Click to play videoNew Delhi: On Sunday, Naxal rebels yet again depicted their ability to strike at will when they gunned down Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MP Sunil Mahato and three others at a crowded public function in Ghatshila near Jharkhand.
The daring attack was a grim reminder of the dreaded Red Corridor that runs through Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, all the way to Andhra Pradesh and to the upper reaches of Maharashtra.
Inside this Red Corridor, set up in the tribal forest lands of Central India and stretching from Nepal to Andhra Pradesh, the Naxalites run a parallel government and vow to continue their fight against the state - a full-fledged war they call "people's struggle".
It was somewhere along this corridor in the Jharkhand-Bihar border, that the flagship rebel party - CPI (Maoist) - recently organised its party congress after 36 years, amid lilting music and enthusiastic sloganeering.
However, the grim message running underneath the apparent gig and celebration was not lost on anyone.
Rather, it was reinforced with renewed zest – something that should worry the Union Home Ministry.
The red brigade reaffirmed that the people's war against the state all along the Naxal-dominated states in the heart of India is on.
“People need to be empowered with political and military, support to fight government policies,” said a Naxal.
The trained gun-toting extremists took their vow in the presence of senior leaders including general secretary Ganapathi in the undisclosed forest tracts.
They expressed their support for those fighting for their respective causes in Kashmir and Manipur, resolved to fight for Dalits and interestingly, swore to prevent SEZs from coming up.
The fact that the rebels even decided to video-record the proceedings showed that they want the government to know they mean business.
FULL COVERAGE: THE RED CORRIDOR | |
| Red Terror: India under siege from within They have a 10,000-strong army and have established presence in 170 districts across 15 states in the country. Their objective is to overthrow elected governments. Is Indian Govt ready to respond to this challenge? Video: Part I | Part II | |
| Rumblings in the Red Land The Maoist Communist Centre and the People's War Group united to form the CPI-M in 2004. The alliance made the new outfit called the People’s Guerilla Army (PGA). Video: Part I | Part II | |
| Lal Salaam: Masses as a shield The familiarity between the villagers and the Maoist insurgents is perplexing. The Lal Salaam - an unmistakable sign of solidarity, makes it difficult for the security forces to track them down. | |
The ploy: Power to the people
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| Fightback: Crack Force ready to strike Stung by the parallel government set up by the Maoists, the Chhattisgarh government has initiated a massive retraining programme in its counter-terrorism and jungle warfare school. | |
| War strategy: Beat them at their dens The Chhattisgarh government has initiated a massive retraining programme to create a combat-ready special police force. | |
Govt, tribals gang up against the red brigade
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Mapping the Red wave
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