April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada
Encyclopedia
The 2010 Dantewada Maoist attacks, were a ambush by rebels from the Communist Party of India (Maoist)
in Dantewada district
, India
, killing 76 CRPF
policemen and 8 Maoists — the deadliest attack by the Maoists on Indian security forces
.
The attack occurred when over 80 officers from the federal Central Reserve Police Force
(CRPF) and a local police group were conducting a domination exercise in the Bastar
tribal region of the central Indian state of Chattisgarh.
in West Bengal
. The movement had its intellectual roots in the doctrines of Mao Tse-Tung promoting armed overthrow of the ruling class by exploited workers. The original movement had weakened considerably by the 70s, but it started spreading across a swathe of India's poorest districts, the so called red corridor
, a tribal belt running through the mainly Santhal regions of West Bengal
, Jharkhand
, Orissa
, and then through the Gond
and other tribes of Andhra Pradesh
and into the Bastar
region of Chattisgarh. Today, the rebellion is viewed as a response to the commercial exploitation of forest regions that are home to the tribals, resulting in widespread loss of livelihood. These regions are also notable for lack of development; at 30% literacy, the Dantewada district has the lowest literacy rate in the nation.
The threat to the state has picked up within the last two decades, and in 2009, Prime minister Manmohan Singh
said that the Maoists pose the biggest internal threat to India's security.
In March 2007, Maoists were blamed for the killing of 55 policemen in Chattisgarh. In February 2010, at least 25 policemen were killed
in eastern West Bengal when their camp came under fire.
In response to the growing insurgency, the Indian paramilitary forces
launched a large-scale offensive, popularly known as Operation Green Hunt
, against the rebels. The offensive has been undertaken along the red corridor
which includes the Dantewada district.
Dantewada district is a "remote, sparsely-populated and under-developed" area which is regarded as the "nerve center" of the Maoists. About 66% of the district's population consists of tribal peoples (known as adivasi
s). In 2006, the Economist
noted that Maoist insurgency is "most intense" in the Dantewada district and linked the popularity of the Maoists among the local populace to the region's lack of development. Indian forces and Maoist rebels have been involved in numerous skirmishes in the Dantewada district since 2007. In September 2009, Commando Battalion for Resolute Action
(COBRA) personnel and state police forces killed about 30 Maoist rebels in Dantewada during an intense gun-battle.
(CRPF) in the Talmetla area as they were returning from an operation. India's home minister P Chidambaram said that it appeared that the forces had "walked" into a rebel ambush by returning to the police base via the same route they had come. "Something has gone very wrong. They seem to have walked into a trap set by the [Maoists] and casualties are quite high," he said. Police sources reported that the Maoist triggered two land mines targeting the mine protected vehicles carrying the jawans. The attack took place when the CRPF unit belonging to the 62 Battalion entered the forest for an operation between 6 and 7 am and were ambushed by the Maoists.
CPI activist Kartam Joga
was arrested in connection with the attacks on 14 September 2010. His arrest has been controversial and was condemned by Amnesty International
, who described the charges as "fabricated" and named him a prisoner of conscience
.
on this issue. The Prime Minister however, rejected it.
The right wing Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP) argued for an "all-out offensive" against the Maoists.
The Maoist leader Gopal stated that the attack was conducted as a "direct consequence" to the government's Operation Green Hunt
.
Communist Party of India (Maoist)
The Communist Party of India is a Maoist political party in India which aims to overthrow the government of India through violent means. It was founded on 21 September 2004, through the merger of the People's War, and the Maoist Communist Centre . The merger was announced to the public on October...
in Dantewada district
Dantewada District
Dantewada District, also known as Dantewara District or Dakshin Bastar District , is a district in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. Dantewada is the district headquarters. The district is part of Bastar Division...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, killing 76 CRPF
Central Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force also known as CRPF is the largest of India's Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain...
policemen and 8 Maoists — the deadliest attack by the Maoists on Indian security forces
Law enforcement in India
Law enforcement in India by numerous law enforcement agencies. Like many federal structures, the nature of the Constitution of India mandates law and order as a subject of the state, therefore the bulk of the policing lies with the respective states and territories of India.At the federal level,...
.
The attack occurred when over 80 officers from the federal Central Reserve Police Force
Central Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force also known as CRPF is the largest of India's Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain...
(CRPF) and a local police group were conducting a domination exercise in the Bastar
Bastar Division
Bastar division is an administrative division of Chhattisgarh state in central India. It includes the districts of Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kanker....
tribal region of the central Indian state of Chattisgarh.
Background
Indian Maoists, or Naxals, were named after a 1967 armed uprising against the Indian state originating in the village of NaxalbariNaxalbari
Naxalbari is the name of a village and a community development block in northern part of the state of West Bengal, India. Naxalbari block comes under the jurisdiction of Siliguri subdivision of Darjeeling district. Naxalbari became famous for the left wing revolt that took place in the late...
in West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
. The movement had its intellectual roots in the doctrines of Mao Tse-Tung promoting armed overthrow of the ruling class by exploited workers. The original movement had weakened considerably by the 70s, but it started spreading across a swathe of India's poorest districts, the so called red corridor
Red corridor
The Red Corridor is a term used to describe an impoverished region in the east of India that experiences considerable Naxalite communist insurgency...
, a tribal belt running through the mainly Santhal regions of West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, and then through the Gond
Gondi people
The Gondi, Goindi or Gond people are people in central India, spread over the states of Madhya Pradesh, eastern Maharashtra , Chhattisgarh, northern Andhra Pradesh, and Western Orissa. With over four million people, they are the largest tribe in Central India.The Gondi language is related to...
and other tribes of Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
and into the Bastar
Bastar Division
Bastar division is an administrative division of Chhattisgarh state in central India. It includes the districts of Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kanker....
region of Chattisgarh. Today, the rebellion is viewed as a response to the commercial exploitation of forest regions that are home to the tribals, resulting in widespread loss of livelihood. These regions are also notable for lack of development; at 30% literacy, the Dantewada district has the lowest literacy rate in the nation.
The threat to the state has picked up within the last two decades, and in 2009, Prime minister Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
said that the Maoists pose the biggest internal threat to India's security.
In March 2007, Maoists were blamed for the killing of 55 policemen in Chattisgarh. In February 2010, at least 25 policemen were killed
Silda camp attack
The Silda camp attack occurred on February 15, 2010, when dozens of Naxalite Maoist insurgents ambushed Indian security forces in Silda in West Bengal, India...
in eastern West Bengal when their camp came under fire.
In response to the growing insurgency, the Indian paramilitary forces
Indian Paramilitary Forces
According to the official definition adopted in 2011, "Paramilitary Forces" refers to three organisations which assist the Indian Armed Forces particularly closely and are led by officers of the Indian Army or Indian Navy...
launched a large-scale offensive, popularly known as Operation Green Hunt
Operation Green Hunt
Operation Green Hunt was the name used by the Indian media to describe the Government of India's paramilitary offensive against the Naxalite rebels in the late 2000s...
, against the rebels. The offensive has been undertaken along the red corridor
Red corridor
The Red Corridor is a term used to describe an impoverished region in the east of India that experiences considerable Naxalite communist insurgency...
which includes the Dantewada district.
Dantewada district is a "remote, sparsely-populated and under-developed" area which is regarded as the "nerve center" of the Maoists. About 66% of the district's population consists of tribal peoples (known as adivasi
Adivasi
Adivasi is an umbrella term for a heterogeneous set of ethnic and tribal groups claimed to be the aboriginal population of India. They comprise a substantial indigenous minority of the population of India...
s). In 2006, the Economist
The Economist
The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication owned by The Economist Newspaper Ltd. and edited in offices in the City of Westminster, London, England. Continuous publication began under founder James Wilson in September 1843...
noted that Maoist insurgency is "most intense" in the Dantewada district and linked the popularity of the Maoists among the local populace to the region's lack of development. Indian forces and Maoist rebels have been involved in numerous skirmishes in the Dantewada district since 2007. In September 2009, Commando Battalion for Resolute Action
Commando Battalion for Resolute Action
COBRA is a specialized unit of the CRPF created to counter the Naxalite problem in India. This specialized CRPF unit is one of the only units of the Central Armed Police Forces in the country who are specifically trained in guerilla warfare...
(COBRA) personnel and state police forces killed about 30 Maoist rebels in Dantewada during an intense gun-battle.
The attack
According to police reports, 300 rebels initially attacked a convoy of the paramilitary Central Reserve Police ForceCentral Reserve Police Force
The Central Reserve Police Force also known as CRPF is the largest of India's Central Armed Police Forces. It functions under the aegis of Ministry of Home Affairs of the Government of India. The CRPF's primary role lies in assisting the State/Union Territories in police operations to maintain...
(CRPF) in the Talmetla area as they were returning from an operation. India's home minister P Chidambaram said that it appeared that the forces had "walked" into a rebel ambush by returning to the police base via the same route they had come. "Something has gone very wrong. They seem to have walked into a trap set by the [Maoists] and casualties are quite high," he said. Police sources reported that the Maoist triggered two land mines targeting the mine protected vehicles carrying the jawans. The attack took place when the CRPF unit belonging to the 62 Battalion entered the forest for an operation between 6 and 7 am and were ambushed by the Maoists.
Repercussions
The attacks were seen as a setback to efforts to cleanse the eastern parts of the Naxals in order to open up the regions that are rich in iron ore, coal, bauxite and manganese to investment. NMDC Ltd. operates its biggest iron-ore mine, while Essar Steel Ltd. plan a $1.5 billion steel plant in the district. The Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM) in a statement said "If such activities continue, investments do get impacted and even committed investments would fly away."CPI activist Kartam Joga
Kartam Joga
Kartam Joga is a adivasi Indian political activist for the Communist Party of India . He is currently imprisoned in Chhattisgarh on suspicions of participating in the Tarmetla ambush in which 75 members of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed by CPI forces...
was arrested in connection with the attacks on 14 September 2010. His arrest has been controversial and was condemned by Amnesty International
Amnesty International
Amnesty International is an international non-governmental organisation whose stated mission is "to conduct research and generate action to prevent and end grave abuses of human rights, and to demand justice for those whose rights have been violated."Following a publication of Peter Benenson's...
, who described the charges as "fabricated" and named him a prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience
Prisoner of conscience is a term defined in Peter Benenson's 1961 article "The Forgotten Prisoners" often used by the human rights group Amnesty International. It can refer to anyone imprisoned because of their race, religion, or political views...
.
Reaction
P Chidambaram, India's home minister, condemned the attack, saying it showed the "savage nature" of the Maoists. The attack was a blow to the Indian government as it comes days after Home Minister P Chidambaram described the rebels as "cowards enacting dramas". Mr Chidambaram has said troops will intensify the offensive if the rebels do not renounce violence and enter peace talks. On 9 April, however, Mr. Chidamabram offered his resignation to Prime Minister Manmohan SinghManmohan Singh
Manmohan Singh is the 13th and current Prime Minister of India. He is the only Prime Minister since Jawaharlal Nehru to return to power after completing a full five-year term. A Sikh, he is the first non-Hindu to occupy the office. Singh is also the 7th Prime Minister belonging to the Indian...
on this issue. The Prime Minister however, rejected it.
The right wing Bharatiya Janata Party
Bharatiya Janata Party
The Bharatiya Janata Party ,; translation: Indian People's Party) is one of the two major political parties in India, the other being the Indian National Congress. Established in 1980, it is India's second largest political party in terms of representation in the parliament...
(BJP) argued for an "all-out offensive" against the Maoists.
The Maoist leader Gopal stated that the attack was conducted as a "direct consequence" to the government's Operation Green Hunt
Operation Green Hunt
Operation Green Hunt was the name used by the Indian media to describe the Government of India's paramilitary offensive against the Naxalite rebels in the late 2000s...
.