HOW LONG WILL INDIA BLEED?

Well back to writing after a long gap and this time around I am starting a series called “INCREDIBLE INDIA” where I would be focusing on all the social evils and practices that are dismantling our country from the right path of progression and growth. Well it has to be started off with NAXALISM because situation is quite grave and the solution requires fundamental changes in the system.

I am a law abiding citizen and I feel sorrow for the state of nation who proclaims to be one of the most developing nations but can’t tackle the ever spreading evil of naxalism posing a threat to its internal security. It’s a slippery slope for sure. Haven’t we seen the effect of such avoidance/ignorance of naxalism in our neighboring state Nepal where Maoist became strong enough to uproot the governance of the country.

Besides the brilliance and brutality of the naxalite ambush sprung in Dantewada on April 6 that accounted for the single biggest one- day loss ever to security forces, the other two images remain in the aftermath of tragedy. Instead of saluting during cremation of CRPF jawans, police officers doing Namaste; and the policemen bunched in single-file patrol in the Dantewada forest. Both these actions demonstrate the civilian mindset of the police where military ethos is the answer.

I could remember the song ‘SAD but TRUE’ from metallica referring correctly to this situation of India’s internal security. It took the US just 46 days to overhaul its internal security system post 9/11. That country has since then not witnessed a single terrorist attack on its soil. In contrast, two years after the high level meeting in Delhi, India witnessed its arguably most daring and horrific carnage comprising over 10 brutal coordinated attacks by Pakistani terrorist which killed 173 and wounded 308 people.

The way 26/11 galvanised counter terrorism, Dantewada will, we hope chivvy counter-insurgency and anti-maoist strategies. Since black Tuesday a torrential downpour of lessons and ideas have flooded policymakers on strategies to cope and confront Maoists people war. At one end is civil society’s Arundhati Roy, calling Maoists Gandhians with guns while on the opposite side is the gun – wielding majority demanding their extermination. The biggest distortion about the Maoist challenge is that it is billed as a law and order problem falling under state jurisdiction when even the blind will acknowledge it is a full blown insurgency beyond the capacity of individual states.

How much more we are going to follow this “tolerance and wait and watch” policy considering the fact that Naxalite presence was confined to 50 districts out of 639 in 2001. By 2009 its geographical scope has expanded to 223 districts across 20 of India’s 28 states. In all, about 40000 sq km of our territory is currently under Naxalite’s sway justifying it being rightly called as ‘RED CORRIDOR”.
The flaws in India’s internal apparatus are considerable and the task is increasingly becoming daunting. India’s internal security problems arise from a combination of factors that include political and administrative mismanagement for which military and police solutions are seen as way out. The army and police at best can suppress or eliminate the terrorists. Common sense dictates that tackling terrorism, insurgency and political grievances is far more complicated and require a wider and deeper strategy which entails ‘employment of all means for the end’. The keyword here is ‘means’ which goes beyond employing military methods alone.

In the meantime the question arise whether we have the required instruments to combat naxalism?

CRPF is the designated force to tackle naxalism but is untrained to fight insurgency which requires combat skills or an infantry soldier. Massive expansion of CRPF to 216 battalions have diluted the quality of the force, raising another question of compromising quality over numbers? I think all the CPO’s have to be geared up and a proper coordination between army and state police force is required for giving a befitting reply to the naxalites.

Our strategic culture, which can be summed up in two oft repeated words –chalta hai and jugaad- is reflected in the way we treat our internal security. Lack of political will is responsible for insurgency dragging on and maoist gaining ascendancy. The prime minster in his second term owes it to the nation. Structures within the system should be made correct and adequate attention should be paid for removing deficiencies, then only it would be possible to address both the amelioration of the concerns of the Maoists and the violence unleashed by them. Remember, Our pontifications on “our rightful place in the world” will never get taken seriously unless we start taking ourselves seriously and change both our mindset and the way we think.

Thanks 4 reading this article. Looking forward to ur comments n suggestions.:):)

Ripudaman Singh
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Cheers n keep rocking!!!!