Are Naxalites a threat to internal security?

TOUGH TALK: Experts say the Naxalites argue that they have brought order if not law to the area.

        

ibnlive.com is on mobile now. Read news, watch videos
be a Citizen Journalist. Log on to m.ibnlive.com NOW!

Top Headlines

Top Videos

Most Popular

• I took calculated risks for higher growth: Pranab  

• Udayan's View: Budget 2009, a game of patience 

• A study in comparison: Education budget up Rs 7K cr 

• Face The Budget: Political response to Budget 09-10 

• The verdict: CNN-IBN panelists rate Pranab's Budget  

• Reform hopes dashed, market watchers feel let down  

• I-T exemption limit raised | FBT rolled back | Taxes and you 

• Pranab skips two paras of Budget speech, apologises 

• Bengal benefits, Mamata and Pranab budget for their state 

• Income tax limits raised; farmers, exporters get sops 

• Watch: Dalal Street reacts to the Budget 

• Budget: Pranab's chance to create his own legacy 

• FM has done a fairly good job: Narayana Murthy 

• Budget to focus on social spend, growth 

• Education reform will be for all Indians: Sibal 

• The Budget That Isn't: Cyrus gears up for Budget 

• EVMs are tamper proof, says Election Commission 

• Watch: Railway exams disrupted in Mysore, Banglaore 

• Watch: Maneka writes to PM over threat to Varun's life 

• One-upmanship: Sonia, Pawar in foodgrain politics 

• Life saving drugs, LCDs cheaper; Set-top-box costlier 

• Buy that big car: SUVs, petrol trucks to cost less 

• Defence budget unchanged; Army gets lion's share 

• Minimum Rs 30 lakh needed to be called wealthy 

• TAX BREAKS, WELFARE SCHEMES IN COMMON MAN'S BUDGET 

• Common man gets a treat, over 15 schemes 

• Health budget up by Rs 4,000 cr, 6 new AIIMS in cities 

• Bengal benefits, Mamata and Pranab budget for their state 

• Full text: Union Budget 2009 

• Software industry gets tax benefits for one more yr 

Photogallery

Find us on Facebook | Join IBNLive community

Stay ahead with G-Talk Buddy | Click now!

Jharkhand Mukti Morcha MP Sunil Mahato was murdered in full public view by Naxalites on Sunday evening near Narsingh village of Jamshedpur district.

And a day after the murder of Mahato, there are many theories doing the rounds on what could be the motive behind the murder.

While the widely accepted theory - which has been touted by the Union Home Ministry - is that the killing could be in retaliation to the government's crackdown on the Naxalites, many others believe that there could be a political angle to the murder.

Meanwhile, a CBI inquiry has been launched and there is speculation that Mahato was murdered because he refused to pay cash demanded by the Naxals.

The question that was discussed on CNN-IBN’s show India 360 was - Are Naxalites the greatest threat to India's internal security?

On the panel of experts to discuss the issue were - Professor of Sociology, Delhi University, Nandini Sundar and former Jharkhand Governor and security analyst, Ved Marwah.

When asked what signal are the Naxalites trying to send across when they attack a hi-profile politician like Sunil Mahato, Nandini Sundar clarified that it has not been proved that it was the Naxalites who attacked the MP.

“We don’t really know for sure that it’s the Naxalites who have done it. One theory is that the Naxalites killed him, the other is theory is the internal rivalry within the JMM. There is also mafia angle being talked about in Jharkhand. So it’s too early to say who has killed him. But its standard practise for the police in such killings to say it’s the Naxalites,” she said.

Most JMM supporters are taking the Naxal view into account saying that most probably the murder took place because of a contract dispute. But there seems to a mafia and police collusion linked to his murder.

So does it look like a Naxal killing or a mafia, who are in some way aligned to the Naxals?

Ved Marwah seemed to suggest that it is more likely a Naxal killing and done for money

“It’s to early to come a definite conclusion because the incident has taken place only yesterday. But it is likely to be Naxals considering the way in which he was attacked by a group of people in broad daylight. The area where he has been killed is a Naxal-infested one,” Marwah said.

So far, the motive for the Naxals seems to be money as Mahato had become a hurdle in the Naxals attempts to make more money.

• Mahato and his men had stakes in many ongoing civil contract works.

• The Naxals collect a levy from all civil contractors working in the area.

• This levy constituted a major contribution to their kitty.

• However, Sunil Mahato was an exception. Being a local MP, he refused to pay this levy.

Is the movement criminalised?

When asked how far is the modern day Naxal movement ideological, Nandini said, “I would like to say that the argument that it is the biggest security threat that India is facing is a bit ridiculous to say the least.”

However, Ved Marwah chose to disagree.

“No it is a security threat if you see where they are active,” he said, adding, “If you look at the statistics in Jharkhand in the last three years (since the inception of the state) the number of policemen killed by the Naxalites in proportion to the Naxals killed by the police is much larger to that of Jammu and Kashmir. The Naxals are spread over a large area and have local support.”

So the economic and social exploitation, corruption, the politician-criminal nexus is a significant problem and it would a mistake to underestimate that.

Nandini pointed out that it is not a big military threat, but is being fought wrongly.

“It’s a mistake to think that if it is a problem, it can be solved militarily rather than politically and through dialogue rather than actually introducing development where it works,” she said.