Ques 1: What is Maoism?
Answer: Maoism is a form of communism developed by Mao Tse Tung. It is a
doctrine to capture State power through a combination of armed
insurgency, mass mobilization and strategic alliances. Propaganda and
disinformation against State institutions are used as additional tools. Mao
called this process, the ‘Protracted Peoples War’.
Ques 2: What is the central theme of Maoist ideology?
Answer: The central theme of Maoist ideology is resorting to violence as a tool to
capture State power. ‘Bearing of arms is non-negotiable’ as per the Maoist
insurgency doctrine.
Ques 3: Who are the Indian Maoists?
Answer: The largest and the most violent Maoist formation in India are the
Communist Party of India (Maoist). The CPI (Maoist) is an amalgamation
of many splinter groups, which culminated in the merger of two largest
Maoist groups in 2004 – the PW and the MCCI. The CPI (Maoist) and all
its formations have been included in the list of banned terrorist
organizations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Ques 4: What is the party structure of CPI (Maoist)?
Answer: The party structure at the central level consists of the Politbureau (PB),
the Central Committee (CC) and the Central Military Commission (CMC).
The following departments are under the direct command of CMC:
Technical Research and Arms Manufacturing Unit (TRAM)
Regional Commands (RCs).
Special Action Teams (SATs).
Military Intelligence (MI).
Publications and Editorial Board of ‘Jung’.
Central Military Instructors Team (CMIT).
Communications.
Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC).
Peoples Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA).
The CPI (Maoist) also have an intelligence set-up known as the Peoples
Security Service (PSS).
At the State level, there are State Committees, State Military Commission,
etc., going down to Zonal Committees, Area Committees, etc.
Ques 5: What is the composition of PLGA?
Answer: The PLGA consists of three forces:
1.Main Force -
a) Companies
b) Platoons
c) Special Action Teams (Assassination Squads)
d) Intelligence Units
2. Secondary Force -
a) Special Guerilla Squads
b) Local Guerilla Squads
c) Platoons
d) District/Divisional level action team (Assassination Squads)
3. Base Force –
a) Peoples Militia
b) Gram Rakshak Dal
c) Area Rakshak Dal
d) Self-defense Squads
Ques 6: What are Front Organizations?
Answer: Front Organizations are the off-shoots of the parent Maoist party, which
profess a separate existence to escape legal liability. Front organizations
carry out propaganda/disinformation for the party, raise funds for the
insurgency, assist the cadres in legal matters and also provide safe
houses and shelters to underground cadres. Functionaries of Front
Organizations provide intellectual veneer to the inherent violence in Maoist
ideology. In other words, they sanitize the bloodletting, and attempt to
make the Maoist world-view palatable to urban audiences and the media.
Front organizations exist in 20 States of India.
Ques 7: Which are the States considered to be LWE affected?
Answer: The States of Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Bihar are considered
severely affected. The States of West Bengal and Maharashtra are
considered partially affected. The States of UP and MP are considered
slightly affected. There is major improvement in Andhra Pradesh, which
was considered severely affected earlier. Some armed cadres of CPI
(Maoist) exist in Karnataka. They are making incursions into Assam and
Arunachal Pradesh, which has serious long-term strategic implications.
Ques 8: How many civilians have been killed by LWE since 2001?
Answer: The year-wise break-up is as under:
Year Civilians killed
2001 439
2002 382
2003 410
2004 466
2005 524
2006 521
2007 460
2008 490
2009 591
2010 720
2011 469
2012 300
Ques 9: Why do the Maoists kill civilians?
Answer: Maoists kill civilians for various reasons. First of all, they kill those who do
not subscribe to their ideology in the areas under their domination. They
also kill to create a power and governance vacuum in rural areas and the
space is filled by them. They also kill so called ‘class enemies’. All these
killings lead to a chain of circumstances wherein the kin of victims can
potentially rebel against the Maoists. This leads to further killings of such
targets. Finally, it reaches a stage where the ‘power to kill’ in their areas of
dominance becomes the sole reason for lower and less ‘politically
conscious’ cadres to kill innocent people.
Ques 10: Why do they attack schools and other economic infrastructure?
Answer: The Maoists wish to keep the population in their strongholds cut-off from
the mainstream milieu. Schools are attacked because education promotes
a spirit of enquiry among local population and also equips children with
skills for alternative sources of livelihood. These developments are looked
upon by the Maoists as potential threats to their existence.
Ques 11: How many schools have been destroyed by LWE since 2001?
Answer: The year-wise figures are as under:
Year Schools destroyed
2001 01
2002 02
2003 01
2004 05
2005 08
2006 59
2007 43
2008 25
2009 71
2010 39
2011 27
2012 03
Ques 12: Why do CPI (Maoist) have large number of women cadres?
Answer: In States like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, the Maoists have formed
children’s militia known as ‘Bal Dastas’ comprising young children. The
idea is to brain-wash and indoctrinate young children to Maoist ideology
and give them military training. Most parents do not want to part with their
children. But faced with coercion and threats, many poor Adivasi parents
prefer to part with the girl child. This inhuman practice by the Maoists is
the reason behind large number of young girls/women being present
among the Maoist cadres. They are also pushed to the forefront of
engagements with the security forces and used as propaganda tools in
case of casualties during exchanges of fire.
Ques 13: What is ‘Operation Greenhunt’?
Answer: The word ‘Operation Greenhunt’ does not exist in any record of the
Ministry of Home Affairs. In fact, there is no such operation at all, for the
simple reason that the Ministry of Home Affairs does not plan or execute
operations. Law & Order being state subjects, all Anti-naxal operations are
planned by the State forces, assisted by the Central forces. The term
‘Operation Greenhunt’, it seems, was used by a Superintendent of Police
of Bastar District in Chhattisgarh for a local operation. The operation was
aimed at busting naxal dens in Bastar forests existing in green camouflage
tents. But the Maoist propagandists and Front Organizations, in a masterly
strategy, attributed it ad nauseam, to the Central Government, conjuring
up visions of hapless adivasis being targeted by the Government
machinery. It needs to be recognized that this propaganda was played out
very skillfully, so much so that, many in the mainstream media also
believe there is a ‘Operation Greenhunt’.
The fact, however, remains that all operations are planned/led by State
forces and inter-state operations are planned by the States concerned, in
consultation with the Central Armed Police Forces. Further, it is also a fact
that far more civilians/SF’s are killed by naxalites than naxalites by SF’s,
contrary to the propaganda that security forces commit atrocities on
innocents.
Ques 14: What is the policy of Government of India to combat LWE?
Answer: The Government of India believes in a holistic long-term policy in the
areas of security, development, ensuring rights of local communities,
improving governance and perception management to combat LWE. Most
of the security related measures, apart from deployment of CAPFs, are
aimed at assisting capacity building by the State forces. On the
development front, an Integrated Action Plan covering 82 affected districts
aimed at providing public infrastructure and services is under
implementation. Further, an ambitious Road Development Plan has been
envisaged for LWE areas. An Empowered Group of Officers closely
monitors the progress of flagship schemes. Special emphasis is being laid
on implementation of Forest Rights Act and ensuring entitlement of local
communities over Minor Forest Produce.
Ques 15: What is the level of deployment of Security Forces in LWE affected
States?
Answer: At present, 81 Bns of CAPFs and a number of CoBRA Teams are
deployed in LWE affected States. The level of deployment will
progressively increase in the coming years. In addition, the States have
also deployed their forces in the LWE theatre.
Ques 16: Do CPI (Maoist) have links with other terrorist organizations and
foreign countries?
Answer: The CPI (Maoist) have close fraternal ties with many North-East insurgent
groups, especially the RPF/PLA of Manipur. Most of these outfits have
linkages with external forces inimical to India. The CPI (Maoist) have also
frequently expressed their solidarity with the J&K terrorist groups. These
ties are part of their ‘Strategic United Front’ against the Indian State. The
CPI (Maoist) also have close links with foreign Maoist organizations in
Philippines, Turkey, etc. The outfit is also member of the ‘Coordination
Committee of Maoist Parties and Organizations of South Asia
(CCOMPOSA), which includes Nepalese Maoists.
Ques 17: What can an ordinary citizen do against Left Wing Extremism?
Answer: An ordinary citizen can do the following things;
a) Condemn the violent and brutal atrocities being perpetrated by the CPI
(Maoist) and other LWE groups on innocent civilians in any available
media including the social media.
b) Sensitize fellow-countrymen on the dangers of violent Maoist ideology
to the nation-building process.
c) Learn to recognize the propaganda war against the Indian state being
unleashed by the Maoist Front Organizations and Maoist ideologues/
sympathizers.
d) Cherish and nurture the democratic way of life deeply enshrined in our
Constitution, as opposed to the totalitarian and oppressive nature of
the Maoist ideology and percepts.
Answer: Maoism is a form of communism developed by Mao Tse Tung. It is a
doctrine to capture State power through a combination of armed
insurgency, mass mobilization and strategic alliances. Propaganda and
disinformation against State institutions are used as additional tools. Mao
called this process, the ‘Protracted Peoples War’.
Ques 2: What is the central theme of Maoist ideology?
Answer: The central theme of Maoist ideology is resorting to violence as a tool to
capture State power. ‘Bearing of arms is non-negotiable’ as per the Maoist
insurgency doctrine.
Ques 3: Who are the Indian Maoists?
Answer: The largest and the most violent Maoist formation in India are the
Communist Party of India (Maoist). The CPI (Maoist) is an amalgamation
of many splinter groups, which culminated in the merger of two largest
Maoist groups in 2004 – the PW and the MCCI. The CPI (Maoist) and all
its formations have been included in the list of banned terrorist
organizations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
Ques 4: What is the party structure of CPI (Maoist)?
Answer: The party structure at the central level consists of the Politbureau (PB),
the Central Committee (CC) and the Central Military Commission (CMC).
The following departments are under the direct command of CMC:
Technical Research and Arms Manufacturing Unit (TRAM)
Regional Commands (RCs).
Special Action Teams (SATs).
Military Intelligence (MI).
Publications and Editorial Board of ‘Jung’.
Central Military Instructors Team (CMIT).
Communications.
Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC).
Peoples Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA).
The CPI (Maoist) also have an intelligence set-up known as the Peoples
Security Service (PSS).
At the State level, there are State Committees, State Military Commission,
etc., going down to Zonal Committees, Area Committees, etc.
Ques 5: What is the composition of PLGA?
Answer: The PLGA consists of three forces:
1.Main Force -
a) Companies
b) Platoons
c) Special Action Teams (Assassination Squads)
d) Intelligence Units
2. Secondary Force -
a) Special Guerilla Squads
b) Local Guerilla Squads
c) Platoons
d) District/Divisional level action team (Assassination Squads)
3. Base Force –
a) Peoples Militia
b) Gram Rakshak Dal
c) Area Rakshak Dal
d) Self-defense Squads
Ques 6: What are Front Organizations?
Answer: Front Organizations are the off-shoots of the parent Maoist party, which
profess a separate existence to escape legal liability. Front organizations
carry out propaganda/disinformation for the party, raise funds for the
insurgency, assist the cadres in legal matters and also provide safe
houses and shelters to underground cadres. Functionaries of Front
Organizations provide intellectual veneer to the inherent violence in Maoist
ideology. In other words, they sanitize the bloodletting, and attempt to
make the Maoist world-view palatable to urban audiences and the media.
Front organizations exist in 20 States of India.
Ques 7: Which are the States considered to be LWE affected?
Answer: The States of Chhatisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and Bihar are considered
severely affected. The States of West Bengal and Maharashtra are
considered partially affected. The States of UP and MP are considered
slightly affected. There is major improvement in Andhra Pradesh, which
was considered severely affected earlier. Some armed cadres of CPI
(Maoist) exist in Karnataka. They are making incursions into Assam and
Arunachal Pradesh, which has serious long-term strategic implications.
Ques 8: How many civilians have been killed by LWE since 2001?
Answer: The year-wise break-up is as under:
Year Civilians killed
2001 439
2002 382
2003 410
2004 466
2005 524
2006 521
2007 460
2008 490
2009 591
2010 720
2011 469
2012 300
Ques 9: Why do the Maoists kill civilians?
Answer: Maoists kill civilians for various reasons. First of all, they kill those who do
not subscribe to their ideology in the areas under their domination. They
also kill to create a power and governance vacuum in rural areas and the
space is filled by them. They also kill so called ‘class enemies’. All these
killings lead to a chain of circumstances wherein the kin of victims can
potentially rebel against the Maoists. This leads to further killings of such
targets. Finally, it reaches a stage where the ‘power to kill’ in their areas of
dominance becomes the sole reason for lower and less ‘politically
conscious’ cadres to kill innocent people.
Ques 10: Why do they attack schools and other economic infrastructure?
Answer: The Maoists wish to keep the population in their strongholds cut-off from
the mainstream milieu. Schools are attacked because education promotes
a spirit of enquiry among local population and also equips children with
skills for alternative sources of livelihood. These developments are looked
upon by the Maoists as potential threats to their existence.
Ques 11: How many schools have been destroyed by LWE since 2001?
Answer: The year-wise figures are as under:
Year Schools destroyed
2001 01
2002 02
2003 01
2004 05
2005 08
2006 59
2007 43
2008 25
2009 71
2010 39
2011 27
2012 03
Ques 12: Why do CPI (Maoist) have large number of women cadres?
Answer: In States like Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand, the Maoists have formed
children’s militia known as ‘Bal Dastas’ comprising young children. The
idea is to brain-wash and indoctrinate young children to Maoist ideology
and give them military training. Most parents do not want to part with their
children. But faced with coercion and threats, many poor Adivasi parents
prefer to part with the girl child. This inhuman practice by the Maoists is
the reason behind large number of young girls/women being present
among the Maoist cadres. They are also pushed to the forefront of
engagements with the security forces and used as propaganda tools in
case of casualties during exchanges of fire.
Ques 13: What is ‘Operation Greenhunt’?
Answer: The word ‘Operation Greenhunt’ does not exist in any record of the
Ministry of Home Affairs. In fact, there is no such operation at all, for the
simple reason that the Ministry of Home Affairs does not plan or execute
operations. Law & Order being state subjects, all Anti-naxal operations are
planned by the State forces, assisted by the Central forces. The term
‘Operation Greenhunt’, it seems, was used by a Superintendent of Police
of Bastar District in Chhattisgarh for a local operation. The operation was
aimed at busting naxal dens in Bastar forests existing in green camouflage
tents. But the Maoist propagandists and Front Organizations, in a masterly
strategy, attributed it ad nauseam, to the Central Government, conjuring
up visions of hapless adivasis being targeted by the Government
machinery. It needs to be recognized that this propaganda was played out
very skillfully, so much so that, many in the mainstream media also
believe there is a ‘Operation Greenhunt’.
The fact, however, remains that all operations are planned/led by State
forces and inter-state operations are planned by the States concerned, in
consultation with the Central Armed Police Forces. Further, it is also a fact
that far more civilians/SF’s are killed by naxalites than naxalites by SF’s,
contrary to the propaganda that security forces commit atrocities on
innocents.
Ques 14: What is the policy of Government of India to combat LWE?
Answer: The Government of India believes in a holistic long-term policy in the
areas of security, development, ensuring rights of local communities,
improving governance and perception management to combat LWE. Most
of the security related measures, apart from deployment of CAPFs, are
aimed at assisting capacity building by the State forces. On the
development front, an Integrated Action Plan covering 82 affected districts
aimed at providing public infrastructure and services is under
implementation. Further, an ambitious Road Development Plan has been
envisaged for LWE areas. An Empowered Group of Officers closely
monitors the progress of flagship schemes. Special emphasis is being laid
on implementation of Forest Rights Act and ensuring entitlement of local
communities over Minor Forest Produce.
Ques 15: What is the level of deployment of Security Forces in LWE affected
States?
Answer: At present, 81 Bns of CAPFs and a number of CoBRA Teams are
deployed in LWE affected States. The level of deployment will
progressively increase in the coming years. In addition, the States have
also deployed their forces in the LWE theatre.
Ques 16: Do CPI (Maoist) have links with other terrorist organizations and
foreign countries?
Answer: The CPI (Maoist) have close fraternal ties with many North-East insurgent
groups, especially the RPF/PLA of Manipur. Most of these outfits have
linkages with external forces inimical to India. The CPI (Maoist) have also
frequently expressed their solidarity with the J&K terrorist groups. These
ties are part of their ‘Strategic United Front’ against the Indian State. The
CPI (Maoist) also have close links with foreign Maoist organizations in
Philippines, Turkey, etc. The outfit is also member of the ‘Coordination
Committee of Maoist Parties and Organizations of South Asia
(CCOMPOSA), which includes Nepalese Maoists.
Ques 17: What can an ordinary citizen do against Left Wing Extremism?
Answer: An ordinary citizen can do the following things;
a) Condemn the violent and brutal atrocities being perpetrated by the CPI
(Maoist) and other LWE groups on innocent civilians in any available
media including the social media.
b) Sensitize fellow-countrymen on the dangers of violent Maoist ideology
to the nation-building process.
c) Learn to recognize the propaganda war against the Indian state being
unleashed by the Maoist Front Organizations and Maoist ideologues/
sympathizers.
d) Cherish and nurture the democratic way of life deeply enshrined in our
Constitution, as opposed to the totalitarian and oppressive nature of
the Maoist ideology and percepts.
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