Maoists change tack, make economy bleed
Source: daily pioneer
March 10, 2011 10:26:10 AM
PNS | New Delhi
More civilians being targeted as Red threat still looms large
Targeting innocent civilians and economic infrastructure, Maoists continue to pose a serious threat to internal security and development, despite a year-long joint operation against them.
Latest Home Ministry figures show that their challenge to the might of India persists and that a much bigger coordinated offensive is required to de-fang the Red brigade.
In a tactical shift of target, Maoists have started focusing more on hurting India economically. In the past three years, the ultras carried out 909 attacks on mines, steel pipelines and roads. The Railways — especially in Jharkhand and Bihar — were the main target of Naxals, who carried out 129 attacks during 2008-2010 against trains, stations and tracks. Other Maoist targets included telephone exchanges or towers, power transmission plants, panchayat bhavans, school buildings, forest roads and culverts.
According to information by the Minister of State for Home Gurudas Kamat in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, out of 909 attacks on economic targets, a majority were on construction of forest roads. For the past three years, as many as 325 Maoist attacks were aimed at scuttling construction of forest roads and culverts.
The Left-wing group carried out 159 attacks on telephone exchanges, 61 panchayat bhavans, 135 school buildings and 33 power transmitters.
In Chhattisgarh, there were 11 strikes against NMDC mines in 2010 alone. Essar Group’s pipelines in Odisha faced six Maoist attacks in two years. Railway lines passing through Jharkhand came under Maoist attack 37 times, followed by Bihar, which faced 35 attacks.
Telephone exchanges and towers bore the brunt in Bihar, which witnessed as many as 52 strikes. While Odisha’s communication facilities were sabotaged 39 times, 30 attacks were against telecommunication centres and towers in Jharkhand. The number was 27 for Chhattisgarh.
The Ministry of Home Affairs also informed the Parliament that over 2,600 civilians and security personnel were killed between 2008 and 2010 in several incidents of Naxal violence.
The tale of horror includes targeting of civilians. Out of the total 2,632 casualties — including 1,799 civilians and 833 security personnel — a highest of 1,003 was in 2010, followed by 908 in 2009 and 721 in 2008. A total of 6,061 incidents of violence by Left-wing extremists were reported in the past three years.
However, the most disturbing fact is that despite the offensive by Central forces and State police, Maoists gunned down more jawans and lost less of their own cadre.
Kamat said the Government had banned three Left-wing extremist organisations — Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-People’s War, Maoist Communist Centre, Communist Party of India (Maoist) and all its formations and front organisations — under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
March 10, 2011 10:26:10 AM
PNS | New Delhi
More civilians being targeted as Red threat still looms large
Targeting innocent civilians and economic infrastructure, Maoists continue to pose a serious threat to internal security and development, despite a year-long joint operation against them.
Latest Home Ministry figures show that their challenge to the might of India persists and that a much bigger coordinated offensive is required to de-fang the Red brigade.
In a tactical shift of target, Maoists have started focusing more on hurting India economically. In the past three years, the ultras carried out 909 attacks on mines, steel pipelines and roads. The Railways — especially in Jharkhand and Bihar — were the main target of Naxals, who carried out 129 attacks during 2008-2010 against trains, stations and tracks. Other Maoist targets included telephone exchanges or towers, power transmission plants, panchayat bhavans, school buildings, forest roads and culverts.
According to information by the Minister of State for Home Gurudas Kamat in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, out of 909 attacks on economic targets, a majority were on construction of forest roads. For the past three years, as many as 325 Maoist attacks were aimed at scuttling construction of forest roads and culverts.
The Left-wing group carried out 159 attacks on telephone exchanges, 61 panchayat bhavans, 135 school buildings and 33 power transmitters.
In Chhattisgarh, there were 11 strikes against NMDC mines in 2010 alone. Essar Group’s pipelines in Odisha faced six Maoist attacks in two years. Railway lines passing through Jharkhand came under Maoist attack 37 times, followed by Bihar, which faced 35 attacks.
Telephone exchanges and towers bore the brunt in Bihar, which witnessed as many as 52 strikes. While Odisha’s communication facilities were sabotaged 39 times, 30 attacks were against telecommunication centres and towers in Jharkhand. The number was 27 for Chhattisgarh.
The Ministry of Home Affairs also informed the Parliament that over 2,600 civilians and security personnel were killed between 2008 and 2010 in several incidents of Naxal violence.
The tale of horror includes targeting of civilians. Out of the total 2,632 casualties — including 1,799 civilians and 833 security personnel — a highest of 1,003 was in 2010, followed by 908 in 2009 and 721 in 2008. A total of 6,061 incidents of violence by Left-wing extremists were reported in the past three years.
However, the most disturbing fact is that despite the offensive by Central forces and State police, Maoists gunned down more jawans and lost less of their own cadre.
Kamat said the Government had banned three Left-wing extremist organisations — Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist)-People’s War, Maoist Communist Centre, Communist Party of India (Maoist) and all its formations and front organisations — under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
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