Author: Editorial
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: September 25, 2001
The brutal killing of 12 CRPF jawans
recently in Jharkhand's Hazaribagh district by activists of the Maoist
Communist Centre (MCC), an outlawed Naxalite group, should be viewed in
the context of the new global war on terrorism. Terrorist groups like the
MCC, which have been claiming to be people's movements, have to be dealt
with severely.
Many in the intelligentsia would
argue that organisations like the People's War Group (PWG) and the MCC
represent the anger and frustration of the subalterns towards the ruling
elites, even justify the use of violence as a means of achieving their
objectives. Whatever the ideological arguments they cite, violence, under
no circumstance, can be accepted as a justifiable means of empowerment.
The WTC tower attack has once again underlined the point. Terrorism, and
the acts of violence it involves, subverts legitimate governments. This
applies as much to the Naxalite groups active in South-Central India, as
to any other group using the same methods. People, such as Naxalites, killing
innocent civilians and security personnel, for any perceived injustice
done to the villages and towns where they operate from, are terrorists
and should be hunted down with the same determination with which the security
forces follow the bloody trail of terrorism in the Kashmir valley.
It is tempting to draw similarities
between organisations like the MCC and Al Quaida. They both have ideological
enemies, are enraged at the injustice done to a particular community or
class. They believe in violence as a means to settle scores and run a parallel
administration or a government. The difference lies in the size; Al Quaida
has bases in more than 35 nations across the world, organisations like
the MCC and PWG can boast of similar number of bases in six Indian states
viz, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and
Orissa. The other difference lies in their capability. Nevertheless, though
these rag tag terrorist groups can do no more than planting landmines and
looting police stations in remote corners of the affected States, they
are no less dangerous and threaten the nation's integrity and sovereignty
as much as the foreign mercenaries active in Kashmir Valley.
The intelligence and security forces,
both at the Central and State levels, need to change their thinking about
these forces. These should not be considered a part of a local law and
order problem. They pose a national threat. The Centre should step in to
give proper direction, and financial and material assistance to the State
police forces. The Central intelligence and security agencies should make
concerted efforts to stanch the flow of funds and weapons to them. The
intelligence network at the local level should be strengthened and the
local police forces should be put through special training to tackle guerrilla
groups. A joint task force to tackle the Naxalite and other violent groups
should be established without any delay if India were to neutralise terrorism
from within.
