Is India's Maoist Insurgency Coming Back?

India Antiterror Agency Probes Maoist Ambush That Killed 24 -- Wall Street Journal

NEW DELHI—India's federal antiterror agency will probe a weekend attack blamed on Maoist insurgents in Chhattisgarh state that left two dozen people dead, including local leaders of the ruling Congress party, government officials said Monday.

The government, which earlier had said 28 people were killed in Saturday's ambush in the state's Jagdalpur region, revised the toll to 24 on Monday. Some bodies were counted twice initially, one of the officials from the federal home ministry said.

The official said the National Investigation Agency will investigate the attack. The government also will send 2,000 more paramilitary personnel to reinforce the state's fight against the rebels, he said.

Thousands have been killed in the Maoist insurgency that began in the late 1960s as a peasant uprising.

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More News On India's Conflict Against Maoist Rebels

India probes deadly Maoist ambush in Chhattisgarh -- BBC
India troops hunt Maoist rebels after 24 killed in attack -- CBS/AP
Indian Maoists attack Congress party convoy in Bastar -- UPI
Indian politician suffered brutal treatment in Maoist attack, police say -- CNN
Guards in India Were Outgunned, Attack Survivor Says -- New York Times
India Vows to Fight After Congress Leaders Die in Rebel Ambush -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Indian gov't to intensify anti-Naxalite operations -- Xinhuanet
More paramilitaries for Chhattisgarh state -- UPI
India's Maoist Problem Resurfaces -- Megha Bahree, Forbes
India Inc's confidence shaken by Maoist violence: Assocham -- Business Standard
‘Red Terror’ or ‘Red Revolution’? -- Gowhar Geelani, DAWN
A Decade of Maoist Attacks in India -- Wall Street Journal

India's War Against Maoist Guerrillas Is About To Expand

India Steps Up Fight Against Maoists -- BBC

The Indian government has announced it will increase financial and logistical support for security forces fighting Maoist insurgents in several states.

It says 400 police stations will be built or upgraded, more helicopters will be provided and operations will be co-ordinated by a new joint command.

Authorities say more than 200 security forces and over 300 civilians have been killed by the rebels so far this year.

The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of rural poor.

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India Sets Up Unified Command to Tackle Maoists -- New York Times/Reuters
Top cops sceptical about unified command -- Times Of India
Chhattisgarh to recruit 3,000 special cops -- Sify
India to spend millions on modernizing police to fight Maoist rebels -- Canadian Press
Maoists have been killing over 500 civilians every year: Chidambaram -- Hindustan Times

My Comment: This insurrection has been going on for years .... shuffling the paper and making bureaucracies is not the way to go in tackling this rebellion.

Fighting Between Indian Security Forces And Maoists Rebels Flares Up Again

27 Indian Troops Die In Maoist Rebel Ambush -- Washington Post

PATNA, India -- Maoist rebels killed at least 27 paramilitary troops in an ambush in eastern India on Tuesday, the latest in a series of bold attacks by the guerrillas, a senior police official said.

A 50-strong patrol of the Central Reserve Police Force was ambushed Tuesday evening on a routine patrol in a densely forested area in the Narayanpur district of Chhatisgarh state, said Sunder Raj, a senior local police official. Ten other troops were wounded, he said.

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Naxals ambush, kill 26 CRPF men in Chhattisgarh -- Hindustan Times
26 Indian police killed in Maoist ambush: police -- AFP
26 troopers killed in suspected India Maoist assault -- CNN
26 paramilitary troops killed in ambush in eastern India -- L.A. Times
26 CRPF personnel killed in Maoists attack in Chhattisgarh -- Sify News

Maoist leader, four activists arrested -- The Hindu
Trooper, Maoist rebel killed in clash in eastern India -- Earth Times
Five Maoist leaders arrested in West Bengal -- Sify
India struggles with development in Maoist citadel -- Reuters
India’s poorest stuck between Maoists militants and big business -- RT
Maoists call 48-hour shutdown in five states -- Hindustan Times
India: Maoists Targeting Economy - South Asia Intelligence Review -- Eurasia Review

India's Maoist Rebels Blamed For Train Derailment That Kills 100

Are India's Maoist Rebels Winning The War? -- BBC

Friday's train crash in India has been blamed on "sabotage" by Maoist rebels. It was the latest in a series of rebel attacks after the government launched an offensive against them. The BBC's Soutik Biswas asks whether the rebels are gaining the upper hand.

It is not surprising that Maoist rebels are being blamed for the derailment of an express train in India's West Bengal state, in which 71 passengers were killed.

The police claim they have found posters signed by a local Maoist militia claiming responsibility for removing part of the track, which led to the train skidding off and colliding with a freight train coming in the opposite direction.

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Maoists trigger train crash, 100 die -- Times Of India
Maoists derail train in India, 80 dead -- Yahoo News/AFP
India police say Maoists sabotage train -- Yahoo News/Reuters
At Least 71 people Killed in Train Wreck Blamed on Maoist Rebels -- Voice of America
Third suspected Maoist attack on India train kills 65 -- Christian Science Monitor
India train crash leaves 65 dead in West Bengal state -- L.A. Times
Maoist Rebels Suspected as Indian Train Derails -- New York Times

Train Attack Shows Changing Maoist Tactics -- Wall Street Journal
Maoists in India: Long struggle for the landless poor -- The Guardian
India offers talks if Maoist rebels stop attacks -- AP
Red panic grips Bastar, life crippled for 2nd day -- IBN
Maoists on Terror Campaign in India -- Dallas Blog
Naxals killed 474 security men, 391 civilians in last 3 years, SC told -- Times Of India

India's War Against Its Maoist Rebels Continues

Maoists Blow Up Bus In Chhattisgarh, 35 Dead -- Sify News

At least 35 special police officers (SPOs) and civilians were killed when Maoist guerrillas blew up a bus in a forested stretch in Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district, the same region where they slaughtered 76 security personnel over a month ago.

The bus flew about 20 feet in the air and toppled, killing most of its about 55 occupants, when the Maoists detonated a lethal improvised explosive device on a metalled road linking Dantewada and Sukma towns, about 450 km south of state capital Raipur.

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India Maoist rebels kill many in bus attack -- BBC
35 killed after Maoist rebels blow up bus in India -- The Telegraph
Naxals attack civilians, policemen in Chhattisgarh, 35 killed -- Business Standard
35 killed as Maoists blow up bus in Chhattisgarh -- The Hindu
Maoist Attack in India Kills Dozens -- Wall Street Journal
35 killed in Maoist attack in central India (Roundup) -- M&C
Phone media brings news to India's Maoist heartland -- AFP
Maoist rebels find support among India’s elite -- Financial Times
Fissures among Maoists over ideology, area of authority -- DNA
Villagers Pay Dearly for India’s War with Maoists -- IPS

Inside India's Maoist Insurgency

Image from Top News

Inside The Maoist Insurgency In India's Jharkand State -- BBC

The guerrilla fighter was tough, experienced, leading a platoon of around 60 insurgents.

"I am from a very poor family," the fighter told me.

"Life was very difficult. I joined the party and now I understand many more things. I think revolution is the only option."

One thing you should know about this hardline Maoist rebel - she is a young woman.

She is one of the growing numbers of poor Indians who have joined a four-decades-old Maoist rebellion, in which thousands have died. Last month the rebels killed 76 members of the security forces in a single attack.

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My Comment: For a number of years a lot of criticism has been directed at the Pakistan Government for its failure to act against the Taliban within its own borders until it was too late. After reading the BBC report, one can now easily say the same thing about India.

India's Growing Maoist Insurgency -- News Updates April 7/8, 2010

India’s Naxalite Insurgency: Politics With Bloodshed -- The Economist

An appalling slaughter signals the inadequacy of India’s counter-insurgency effort.

FOR those who consider India’s Maoist insurgency a grave and urgent threat, the evidence keeps mounting. On Tuesday April 6th several hundred Maoist guerrillas attacked a convoy in a forest in eastern Chhattisgarh state, killing 76 paramilitary policemen. This was reckoned to be the worst loss in the history of a stuttering, four-decade-long conflict.

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Image from Asia Times

More News On India's Maoist Insurgency

India Says No Quick Results in Anti-Maoist Offensive -- Voice of America
India 'not planning' to deploy army after Maoist attack -- BBC
India vows to hunt down Maoists -- Al Jazeera
India steels itself for 'internal war' with rebels -- The Australian
Maoist attack stiffens India's resolve -- Asia Times
India gropes for response to Maoist menace -- Asia One
A Shifting Battlefield in Maoist Struggle -- Wall Street Journal
Maoist killings in Dantewada call for multi-pronged response -- Reuters
Fresh Naxal attack in Dantewada -- Times Of India
Search operations continue as troops pour into Chintalnar -- The Hindu

Maoist Attack Massacres Over 70 Indi

India: Maoist Rebels Kill 70 Police Troops In Ambush -- The Telegraph

More than 70 police troops have been killed in a jungle ambush by Maoist guerrillas in south-east India.

It is believed to be the highest number of troops killed by Maoists in a single attack since they launched their 'revolutionary war' more than 20 years ago.

The attack marks an escalation in the insurgency by India's Maoist "Naxalite" movement, which began in West Bengal, but now affects 182 of the country's 612 districts and is a powerful force in Chattisgargh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.

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More News On The Maoist Attack And Massacre Of Indian Troops

Deadly Attack by Maoist Rebels Kills Indian Troops -- Voice of America
Maoist rebels kill dozens of police officers in India -- Times Online
Maoists in eastern India kill 70 soldiers -- L.A. Times
India: Dozens of police dead after Maoist ambush -- CNN
'Maoists have totally militarised themselves' -- Rediff
Chhattisgarh: Maoists kill 75 security personnel -- Indian Express
73 killed as 700 Maoists entrap CRPF team in Chhattisgarh -- Sify News
Major Maoist attacks in the past year -- IBN Live
Why Naxals can easily set up deadly ambushes -- Rediff
Timeline: Major Maoist attacks -- Al Jazeera

Maoists Are A Greater Threat To India Than Islamic Terrorists

Indian Minister: Maoists Are A Greater Threat Than Islamic Terrorists -- Foreign Policy

The Indian government is preparing to deploy thousands of soldiers to defeat the country's growing Naxalite Maoist insurgency. Home minister P Chidambaram's description of the threat posed by the Naxalites was striking:

The Home Minister told a media conclave in Delhi that the Maoists and Islamic militants represented the two biggest threats to India’s national security, but the former was the more serious.

“Jihadi terrorism can be countered, usually successfully, if you are able to share information and act in real time,” he said. “But Maoism is an even graver threat.”

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My Comment: More people are being killed from this Maoist insurgency than from the Islamic insurgency. The Home Minister is correct in his assessment, the Maoist insurgency has the potential to evolve into a greater conflict, and it can easily transcend religious/ethnic lines.

India's War Against Maoists Guerrillas Is Getting Out Of Hand

Maoists Aim To Topple India By 2050: Minister -- AFP

NEW DELHI — India's Maoist rebels aim to overthrow the Indian state by 2050, a top government official was quoted Saturday as saying, warning security forces faced a "long, bloody war" to defeat the rebels.

The Maoists are taking a gradual approach to building their forces for a "final and lethal assault, aiming to overthrow the government by 2050 or 2060," said India's home secretary G.K. Pillai, citing documents seized in raids.

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‘India has lost big chunk to Maoists’ -- Daily Times
'Maoists looking at armed overthrow of state by 2050' -- Times Of India
Maoists planning to throw away Indian system b y 2050: Pillai -- One India
Plan to overthrow govt before 2050: Maoists -- IBN Live
Maoists aim to topple India -- News 24
Indian writer Arundhati Roy ready for Maoist talks role -- BBC
India Rebuffs Maoist Overture -- Wall Street Journal
India cautious on Maoist talks offer -- AFP
India cops arrest Maoist leader -- Straits Time

India's Maoist Insurgency Continues

Photo: The government has launched a major offensive against the rebels.

India Maoist Rebels Kill 24 Troops In West Bengal -- BBC

At least 24 troops were killed when armed Maoists attacked a camp of the paramilitary forces in India's West Bengal state, officials said.

Nearly 50 rebels on motorcycles encircled the camp of the Eastern Frontier Rifles (ERF) at Silda village on Monday and started firing on it.

More fighters joined the assault on foot, firing from automatic weapons.

More than 6,000 people have died during the rebels' 20-year fight for communist rule in many Indian states.

The Indian government recently began a major offensive against the rebels in several states.

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India vows to retaliate against Maoist rebels -- Financial Times
Untrained Bengal cops were Maoists’ sitting ducks -- Hindustan Times
India Condemns Attack by Maoists That Killed 24 Police Officers -- New York Times
Indian troops killed in suspected Maoist attack -- CNN
Maoist rebels kill 24 police in eastern India -- AP
Suspected Maoists kill 24 in Indian police attack -- AFP
Maoist rebels launch counter-attack in West Bengal -- The National
Red terror leaves behind shock, bloodstains -- The Pioneer
Maoists go on a rampage in Shilda -- The Hindu (pictures)

Peace Talks In India With Its Maoist Insurgency

India Minister Seeks 'Negotiations' With Maoist Rebels -- BBC

India's federal home minister has said he is ready for "serious negotiations" with Maoist rebels.

P Chidambaram said the rebels were not "terrorists" and had raised "serious issues" about the lack of development.

Last month, the minister said security forces were getting ready to launch a massive offensive against the rebels.

The rebels are fighting for communist rule in many Indian states. More than 6,000 people have died during the rebels' 20-year fight.

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More News On The Maoist Insurgency In India

Indian government offers talks with Maoist guerrillas -- M&C
2010 will be bloodier if offensive is launched, warn Maoists -- Sify News
Paramilitary forces will engage Maoists: Chidambaram -- The Hindu
58% turnout a stinging rejection of Maoists: Chidambaram -- Times Of India
The Insurgency Threatening India's Schools -- Time Magazine
India Maoist conflict 'affects children's education' -- BBC

India's Maoist Insurgency Is Growing

Communist Rebels Gain Strength In Rural India -- Seattle PI/AP:

JAGDALPUR, India -- All over the countryside in central India, red monuments topped with hammer and sickle symbols announce that this is Maoist land. And these days, nobody could forget it.

A string of recent attacks by communist rebels points to the comeback of an extreme leftist movement inspired by Chinese communist leader Mao Zedong and long seen as outdated. In response, the Indian government has announced plans to deploy more than 70,000 paramilitary and police forces, in a spring offensive that activists criticize as too little, too late.

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More News On India's Maoist Insurgency

Rajkhowa was nabbed, govt admits officially -- Economic Times
Rural poverty and India's Maoist revolt -- BBC
Four killed as Maoists blow up truck in Chhattisgarh -- Times of India
India's Maoists behead school teacher: police - -AFP
Vasectomies, violence inside India's Maoist camps -- AFP
India probes Maoists' foreign links -- Asia Times
India's Maoist insurgency -- ABC Australia (Audio)

Inida's Maoist Rebellion Is Expanding

An Indian officer guarded a post in Barsur, in Chattisgarh State, where Maoists dominate thousands of square miles of territory. Keith Bedford for The New York Times

Maoist Rebels Widen Deadly Reach Across India -- New York Times

BARSUR, India — At the edge of the Indravati River, hundreds of miles from the nearest international border, India effectively ends. Indian paramilitary officers point machine guns across the water. The dense jungles and mountains on the other side belong to Maoist rebels dedicated to overthrowing the government.

“That is their liberated zone,” said P. Bhojak, one of the officers stationed at the river’s edge in this town in the eastern state of Chattisgarh.

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More News On India's Maoist Rebellion

India prepares to fight rebel Maoists -- UPI
India train stranded after attack -- BBC
Maoists’ hijacking of Indian train reveals new audacity -- Christian Science Monitor
India rebels 'got corporate fund' -- BBC
Ten killed in Maoist-hit central India: police -- AFP
Maoist upsurge due to poverty: PM -- Times Of India
Maoists Mix It Up -- Strategy Page
Rebels Widen Deadly Reach Across India -- Free Internet Press
A Nowhere Approach to India’s Nowhere Revolution -- Mainstream Weekly
Indian State and the Spectre of Naxalism -- Mainstream

India's Maoist Insurgency Is Spreading

Maoist Insurgents Ambush Indian Commandos -- New York Times

NEW DELHI — More than 200 Maoist rebels lurking in a remote part of western India’s Maharashtra State ambushed 45 police commandos on Thursday, killed 17 of them and ran off with their weapons, officials announced. The ambush was one of the bloodiest attacks by the Maoists at a time when India’s central government is preparing for a major paramilitary offensive against them.

The ambush came two days after the rebels beheaded an officer in a different region and served as another reminder of their increasingly brazen tactics.

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More News On India's Maoist Insurgency

Growing Maoist threat unnerves Indian officials -- ABC News (Australia)
Rebels Hit India Police in Ambush, Killing 17 -- Wall Street Journal
Maoists 'kill 17 Indian police' -- BBC
Naxals remain defiant, kill 17 state cops -- Economic Times of India
India govt targets Maoists after policeman beheaded -- AFP
No question of giving up arms, says Maoist leader -- Press Trust of India
Crackdown on red triangle soon -- Economic Times of India

Heavy Fighting Resumes Beteween The Indian Army And Maoist Rebels

Hundreds of police and special forces encircled more than 100 heavily armed Maoists around a rebel stronghold in Chhattisgarh. –Reuters/ File photo

Indian Police Kill 24 Maoists In Gun Battle -- Dawn

RAIPUR, India: At least 24 Maoist rebels and one paramilitary soldier were killed in a gun battle in India's insurgency-riddled Chhattisgarh state on Friday, police said.

Chhattisgarh state inspector general of police R.K. Vij said police and paramilitary troopers launched a clearing operation in Dantewada district on Thursday. As the soldiers closed in on a rebel-infested area early Friday, a gunbattle broke out killing the rebels.

Hundreds of police and special forces encircled more than 100 heavily armed Maoists around a rebel stronghold, added Girdhari Nayak, additional director general of police in Chhattisgarh.

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More News On India's Battle With Maoist Geurillas

Indian Maoists in fierce battle -- BBC
'Ten killed' as Indian troops storm Maoist stronghold -- AFP
Police kill 24 Maoists in Chhattisgarh gun battle -- Reuters
24 Naxalites gunned down in Chhattisgarh -- Business Standard
Bodies of 5 missing cops found in Chhattisgarh -- Thaindian News
Chhattisgarh police confirm killing of 30 Maoists -- The Hindu
Orissa asks for 7 battalions of CPMF -- Press Trust of India
Maoist insurgents active in 20 of India's 28 states -- AFP