Latest news with #Maoist-inspired
DW
23-07-2025
- Politics
- DW
India's Maoist crackdown leaves villagers grieving – DW – 07/23/2025
India has vowed to crush the long-running Maoist-inspired Naxal insurgency by March 2026. In the jungles of Chhattisgarh, villagers are mourning those killed in the crossfire. On a rainy afternoon in Bodga, a remote village deep in the forests of Chhattisgarh, a state in central India, Sukli Oyam sits quietly on the mud porch of her thatched home. She holds a photograph of her 22-year-old son, Ramesh, who was killed last year in a crossfire between government forces and left-wing Maoist rebels, known as Naxals or Naxalites. The Naxals — named after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where their armed campaign began nearly six decades ago — were inspired by Chinese revolutionary leader Mao Zedong. They follow a form of communism propagated by Mao, and have waged a guerrilla-style insurgency against the government, particularly in central and eastern India. Every time Oyam looks at her son's picture, her eyes fill with tears. The day he was killed is seared into her memory. Oyam recalled how her family had gathered to celebrate the christening of Ramesh's younger daughter. Ramesh, a millet farmer and the family's sole breadwinner, set out to his relatives' home to fetch a chicken for the evening feast. On the way, he stopped by the river to bathe. He never returned. On the riverbank, a bullet hit him, turning a day of joy into one of mourning, she said. "After my son's killing, we fear leaving our homes and my life has changed," 60-year-old Oyam told DW. "Now whenever the police enter our area, villagers like me hide inside their houses. During encounters, our life comes to a halt." "I demanded compensation from the government for my son's death, but there has been no response," Oyam lamented. Oyam's neighbour, Raje Ayam, recalled a similar encounter. She told DW that security forces stormed into her house last March after mistaking it for a Maoist hideout. She said she was shot in the back while feeding her child, the bullet narrowly missing her spinal cord. Raje described how other villagers rushed her to the hospital after they found her lying in a pool of blood. She survived her injuries — but a year later, she said that she still struggles. "After the injuries, my body isn't working. I'm not able to farm or go to the jungle for work," she told DW. "My body has been almost paralyzed by the injury and I'm barely able to walk. Whenever I go to the forest and see soldiers, I fear they might kill me." The Maoist insurgency has simmered deep inside India's forests for decades. It began in 1967 in Naxalbari, a small village in the Indian state of West Bengal on the east coast, as a Maoist-inspired rebellion advocating for land rights and social justice for marginalized tribal communities. Today, the Naxals claim to fight for the rights of India's indigenous communities, collectively known as Adivasis. Their goal is to overthrow the Indian state through armed struggle. Bastar, the region in Chhattisgarh where Bodga is located, has become heavily militarized. Since 2019, around 250 security camps have been set up in the area — part of a surge that has placed one armed personnel for every nine civilians, according to a 2024 report by Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact Foundation, a civil society organization. Security forces have intensified their operations in the forests of Bastar since last year. In early 2024, the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Operation Black Forest (also called Operation Kagar) to wipe out the Maoist movement. Given the tough terrain of these vast jungles, large numbers of security personnel were deployed, along with advanced surveillance technologies and drones. The past two years have been the bloodiest period for Maoist insurgents in over a decade, with more than 400 Naxals killed in the Bastar region alone, according to the state's Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai. Earlier this month, DW reporters followed the Special Task Force, known as the District Reserve Guards (DRG), on a patrol in the Bastar region. The operation was led by DRG sub-inspector Sanjay Paul. Their mission: to track down Maoists operating in the area. For Sanjay, carrying out operations in these jungles is complex and risky. He tells us the dense forests are the perfect hiding place for Naxal fighters to carry out ambushes. "The Naxal ideology poses a huge threat to us and to our country, we will not sleep till we finish it," Sanjay told DW. His words echo the stance of New Delhi. In February 2025, Indian Interior Minister Amit Shah lauded the security forces for successful operations and set a deadline for eliminating the Naxal movement. "I reassure the nation that by March 31, 2026, India will surely be Naxal-free," he said. As the heavy-handed approach tightens its grip on Bastar's forest villages, locals are left mourning their dead. Many told DW that the line between Naxal fighters and villagers has blurred. They accuse security forces of carrying out indiscriminate killings. Iytu Oyam, a bereaved father, from Komhu village in Narayanpur district, travelled to Bodga to meet us. He claimed that his son, Moto Oyam, was killed in a "fake encounter" by security forces last May while he was working on his farm. "I want to tell the world that my son was innocent. He was not a Naxal. What was his crime that he was killed?" he told DW. Activists and human rights lawyers have alleged that counter-insurgency operations have turned Bastar into a war zone where Adivasi communities, which make up most of the local population, live in constant fear from both sides. They claim there is a pattern of extrajudicial killings, often called "encounter killings," where police allegedly stage civilian deaths to look like combat fatalities. Reports by groups such as Human Rights Watch have also documented arbitrary detentions, forced displacement, and sexual violence by security forces. "They have turned Bastar region into a graveyard, where almost every family has a story of human loss," according to lawyer Bela Bhatia, who is supporting Adivasi people in their claims against the state. When we confronted DRG officer Sanjay Paul with these allegations, the police officer denied any deliberate targeting of civilians. "Sometimes it happens by mistake. During crossfires, civilians can die. But we do not kill civilians intentionally," he told DW. Decades of Maoist insurgency, Naxal violence, and state crackdowns have left nearly 12,000 people dead — including civilians, militants and security personnel, according to the latest figures from watchdog South Asia Terrorism Portal. For Sukli Oyam, sitting with her son's photograph, justice feels like a distant dream. "My son is gone," she said quietly. "The police didn't protect us. The Naxals who claim to fight for our rights didn't help us. We are just stuck in between."
The Sun
18-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
India says suspected top Maoist among three killed by troops
NEW DELHI: Indian commandos shot dead three Maoist rebels Wednesday, police said, including a suspected top commander, less than a month after the insurgent group's chief was killed. India is waging an all-out offensive against the last vestiges of the Naxalite rebellion, named after the village in the Himalayan foothills where the Maoist-inspired movement began nearly six decades ago. In the latest incident, three rebels were killed in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh, said Amit Bardar, police chief of Alluri Sitharama Raju district where the operation took place. Police suspect the dead include Gajarla Ravi, alias Uday, a member of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist's top decision-making body, and another senior leader, Raavi Venkata Chaitanya, alias Aruna. 'We recovered AK-47s, and as per the formation, we expect it is them,' said Bardar, as only senior rebels are known to hold such weapons. The two had fled to the area last winter to escape fierce fighting in neighbouring Chhattisgarh, the police chief said. More than 12,000 rebels, soldiers, and civilians have died since a handful of villagers first rose up against their feudal lords in 1967. At its peak in the mid-2000s, the rebellion controlled nearly a third of the country, with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters. India has vowed to completely crush the rebellion by early next year. The crackdown by Indian troops across the so-called 'Red Corridor' has killed nearly 500 rebels since the beginning of 2024, according to government data. The group's chief, Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, was gunned down in May, along with 26 other guerrillas. But the security operations have been marred by allegations of extra-judicial killings. Five of India's mainstream communist parties wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi this month, calling for an 'immediate halt to the extra-judicial killings... in the name of' security operations. The Maoists have said they are ready for dialogue if the government withdraws security forces and halts the ongoing offensive -- an offer the government has rejected. In their letter, the leftist parties criticised the government for not 'pursuing a solution through talks'. 'Instead, they are following an inhuman policy of killings and annihilation,' they alleged.
Straits Times
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Indian troops kill at least 25 Maoist rebels: police
The bodies of those killed have not been identified. RAIPUR, India - Indian commandos shot dead at least 25 Maoist rebels in central India on May 21, police said, as security forces ramp up efforts to crush the long-running conflict. India is waging an all-out offensive against the last vestiges of the Naxalite rebellion, named after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Maoist-inspired guerrilla movement began nearly six decades ago. More than 12,000 rebels, soldiers and civilians have died since a handful of villagers rose up against their feudal lords there in 1967. At its peak in the mid-2000s, the rebellion controlled nearly a third of the country with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters. 'Over 25 Maoists were killed in an encounter,' senior Chhattisgarh state police official Vivekanand Sinha told AFP. The firefight broke out deep inside a forest in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, a remote and densely wooded region that has long served as a Maoist stronghold. Mr Sinha said the gun battle took place after intelligence reports indicated the presence of 'top Maoist leaders' in the area. But he said it was not clear who exactly had been killed. 'The bodies have not yet been identified,' Mr Sinha said. India's Home Minister Amit Shah has said the government is committed to 'eradicating Naxalism from its roots' by March 31 next year. Earlier this month, police said they had killed 31 Maoist rebels during a three-week operation aimed at capturing a strategic hill range previously under the control of guerrillas. A crackdown by Indian troops has killed more than 400 rebels since last year, according to government data. AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Business Recorder
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Indian troops kill at least 25 Maoist rebels: police
RAIPUR: Indian commandos shot dead at least 25 Maoist rebels in central India on Wednesday, police said, as security forces ramp up efforts to crush the long-running conflict. India is waging an all-out offensive against the last vestiges of the Naxalite rebellion, named after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Maoist-inspired guerrilla movement began nearly six decades ago. More than 12,000 rebels, soldiers and civilians have died since a handful of villagers rose up against their feudal lords there in 1967. At its peak in the mid-2000s, the rebellion controlled nearly a third of the country with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters. India's Maoist rebels say ready to talk if crackdown paused 'Over 25 Maoists were killed in an encounter,' senior Chhattisgarh state police official Vivekanand Sinha told AFP. The firefight broke out deep inside a forest in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district, a remote and densely wooded region that has long served as a Maoist stronghold. Sinha said the gun battle took place after intelligence reports indicated the presence of 'top Maoist leaders' in the area. But Sinha said it was not clear who exactly had been killed. 'The bodies have not yet been identified,' Sinha said. India's Home Minister Amit Shah has said the government is committed to 'eradicating Naxalism from its roots' by March 31 next year. Earlier this month, police said they had killed 31 Maoist rebels during a three-week operation aimed at capturing a strategic hill range previously under the control of guerrillas. A crackdown by Indian troops has killed more than 400 rebels since last year, according to government data.
The Star
15-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Indian troops kill 31 Maoist rebels in weeks-long battle
NEW DELHI: Indian security forces have killed 31 Maoist rebels during a three-week operation aimed at capturing strategic hills previously under the control of guerrillas, the government said. India is waging an all-out offensive against the last vestiges of the Naxalite rebellion, named after the village in the foothills of the Himalayas where the Maoist-inspired guerrilla movement began nearly six decades ago. More than 12,000 rebels, soldiers and civilians have died since a handful of villagers rose up against their feudal lords there in 1967. At its peak in the mid-2000s, the rebellion controlled nearly a third of the country with an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 fighters. The latest gun battle took place in the forested Karreguttalu Hills along the border of the states of Chhattisgarh and Telangana, home minister Amit Shah said in a post on X on Wednesday (May 14). "Security forces have eliminated 31 notorious Naxalites in the largest operation against Naxalism to date," Shah said. "The hill, once ruled by red terror, now proudly waves the tricolour," he said, referring to the Indian national flag. Karreguttalu Hills used to be the unified headquarters of several Naxalite organisations where rebels were provided weapons and strategic training. Shah reiterated that the government was committed to "eradicating Naxalism from its roots" by March 31 next year. Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the latest operation, saying it showed that the campaign towards rooting out Naxalism was "moving in the right direction". "We are fully committed to establishing peace in the Naxal-affected areas and connecting them with the mainstream of development," he said in a social media post. A crackdown by Indian troops has killed more than 400 rebels since last year, according to government data. Last month, Indian troops killed 11 Maoist rebels in the states of Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand. Security forces also killed 30 Maoists in March and another 31 in February. - AFP
