Maroc - EURASIAREVIEW.COM - A la une - 07/Jan 00:24

India: Irritants Persist In Andhra Pradesh – Analysis

By Deepak Kumar Nayak Andhra Pradesh's excellent performance in dealing with the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) menace remained visible through 2024. In order to push the Maoists further back in the state, the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet decided, on August 7, 2024, to renew the ban on rebel outfits in Andhra Pradesh for another year. Addressing the media at the state secretariat, Information minister Kolusu Parthasarathy explained the Cabinet decision, "The cabinet has approved proposals to extend the existing ban on organisations of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and Revolutionary Democratic Front (RDF) for another year under Section 3 (a) of the AP Public Security Act - 1992." Meanwhile, according to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), one civilian was killed through 2024 in Andhra Pradesh. There was one such killing in 2023, as well as one each in 2022 and 2021. A total of 33 such killings have been registered since June 2, 2014, when Andhra Pradesh was split, to carve out the new state of Telangana. A high of five civilian fatalities were documented in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2019, while a low of one fatality was registered in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. There were three fatalities in 2018 and four in 2020. Significantly, since March 6, 2000, when SATP started documenting Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-related violence across the country, undivided Andhra Pradesh [including Telangana] has recorded 549 civilian fatalities till date (January 5, 2025), including a high of 132 civilian fatalities in 2005. In the fight against the Naxalites, the Security Forces (SFs) have not suffered any losses over the past seven years. The last fatality registered in this category was on May 5, 2017, when a Home Guard, Sheikh Valli, was killed in a landmine blast triggered by CPI-Maoist cadres on the Lothugedda Junction-Balapam stretch in Visakhapatnam District. This was the lone SF fatality documented in Andhra Pradesh after its split on June 2, 2014. Since March 6, 2000, undivided Andhra Pradesh [including Telangana] has registered 133 SF fatalities (January 5, 2025), including a high of 41 in 2001.  The Maoists did not suffer any loss through 2024, as well in 2023 and 2022. Six Maoists were killed in 2021. A total of 32 such killings have been documented since June 2, 2014. A high of nine Maoist fatalities was documented in 2019, while a low of one fatality was documented in 2020. Significantly, since March 6, 2000, a total of 916 Maoist fatalities (January 5, 2025) have been documented in undivided Andhra Pradesh [including Telangana], including a high of 165 in 2003.  While SF ascendency in the state had been significantly consolidated on the ground before the split of the state in June 2014, it has been further reinforced thereafter.  Meanwhile, no Naxalites were arrested in 2024, though SFs arrested 10 Naxalites in 2023, according to the SATP database. Since June 2, 2014, the total number of arrests stands at 159. Continuing SF pressure also resulted in the surrender of 45 Naxalites in 2024, in addition to nine in 2023. Since June 2, 2014, surrenders total 550. On October 11, 2024, two Maoists, Muchika Aitha (20) and Madakam Hinge (20), surrendered to Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Bardar in Alluri Sitarama Raju District, expressing disillusionment with the party’s ideology and a desire for a peaceful life. Aitha and Hinge both hail from the Sukma District of Chhattisgarh and had been active in the Maoist ranks for several years. Both the cadres cited several reasons for their surrender: increasing Police presence, the government’s developmental initiatives, and the effective rehabilitation policies offered by the state, which include financial rewards and job opportunities for surrendering cadres. Other parameters of violence also suggest diminishing Maoist activities in the state, as in all other Maoist-affected regions in India. The Maoists did not exchange fire with SFs in 2024, while there was at least one such incident in 2023. The State did not record any incident of explosion in 2024, as in 2023. No incident of explosion was recorded in 2022 and 2021 either. The last incident of explosion was recorded on August 3, 2020, in which two civilians were killed. The Maoists could not issue any bandh (shutdown strike) call in 2024 or in 2023 and 2022. The last bandh call was given on April 26, 2021, but drew poor response, with peaceful prevailing almost across the tribal areas of Andhra Pradesh. The bandh call had come from the CPI-Maoist, in protest against alleged harassment and torture of innocent people, especially tribals, and social and civil rights activists, by SFs.  An analysis of overground and underground Maoist activities in Andhra Pradesh confirms their diminishing impact in the state. According to the SATP database, Maoist activities were reported from four districts in 2024 (Andhra Pradesh has a total of 26 districts). Only the Kurnool District fell in the ‘moderately affected’ category, while the remaining three districts – Alluri Sitharama Raju, Parvathipuram Manyam, and Visakhapatnam – were ‘marginally affected.’ In 2023, Maoist activities were reported from four districts, with Alluri Sitharama Raju District falling into the 'moderately affected’ category, while the remaining three districts – Visakhapatnam, Prakasam, and Sri Sathya Sai – were in the 'marginally affected’ category.  Realisation of the futility of the Maoist ‘movement’ is increasingly widespread among the people. On May 30, 2024, tribals organised a rally against the CPI-Maoist at the Maddigaruvu weekly market in G Madugula Mandal (administrative sub division) in the Alluri Sitarama Raju District. As many as 500 people from Killamkota, Boithili, Injari, Ginnelakota, Jamiguda, and Kuntarla Panchayats (village-level local self-government institutions) participated in the rally and raised the slogan “Maoists don’t come to the Alluri district.” They claimed that development programmes were now taking place, which was not the case during the earlier era of Maoist dominance. Images of various development projects in their areas were displayed on placards. The tribals said that since the past year, the establishment of cell towers and the construction of roads in the Maoist-affected areas had been ongoing, and hoped that such development work would be carried out on a large scale by the government. However, on December 10, 2024, CPI-Maoist cadres set a private car on fire on the Bhadrachalam-Chintoor Highway near Sirivella village under the Chinturu Police Station limits in Alluri Sitharamaraju District. According to sources, the Maoists forced the passengers in the car to get out of the vehicle and set it on fire.  SFs have recovered arms on at least three occasions in the current year, as compared to four such incidents in 2023. A total of 48 incidents involving the recovery of arms has been recorded in the state since 2014.  Meanwhile, taking action against the Maoist rebels, on October 1, 2024, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has taken up an investigation to probe supply of weapons and explosives to the CPI-Maoist, with the objective of targeting Police officers in Andhra Pradesh. The case is linked to the arrest of two persons – Naka David Raj (from Odisha) and Vijay Viswas (from Dantewada, Chhattisgarh) in the Chinturu area of Alluri Sitharama Raju District in February 2024. The duo was travelling on a two-wheeler, when intercepted by Police officers. They were found in possession of fuse wire, detonators, gelatin sticks, and handwritten sheets in Hindi and Telugu.  Further, on March 29, 2024, the NIA charged a suspect for his role in radicalising vulnerable youths using CPI-Maoist ideology. The probe agency filed its original charge sheet in the Munchingput conspiracy case in Andhra Pradesh in May 2021. Ramakkagiri Chandra is the eighth accused to be charged in the case related to the radicalization of "vulnerable youths towards the Maoist ideology and extension of support to the banned CPI-Maoist." Chandra was a ‘state committee member’ of the Pragathisheela Karmika Samakhya (PKS), a frontal outfit of the CPI-Maoist. The NIA's investigation has revealed that Chandra conspired with underground leaders of the CPI-Maoist to promote the activities of the organisation. The Andhra Pradesh successes against the Maoists on the ground are astonishing in view of the fact that this was the epicentre of the movement in the country, as well as that they are overwhelmingly the result of State Police initiatives. However, the Maoists cannot be written off as yet. Further, the existing and significant shortages of resources in the State Police raise concerns. According to the latest Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) data, as on January 1, 2023, the State Police continues to face critical gaps in capacities and deployment. As against the sanctioned strength of 106,368 policemen in Andhra Pradesh, only 88,054 were in position, creating a deficit of 17.21 per cent, indicating that, as against the sanctioned police-population ratio (police personnel per 100,000 population) of 200.40 in the state, only 165.89 were in position. The Police/Area Ratio (number of policemen per 100 square kilometres) in Andhra Pradesh was just 54.05, against the national average of 65.14. Both the State and national averages on the Police/Area ratio were well below their sanctioned strengths, at 65.29 and 82.82, respectively. In addition, the sanctioned strength of the apex Indian Police Service (IPS) Officers in the State was 144, but just 128 officers were in position, creating a deficit of 11.11 per cent, substantially weakening the executive command of the Force.  Andhra Pradesh has led an exemplary campaign to degrade the Maoist threat in what was at one time the Maoist heartland. Residual elements of the movement in the State, nevertheless, persevere. SF dominance has pushed the Maoists, and it is unlikely that the rebels will be able to rebuild their strength. Nevertheless, it is imperative for the Governments, both at the Central and State levels, to address critical security deficits and strengthen the administrative, developmental and security outreach to eliminate the remaining influence of the rebels. Deepak Kumar NayakResearch Associate, Institute for Conflict Management