Muhammad Haroon
The Naxalite movement is a tribal rebellion spread across India for more than three decades based on social inequality and economic backwardness. The Naxalite or Maoist movement confined to eastern and northeastern states of the country is a problem as it exemplifies the mismanagement of state to meet needs of most deprived population. Its counter-insurgency effort has been substantially robust but due to the Indian government’s approach, highly dominated by militarization and suppression, Naxalite insurgency could not be not eradicated. Instead, the problem stays and the tribal areas are ignored, marginalized and suffering with human rights violations.
In recent years, many development projects have been launched and implemented in the area but Indian government could not solve real issues of rebellion. Still, government, particularly under Modi regime, has gone full military route regarding Naxalite groups as terrorists and sending armed forces to affected regions dominated by Naxalites. In the wake of Modi government, Naxalite problems are on the rise. While Hindutva-filled regime of the current states shows no eagerness towards political reunion or socio-economic rehabilitation of these tribal populations, reluctance of states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Orissa to implement National Register of Citizens (NRC) also reveal the extent of divergence within India.
The Naxalite movement gained momentum, tapping into grievances of India’s marginalized populations, particularly those in rural and forested areas who had long been ignored by successive governments. These regions remain severely impoverished, with over 60-70% of residents in Naxalite-affected areas living below the poverty line, devoid of proper healthcare, education, and land rights. Successive governments have promised reforms, yet decades later, these promises remain largely unfulfilled.
Despite various development initiatives, Indian government’s approach has been marred by a failure to address root causes of insurgency. Instead, central government, especially under Modi regime’s Hindutva-driven policies, has chosen a militaristic path, labeling Naxalite groups as terrorist organizations and deploying heavy military forces across Naxalite-controlled areas.
The rise of Modi government has exacerbated Naxalite crisis. With an emphasis on Hindu nationalism, the current regime has little inclination to engage in political reconciliation or address the socio-economic demands of these tribal populations. Refusal of states like Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Orissa to implement National Register of Citizens (NRC) further reflects this resistance and underscores divisions within Indian Union.
But Naxalite insurgency is not only internal conflict in India, which can be exemplify the problem of a state that failed to incorporate the population into a common national identity. The situation in IIOJK, the treatment of the tribal people and constant discriminations and marginalization of the minorities all speak of the deeper issues in Indian political system.
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Off late, Human Right Watch and other international human rights organizations and INGOs have expressed concerns of Indian government policy approach towards the Naxalite movement. Details of widespread right abuses, forceful displacement and use of force on innocents have raised voices for diplomacy with India instead of war like policy and approach.
Non-international armed conflict has been estimated that 12,877 people have been killed between 1996 and 2024 or 15,269 has been killed in non-international armed conflicts as per the U.S. Department of Justice estimation. Efficiency of the Indian state’s brutality response has seen most villages being assaulted, with thousands of families displaced from their homes. According to a March 2024 UN report on human rights in India there were ‘continuing’ reports of ‘attacks on religious, racial and ethnic minorities activists and media’. These statements evidence a global understanding of India’s human rights drawbacks thus catalyzing the international lobby for his policy change.
India’s militaristic approach to counter Naxalite rebellion is not limited to policing; state authorized and backed violent, aggressive mafia to intimidate unrest. State-sponsored violence in these areas has led to aggravated marginalization of such societies to extremity. This kind of excessive use of force is counterproductive as it is helping the other side to destabilise India by making some of the marginalized section of its population nearly radicalised.
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The problem of Naxalite uprising can in no means be solved by armed force and military might only. Most of the pundits concur with the proposition that the crisis is both a challenge to development and a call to dialogue. Social justice and inclusion translated into sustained undertakings in engineered can be a credible road map to peace. Most of these affected areas suffer from bad land rights policies; the government should change these policies and empower farmers to benefit from their land, provide education and healthcare to the poor communities, these measures will reduce the compliance for insurgency.
Thus, Indian government must remain under pressure from the international human rights organizations and civil society (domestic non-governmental organizations) for the people-friendly solution. People should come out in their civil society organizations to protest against state led actions demanding for revelations and adherence to human rights in areas considered to be controlled by the Naxalites. Further, the Indian government needs to understand that Naxalite is not just a lawlessness problem but a social economical problem which depicts the problem of inequality and exclusion of certain group.
The Naxalite insurgency is a painful sample of social pain that appears when a state ignores the needs of the excluded population. If India is to pursue sustainable peace, its strategic disposition needs to be redirected from military focus toward the state organization concomitant with structuring of the social justice. The inhabitants of Naxalite affected areas should get a chance to speak and to live their lives as first-class citizens in India.
Finally, Indian authorities will have to admit that they could not effectively solve the Naxalite problem. Only then it is possible for India to prepare for a more united nation, which is no longer blurred by internal conflict and partition.
The writer is Islamabad based regular contributor.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of The Diplomatic Insight or its editorial board. The content is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as an endorsement of any particular viewpoint, policy, or action.
