The Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh is a warning that ultras are getting increasingly desperate in an election year, says Anil Dwivedi
The Maoists are waging a ‘do or die’ battle in the badlands of Chhattisgarh. Contrary to popular perception, their lot is getting desperate. Their children instead of taking up arms in the countryside for the cause of revolution are opting for what youngsters do these days – choose the laptop route to greater glories in life. The presence of crack anti-Naxalite Cobra battalions, heavily armed para-military forces and now even the Indian army, have severely restricted their mobility and ability to influence the scope of the movement.
In such a situation, the latest and the most deadly Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh which claimed 29 lives, merely reflects their desperation to galvanise cadres and restore the flagging morale of the party rank and file. By the time of going to press, 32 others are battling between life and death.
While Chhattisgarh has been for close to a decade the epicentre of the extreme left movement, this attack which took place on May 25 constitutes the first and the most brazen attack on leading lights of a major political party.
According to details provided by DGP Mukesh Gupta and the accounts of eyewitnesses, a 20-strong caravan of Congress leaders had concluded their parivartan (development) rally at Sukna and were returning to district headquarters in Jagdalpur when they were ambushed by around 250 ultras who burst bombs and exchanged heavy gun fire. On their radars were Congress leaders in the entourage: one by one senior state leaders were identified and shot. Among those killed were prominent state Congressmen, Salwa Judum leader Mahendra Karma, Chhattisgarh Congress president Nandlal Patel and son Dinesh Patel, former legislator Uday Mudliar and Congress leader Gopi Madhwani. Those on the seriously injured list included veteran Congressman and former union minister VC Shukla and former Bastar MP Kawasi Lakma, both among a clutch of leaders currently fighting for their lives in various ICUs. Such was the daring of the attack that a number of security personnel attached to the VIPs could do no more than be moot spectators as the crowd of Maoist trigger happy gunmen went on the rampage. An attack of this magnitude is something that the state’s security paraphernalia clearly overlooked. Among the visitors were Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The Union home ministry has called for a report by the Chhattisgarh government but early indications suggest that the attack was carried by out by the Dandakarniya special zonal committee and the CPI (Maoist) central committee.
Investigations now suggest that the entourage was headed for Gadiras but the route was changed at the last minute by some local leaders who opted to use the Tongpal and Darbaghati road. While confusion remains on who ordered the change of route, Congress has taken pains to deny that one of them had ordered this change at the last minute. While there were due intelligence warnings, the success of the Congress rally blinded them to the fact that they were deep inside Red territory. Chhattisgarh Congress spokesman Nitin Trivedi has alleged a serious security lapse saying that while force deployment during rallies by BJP Chief Minister Raman Singh was heavy, there was hardly any security during the Congress rally leaving leaders totally vulnerable. Former CM Ajit Jogi has blamed the Sukna SP Abhishek Shandilya for not acting on time. He has also flayed those who claim he had a hand in the attack saying that “Such incidents should not be politicised,” lending weight to rumours that it could have been an inside Congress job.
The killings have underlined the fragile political situation in Maoist-dominated Chhattisgarh and sent shock waves all over the country and the state. Demands for deploying the army was nipped in the bud by Union Defence Minister AK Anthony. But at the moment, the NIA under the Union Home Secretary RK Singh has begun a probe.
But the defence ministry in consort with the state government has ordered IAF choppers to identify Maoist hotspots after aerial surveys, the borders of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have been sealed and a 600-strong Cobra force has spread itself in the wilds hot on the heels of the killers. In addition, 2,000 additional para-military forces are going to be deployed keeping the state elections in mind which are due later this year. All this comes as an add on in a state which already has 30,000 para-military troops stationed specially for this purpose.
While the deaths of Congress stalwarts has rocked the state, the death of known anti-Naxalite activist and former legislator Mahendra Karma is seen as a body blow to forces opposed to the Maoist guns. With the death of Nandlal Patel, the polite and highly-rated Congress president of the state, the party has to start afresh in an election year. Patel’s efforts had boosted the Congress that was beginning to see the light of a fresh dawn under his leadership. The bigger question now is who will replace Patel? According to party insiders, in an effort to control Congress sweepstakes, the names of Minister of State in the Union Cabinet Charandas Mahant, Renu Jogi, wife of former CM Ajit Jogi, TS Singhdeo and Satyanarayan Sharma are doing the rounds.
After the kidnapping of Chhattisgarh Deputy Collector Alex Paul Menon in April 2012, the Naxalites were waiting to score a big hit to keep their own flock in order. Intelligence officials say the plan to hit the Congress contingent was chalked out by top Maoist commanders Ganapati, Vinod, Gaganna and Ramanna, all of whom are active in the dense forest on the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border. The presence of local tribals has been ruled out, considering that both Karma and Patel were only identified after they had put up their hands in a show of surrender and then shot.Karma had long been on the hit list of Naxalites. An embattled Raman Singh has called for talks with ultras saying ‘if we can talk to terrorists, then what is the harm in talking to ‘our own boys’? Similar tactics by the CM in the Menon kidnapping case could well have led to this outcome because then, after promising the release of Naxalites lodged in various jails, the state government had declined to do so. No ultras have been released and it looks unlikely now that Maoists will return to the table for talks. In a poll year, it could be crucial.
The Maoists are waging a ‘do or die’ battle in the badlands of Chhattisgarh. Contrary to popular perception, their lot is getting desperate. Their children instead of taking up arms in the countryside for the cause of revolution are opting for what youngsters do these days – choose the laptop route to greater glories in life. The presence of crack anti-Naxalite Cobra battalions, heavily armed para-military forces and now even the Indian army, have severely restricted their mobility and ability to influence the scope of the movement.
In such a situation, the latest and the most deadly Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh which claimed 29 lives, merely reflects their desperation to galvanise cadres and restore the flagging morale of the party rank and file. By the time of going to press, 32 others are battling between life and death.
While Chhattisgarh has been for close to a decade the epicentre of the extreme left movement, this attack which took place on May 25 constitutes the first and the most brazen attack on leading lights of a major political party.
According to details provided by DGP Mukesh Gupta and the accounts of eyewitnesses, a 20-strong caravan of Congress leaders had concluded their parivartan (development) rally at Sukna and were returning to district headquarters in Jagdalpur when they were ambushed by around 250 ultras who burst bombs and exchanged heavy gun fire. On their radars were Congress leaders in the entourage: one by one senior state leaders were identified and shot. Among those killed were prominent state Congressmen, Salwa Judum leader Mahendra Karma, Chhattisgarh Congress president Nandlal Patel and son Dinesh Patel, former legislator Uday Mudliar and Congress leader Gopi Madhwani. Those on the seriously injured list included veteran Congressman and former union minister VC Shukla and former Bastar MP Kawasi Lakma, both among a clutch of leaders currently fighting for their lives in various ICUs. Such was the daring of the attack that a number of security personnel attached to the VIPs could do no more than be moot spectators as the crowd of Maoist trigger happy gunmen went on the rampage. An attack of this magnitude is something that the state’s security paraphernalia clearly overlooked. Among the visitors were Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi. The Union home ministry has called for a report by the Chhattisgarh government but early indications suggest that the attack was carried by out by the Dandakarniya special zonal committee and the CPI (Maoist) central committee.
Investigations now suggest that the entourage was headed for Gadiras but the route was changed at the last minute by some local leaders who opted to use the Tongpal and Darbaghati road. While confusion remains on who ordered the change of route, Congress has taken pains to deny that one of them had ordered this change at the last minute. While there were due intelligence warnings, the success of the Congress rally blinded them to the fact that they were deep inside Red territory. Chhattisgarh Congress spokesman Nitin Trivedi has alleged a serious security lapse saying that while force deployment during rallies by BJP Chief Minister Raman Singh was heavy, there was hardly any security during the Congress rally leaving leaders totally vulnerable. Former CM Ajit Jogi has blamed the Sukna SP Abhishek Shandilya for not acting on time. He has also flayed those who claim he had a hand in the attack saying that “Such incidents should not be politicised,” lending weight to rumours that it could have been an inside Congress job.
The killings have underlined the fragile political situation in Maoist-dominated Chhattisgarh and sent shock waves all over the country and the state. Demands for deploying the army was nipped in the bud by Union Defence Minister AK Anthony. But at the moment, the NIA under the Union Home Secretary RK Singh has begun a probe.
But the defence ministry in consort with the state government has ordered IAF choppers to identify Maoist hotspots after aerial surveys, the borders of Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have been sealed and a 600-strong Cobra force has spread itself in the wilds hot on the heels of the killers. In addition, 2,000 additional para-military forces are going to be deployed keeping the state elections in mind which are due later this year. All this comes as an add on in a state which already has 30,000 para-military troops stationed specially for this purpose.
While the deaths of Congress stalwarts has rocked the state, the death of known anti-Naxalite activist and former legislator Mahendra Karma is seen as a body blow to forces opposed to the Maoist guns. With the death of Nandlal Patel, the polite and highly-rated Congress president of the state, the party has to start afresh in an election year. Patel’s efforts had boosted the Congress that was beginning to see the light of a fresh dawn under his leadership. The bigger question now is who will replace Patel? According to party insiders, in an effort to control Congress sweepstakes, the names of Minister of State in the Union Cabinet Charandas Mahant, Renu Jogi, wife of former CM Ajit Jogi, TS Singhdeo and Satyanarayan Sharma are doing the rounds.
After the kidnapping of Chhattisgarh Deputy Collector Alex Paul Menon in April 2012, the Naxalites were waiting to score a big hit to keep their own flock in order. Intelligence officials say the plan to hit the Congress contingent was chalked out by top Maoist commanders Ganapati, Vinod, Gaganna and Ramanna, all of whom are active in the dense forest on the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh border. The presence of local tribals has been ruled out, considering that both Karma and Patel were only identified after they had put up their hands in a show of surrender and then shot.Karma had long been on the hit list of Naxalites. An embattled Raman Singh has called for talks with ultras saying ‘if we can talk to terrorists, then what is the harm in talking to ‘our own boys’? Similar tactics by the CM in the Menon kidnapping case could well have led to this outcome because then, after promising the release of Naxalites lodged in various jails, the state government had declined to do so. No ultras have been released and it looks unlikely now that Maoists will return to the table for talks. In a poll year, it could be crucial.
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