Image Credit: Reuters
Context
India’s Home Minister Amit Shah announced India as Naxal-free in the Lok Sabha, which was a milestone in the field of internal security. This press release, which came a day before his self-appointed deadline to wipe out Left Wing Extremism (LWE), highlights three years of active counter-insurgency.
A Historic Milestone in India’s Internal Security
- The Declaration: Amit Shah, the Home Minister, told the Lok Sabha that the self-imposed time limit on eradication of Naxalism had been achieved. The important individuals, such as senior leadership, like Basvaraju, have been neutralised and the organization structure is brought down to a large extent.
- Less Influence: Naxal violence has reduced significantly, and the areas were left as few isolated strongholds. The Maoist stronghold, which at one time governed various states, has been successfully broken down using proactive and concerted actions by security agencies.
- Multi-Pronged Strategy: The effectiveness is explained by the presence of the combination of a protracted military offensive (CRPF, the local police), the development of roads/schools, and digital penetration in tribal regions, which deal with the causes of the problem.
Factors Leading to the Naxal-Free Status
- Enhanced Security Operations: There was more co-ordination between the central forces and the state police which resulted in targeted operations against key leadership.
- Infrastructure Development: The government focused on infrastructure in the affected “LWE districts” (Left-Wing Extremism districts) and built roads, bridges, and mobile connectivity, thereby undermining the Maoists’ capacity to operate in seclusion.
- Governance & Development Initiatives: Greater attention paid to education, healthcare, and to employment of the tribal population diminished the allure of the extremist ideology.
Is the Battle Truly Over? Challenges Remaining
- Ideological Foundations: Although the physical violence has diminished, ideological, intellectual, literary, scaffolding of Naxalism continues in some regions, which may result in ideological revival.
- Socio-Economic Factors: Critics and observers observe that violence has reduced, however, there are socio economic factors such as land rights and other developmental gaps that need to be addressed so that violence does not reoccur.
- Regional Pockets: The national impact is not high but it is important to secure the regions that had been volatile such as Chhattisgarh to ensure that insurgents do not reoccur.
Conclusion
The announcement of a Naxal-free India by Amit Shah is a milestone in terms of internal security as it is a successful measure to enable the shift of insurgency to peace and development. Yet, this status will be preserved only with the further emphasis on the developmental equity in the concerned areas.
Source: The Hindu
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