Soft' on Maoists

Published : Oct 08, 2010 00:00 IST

Sub-Inspector Rupesh Kumar embraces his mother after being released by Maoists, in Patna on September 6.-RANJEET KUMAR

Sub-Inspector Rupesh Kumar embraces his mother after being released by Maoists, in Patna on September 6.-RANJEET KUMAR

THE turnaround in law and order is widely rated as one of the notable achievements of the coalition government headed by Nitish Kumar in Bihar. The sharp drop in kidnappings and the measures taken to speed up the judicial process in criminal cases have evoked extensive appreciation. However, the government's, and particularly the Chief Minister's, handling of the Maoist challenge has been repeatedly questioned.

Security specialists in the Union Home Ministry and outside have criticised Nitish Kumar's general approach to Maoists as soft. The issue came into sharp focus in early September when Maoists killed eight policemen in the Kajra police station area of Lakhisarai district and kidnapped four. One of the kidnapped policemen, Lucas Tete, was killed later in captivity. The other three were released after a stand-off that lasted for about a week. The incident continues to rankle with the government and the Janata Dal (United), the party that leads it.

The three policemen who were released after eight days in captivity were Sub-Inspectors Rupesh Kumar and Abhay Prasad Yadav and Havildar Ehtesham Khan. The release came three days after the bullet-riddled body of Lucas Tete was found. The Maoists had taken the policemen hostage demanding the release of eight of their commanders who are lodged in jails of Bihar. The Maoist commanders in jail include Jaipaswan, Vijay Chourasia, Prem Bhuiyan and Pramod Barnwal.

The hostages were released though the Maoists' demand was not met. Top police officers claimed that the security forces had hemmed in the Maoists, who were forced to give in and free the hostages. However, sections within the security establishment say that the government dithered for too long and that this led to the killing of Tete, a tribal person. This is seen as a sign of the soft approach of the Nitish Kumar government.

There is also an opinion, informally corroborated by sources close to the Maoists, that their principal objective was not the release of their commanders but financial and other understandings in the context of the impending elections. The kidnapped policemen were released reportedly after they got some assurances on these and other election-related matters. It is well known that in Bihar and Jharkhand Maoists fix fees to carry out various election-related activities, including campaigning and transferring votes in areas under their influence. Official estimates have it that the Maoists have a presence in 33 out of the 38 districts of the State, of which 16 have widespread and intensive presence of Maoist armed forces.

Nitish Kumar's government has always emphasised the importance of a political solution to the problem, with emphasis on development, rather than a military one. He refused to participate wholeheartedly in the paramilitary offensive launched at the Centre's initiative against the Maoists.

Visiting Masodi, a village near Patna once considered a hotbed of Maoist activity in 2009, Nitish Kumar pointed out to this correspondent how Left extremist influence was countered and virtually eliminated there. We struck at the root of the problem poverty and underdevelopment. This was done primarily through the Aapki Sarkar, Aapke Dwar' [your government at your doorstep] programme. Now nobody in the village wants to carry a gun or give shelter to the gun-carriers. This is the right approach and I would want the Centre to look at this, he said.

Unlike other State governments that face Maoist violence, Nitish Kumar's government did not raise Special Forces to tackle Maoists. This has evoked criticism even from sections of the State government, especially from the BJP leaders.

Venkitesh Ramakrishnan
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