALIST MOVEMENT IN INDIA
Naxalist movement has become very influential with the passing days. This movement has affected several districts of many states in India. This naxalism is considered to be a serious threat to the internal security of India. The state which remains the most affected by naxalism is Chhattisgarh. Although states like Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and Telangana have been quite successful in dealing with the Left-wing extremists but similar tries have remained less effective in Chhattisgarh. Several instances are regularly heard from Chhattisgarh related to naxalism. Every year the Naxalites cause a lot of casualties in the areas of Chhattisgarh causing a lot of security personnel losing their lives. So far, a large number of army men have lost their lives in these attacks.
RECENT NAXAL ATTACK IN CHHATTISGARH
Recently as well, on 3rd April 2021, 22 CRPF[i] men lost their lives and over 30 were injured in a horrible attack by the Maoists in Chhattisgarh. One army jawan was even captivated by the Maoists. The April 3rd attack was a huge operation including the STF, DRG and District Force of the Chhattisgarh Police, the CRPF and its elite COBRA unit, with around 1,000 personnel from Bijapur alone.
Almost 10 teams were launched in all — two from Sukma district and eight from three camps in Bijapur. Six of the eight Bijapur teams were launched from the Tarrem camp while the other two were launched from Usur and Pamed. Of the six teams, three — one comprising of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and Special Task Force (STF), another of a DRG team and one COBRA team — were launched at 10 pm on the night of April 2. According to the Chhattisgarh Police, the operation was launched based on intelligence inputs on the presence of Hidma, the commander of the lethal Battalion 1 of the Maoists. Sources in the COBRA too confirmed that the gunbattle had tell-tale signs of Hidma’s battalion.
CONCLUSION
Indeed, Naxalism has become a challenge to the internal security of India. It is not just a problem of law and order rather it is a socio-economic problem. There is a need to address the problems of the disadvantaged and tribal communities. It is necessary to build their faith in democracy by solving issues related to their daily life. Efforts should be made to integrate the tribal communities belonging to the Naxal areas. They should be provided with employment. Government should also fulfil its responsibility to protect this society from exploitation, because it is only when they feel unjust because of the system, they take revenge against the established system. In order to prevent such incidents, it is necessary to provide them equal opportunities and make them feel as equal to others in the country.
REFERENCES:
[i]CRPF – Central Reserve Police Force See also, Annual Report 2018-19, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, https://www.mha.gov.in/documents/annual-reports Harsh Kumar Sinha & Ashwini Kumar Pandey, Naxalism: A threat to India’s Internal Security, Defence Studies Research and Development, Vol. 1, Jan.2009.