Nov 20, 2010

Capacity Building in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh

The new Chief Minister in Jharkhand Mr Arjun Munda has started on significant capacity of the forces in the state. In a meeting with the Union Home Minister he also sought waiving of Rs 500 Crore the state owes the Centre for deployment of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) since 2007. Mr Munda plans to strengthen the Special Task Force and has sought a one-time grant of Rs 300 Crore “The critical component of training, both basic and specialised, need to be addressed urgently,” he said.  He also plans to construct concrete roads in rebel held areas, “Improvised explosive devices planted on kuccha roads have been a major cause of casualties,” he said.

He has also demanded 257 companies of central paramilitary forces for the panchayat elections, being held in the state after a gap of 33 years. “The state has requisitioned 257 companies, but only 100 have been sanctioned. In view of the number of booths, all in rural and Naxalite-affected areas, 100 companies of CRPF are inadequate,” the chief minister maintained. He has also requisitioned two helicopters for the state for the panchayat elections and anti-Naxalite operations. The Chief Minister has sought to include six more districts of Santhal Pargana — Dumka, Deoghar, Sahebganj, Godda, Jamtara and Pakur — in the security related expenditure scheme because of Maoist influence in the area. [Based on Daily Telegraph Report 22 October 2010].

Jharkhand which is the second most critically affected states by Naxalism has a new government led by the BJP Chief Minister Mr Munda who is likely to be more pragmatic and committed to take action against violent extremists in the State and would therefore expect support by the Centre. The overall tone and tenor of the strategy that has been adopted however is overly dependent on infusion of funds from the Centre which is not likely to work given the poor capacity to transform funds into practical application through capacity building. The State government is also not having the capacity for delivery of security governance which may take some time to build up. Meanwhile Maoists who were so far lying low in the State may also up the ante and some acts of violence would be seen in the days ahead.

Poor implementation of measures such as setting up Unified Commands in four Naxal-affected states is also evident as even though the Centre has provided a panel of retired Major Generals to head these, the same has not been formalized by the State governments of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal.

Chhattisgarh has seen some strong resistance by security forces with a major attack on the mines of the National Mineral Democratic Corporation [NMDC] in Dantewada by over 200 Naxals repelled on 18 October. Chhattisgarh government also seems to have shifted support from the Salwa Judum, a counter Naxal movement which had come for severe criticism by civil rights groups as well as the Supreme Court of India.  The state government highlighted the nature of violence in the Court,  "From January to September this year there have been 134 encounters between Maoists and security forces in which 160 security personnel have been killed," the affidavit filed by advocate Atul Jha, the standing counsel for the Chhattisgarh Government, said and added, "One of the key components of the Maoist strategy is to destroy the infrastructure and the Maoist outfits and the Naxalite have destroyed 110 school buildings, 74 panchayat buildings and three hospitals".

Civil rights activists are however indicating that, "Dandakaranya Shanti Sangharsh Samiti" [DKSSS or Dandakaranya Peace Activist Committee] has replaced Sulwa Judum which is translated as ‘peace march’ or ‘purification march.’ The DKSSS unveiled on October 2 in Kutru, Bijapur in the presence of Bijapur District Collector Rajat Kumar and Superintendent of Police R.N. Das is reportedly a second avatar of the Sulwa Judum movement. The DKSSS leadership comprises almost entirely of men who shot to prominence at the height of the Salva Judum: Madhukar Rao, Chinnaram Gotta, Vikram Mandavi, Balaram Nag, and Jyotiram Azad. The CPI-Maoist has been castigating the DKSSS as well and held shutdowns to oppose the same from time to time. Thus a new conflict over the identity and allegiance of the DKSSS may be brewing up over a period.

NOV 2010

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