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India: an Empire in Denial
"No word ever dies. What we are saying today may not be accepted by the
people at this moment. But our propaganda is not in vain. Our words remain
embedded among the people... One who doesn't dream and can't make others dream, can
never become a revolutionary." Ideologue
of Maoist movement,
Charu Mazumdar quoted in
Sumanta Banerjee - India's Simmering Revolution: The Naxalite Uprising,
1984
India in new anti-Maoist tactic
BBC, 9 October
2009
Maoists have a presence in more than 200 districts of India
The Indian government has agreed on a new tactic to fight
Maoists who are operating in several states.Officials said state police were to
take the lead and coordinate operations against the Maoists, while central
forces were only to lend assistance.
The decision came hours after at least 17 policemen were killed in a battle with
Maoist insurgents in the western state of Maharashtra. India says the Maoists
pose its biggest security threat. They operate in many states and say they are
fighting for the rights of the poor and landless.
In the latest attack on Thursday evening, a group of Maoists
attacked a police station in Gadchiroli district in Maharashtra. At least 17
policemen, including a top commander, were killed in the battle. It was not
clear whether the rebels suffered any casualties. The rebels killed 16 police
personnel in a gun battle in Gadchiroli district in May. Fifteen officers were
killed in the same district in February.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh told police chiefs last month that a campaign
against the rebels had failed to produce results. Thousands of people have
died in the insurgency the Maoists launched in the 1960s.
On Wednesday Home Minister P Chidambaram warned the rebels to abandon violence
or face a major assault by security forces following the beheading of the police
officer. In September Kobad Ghandy, one of the Maoists' most senior leaders, was
arrested in Delhi. A court in Delhi has remanded him in custody for another
week.
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