In two different episodes which took place in Chhattisgarh and Manipur, 14 rebels and 12 farmers were killed. The Premier Singh warns against revolt, which represents the greatest threat to national stability

Raipur (AsiaNews/Agencies) – 26 people were killed yesterday in clashes between Maoists, the army and ordinary farmers in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh  and the eastern state of Manipur. According to eye witnesses, Indian soldiers killed 14 rebels: during gun battles, these rebels apparently shot at migrant workers, leaving 12 people dead.

According to police the death toll “could have been far higher”.  Public security official, Ankit Garg, explains that the government “has formed a special force to fight the Maoists, who surrounded the rebels, preventing them from escaping into the jungle”.

Rebels claim they are fighting for the rights of workers and the landless; in order to do this, they often destroy government property in the area to “reassign lands to their legitimate owners”.  Despite this, many maintain that they are not totally disinterested: many farmers’ rights groups say Maoists are merely attempting to gain power in the area, and that their treatment of farmers “is no different from others”.

For over 30 years Maoists have been behind an armed resistance in both North and South India.  In these areas officials do not dare to travel in government vehicles, for fear of being attacked, and even better organised militias do not leave their camps until after dark.  The rebels have a strong presence in 8 of the 16 districts of Chhattisgarh and in some they have set up parallel administration and justice systems to the state run ones.

They target security forces and civilians they believe to collaborate with the State. This is also why tribal and civilian militias have been created, to guide the security forces through the thick forests to identify rebels. According to official data, in the last 22 months in Chhattisgarh there were 1,187 violent attacks carried out by the Naxaliti militants, with at least 676 deaths.

The Prime Minister of the Indian Union, Manmohan Singh, has underlined that the war has “worsened at an incredible rate and represents the greatest current threat to national stability”.

 

 

 

• india
• maoist
• rebels
• revolt
• government
• farmers
• attacks