Amit Shah’s message to Maoist ‘brothers’ is welcome but the state needs a more people-centric approach
Security forces must ensure that, in their anxiety to meet the March 2026 government deadline to end Maoism, they do not resort to illegal actions and fake encounters
While the authenticity of the purported offer of ceasefire by Maoists is debatable, the reference to them by the Home Minister as “brothers” and “one of us” is welcome. This should create confidence amongst the rebels who feel that their rights over jal, jungle and jameen have been usurped without any benefits accruing to them.
The establishment believes that this offer might be a strategy by the Maoists to get a breather from the increasing pressure that the security forces have brought upon them. Like in the past, they may renege on their offer and utilise the breather to regroup and launch a fresh offensive.
The government has set a deadline to end Maoism by March 2026. Recently, a number of encounters have taken place. Many purported Maoists have been killed and more have surrendered to the security forces. Observers have doubted the authenticity of these encounters and have expressed apprehension that some of those killed may be innocents. These allegations, if true, will end up creating more problems than resolving them.
Such a tight deadline for ending a problem that has been festering for the last 60 years is unrealistic. Similar claims were made for resolving the Kashmir crisis; incidents of violence, however, continue to occur sporadically. Similarly, in the case of the Maoist problem, flaunting statistics of rebels neutralised or surrendered cannot be interpreted as a measure of success. Thinking that Maoism can be defeated only through a militaristic approach is flawed. The government must address the social aspects of the problem and take a holistic approach in its resolution.
It is important to delve upon the basic cause of the violence. The Maoists, mostly tribal people, have resorted to violence because they have been deprived of their basic rights. Central India, which is full of minerals, is their abode. PESA, (Provisions of the Panchayats [Extension to the Scheduled Areas] Act, 1996) which is meant to recognise, empower and promote the social, economic, cultural and political way of life of the Scheduled Tribes, has been extended to these areas. The Act provides that the consent of local tribes will be taken for initiating industrial, economic and mining activities in those areas. However, the implementation of PESA is patchy. Those in power manage to manipulate the will of people either through muscle power or winning over the village heads.
The exploitation of minerals in tribal areas has led to the prosperity of “outsider” industrialists but it hasn’t led to any improvement in the lives of the locals. The tribal people, who lack vocational skills, are either not employable or employed for low-paying unskilled jobs in small numbers. The government, therefore, needs to focus on opening institutions which focus on imparting basic skills besides formal education to the tribals to make them employable.
A lot of infrastructure has been created in the shape of highways, rail connectivity and mobile towers mainly to facilitate the work of the security forces. Infrastructure also needs to be created in order to enhance the quality of life of the tribals living in remote areas. It must also be ensured that they get fair compensation for the land acquired by authorities for developmental purposes. They must be given pattas for the alternative land allotted to them. Additionally, the tribals have a way of life which depends heavily on forest produce. Imposing fines on them (for usage of forest resources) creates further resentment. Besides the above people-centric strategies, the government should implement a fair surrender and rehabilitation policy in order to motivate the rebels to return to the mainstream.
While people-centric strategies will go a long way in winning over the rebels, the government must also ensure a continuum in security-centric policies. The living and working conditions of police and security forces must be improved. They must be given adequate resources and mobility to carry out their tasks. They must also be properly trained by putting them through focused orientation training before they are inducted for operations. Strengthening intelligence, both human and technical, is important for the success of the forces. But it is also important for the security forces to ensure that, in their anxiety to meet the government deadline, they do not resort to illegal actions and fake encounters.
The writer is a retired additional director general (ADG) of the Border Security Force
Reference URL: https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/amit-shah-message-maoist-state-people-centric-approach-9947032/
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