Developments in the People’s War in India
Featured image: Deputy commandant of the CoBRA battalion was airlifted after being shot by Maoists in an ambush. Source: India Posts English
On Wednesday the 12th of July, in the Indian State of Jharkhand, forces under the leadership of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) are reported to have carried out an ambush against an “anti-Maoist operation” by the old Indian State. Forces from the CoBRA battalion, Jharkhand Jaguar and the district armed police were carrying out a joint operation in the West Singhbhum district when the Maoist combatants opened fire on them. A deputy commandant of the CoBRA battalion was shot and injured and none of the Maoists were taken.
The CoBRA battalion is under the authority of the Central Government of India, while the Jharkhand Jaguar is under the State Government of Jharkhand. Both are special forces formed to attempt to combat the People’s War.
The joint operation has been ongoing in Jharkhand since the 11th of January. The goal of the operation is capturing five suspected top Maoist leaders, including an alleged member of the politburo of the CPI (Maoist). According to the police the Maoists have been carrying out activities from the core of the Holhan division, which includes the West Singhbhum district.
The Maoist leaders all have a bounty of 10 million Indian rupees each, around 170 times the annual income of a “farm family” in the State of Jharkhand. It seems like even a bounty worth 170 years of work has not made the peasants of Jharkhand turn against the Maoist, as the old Indian State has not achieved their goal after half a year. The “special forces” of the Central and State Government are left with no real results after six months of their manhunt.
An article published in the June 2023 edition of People’s March explains the extent and aims of the operation as well as the involvement of the US:
“On Wednesday, 11th Jan 2023, a joint operation was launched by Central Reserve Police Force, Greyhound and CoBRA (Elite Anti Naxal Squad), District Reserve Guard (comprising of Infamous SPOs of Salwa Judum) in the wee hours. According to the varying news reports, the attempt is to target an armed Battalion of CPI (Maoist) headed by a top Naxal Commander. Some reports have clarified that the operation is aided by Helicopters, Drone and Global Positioning Data. The aim is to hit the Telangana-Chhattisgarh-Odisha border region. It has come to our notice that a widespread aerial bombing campaign has been undertaken to that end in Madkanguda, Mettaguda, Bottethong, Sakiler, Madpaaduled, Kannemerka, Pottemangum, Bottalanka, Raspalli and Erpad of Pamed and Kistaram blocks of South Bastar at Chhattisgarh-Telangana Border, from 11 am onwards. According to a recent media report, it was claimed that the drones, supposedly to be engaged in surveillance missions on the Naxal movement, will be operated by the Indian Air Force personnel from the National Technical Research Organisation, which was set up with the aid of US intelligence operatives of NSA, pointing to an all-round offensive of State with the help of US.”
Also in the State of Chhattisgarh the Indian reaction is admitting their failure in defeating the People’s War. According to a senior intelligence official of the neighboring State of Maharashtra, the CPI (Maoist) recruited and trained around 1,250 new combatants in Chhattisgarh. According to the report, the Maoist forces have grown by up to 6 times in the districts of Dantewada and Sukma and in South Bastar. The official is expressing the fear of the Maharashtra State Government in the face of the growing strength of the CPI (Maoist). They are concerned that the strengthened position of the Maoists in Chhattisgarh will spread to the neighboring States. They are especially concerned about the imminent threat in the district of Gadchiroli in the west of Maharashtra, which shares a 180km border with Chhattisgarh.
It is reported that the governments of several States are opening police posts in the Maoist strongholds in central India. They now think that the Maoists are planing major attacks on the new police posts. The Maoists are said to be developing improvised explosive devices mounted on tractors and four wheelers, as well as drones that can carry up to 5kg explosives. It is reported that they could use these technical advancements to attack the police posts as well as police stations.
According to Indian media, the Maoists have stated that they have responded well to the aerial attacks and surveillance in Chhattisgarh with their counter strategy. On the 6th of July we reported on several actions in the People’s War in India, in the States of Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh.
