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On
15 October 2004, the government of Indian State of Andhra Pradesh
and ultra left wing Peoples War Group (PWG) will hold first ever-direct
talk to resolve the three decade old armed conflict. Earlier on
16 June 2004, the Andhra Pradesh government declared a three-month
ceasefire which has further been extended. A 20 member ceasefire
monitoring committee consisting of Subhashchandra Bose (Andhra Pradesh
Civil Liberties Committee), K Balagopal and Jeevan Kumar (Human
Rights Forum), Jaya Vindhyalaya (Peoples Union for Civil Liberties),
C Raghavachari and K Srinivas Reddy (AP Union of Working Journalists),
P Venkateshwarulu, V Hanumantha Rao and Zahid Ali Khan (editors),
T Gopal Rao (retired IAS officer), Y Radhakrishna Murthy (former
MP), R Krishnaiah (backward classes leader), I Mysaiah (Ambedkar
Youth Association), Surya Naik (Lamabadi Hakkula Porata Samiti),
G Chakrapani, Haragopal and Nageshwar (academicians), Ramakrishna
Reddy (retired judge), K Narayana and Ramanarsimha Reddy (CPI) has
been formed. In a further confidence building measure, on 20 July
2004, Andhra Pradesh government withdrew the ban on the PWG.
This
is the most serious attempt to find a negotiated settlement with
the PWG which was formed by Kondapalli Seetharamaiah on 22 April
1980 to fight against social injustices and economic exploitation
of the poorer segments of the society. On 5 May 2002, the PWG declared
one month unilateral cease-fire. However, after three rounds of
preliminary discussions between the PWG emissaries and the State
Government, the talks broke down as the State government refused
to accede to PWG demands for an official cease-fire and termination
of alleged 'fake encounters' and arrests of Naxal cadres. Earlier,
in 1989, then Chief Minister M. Channa Reddy withdrew the ban on
the PWG. The PWG allegedly exploited the freedom to consolidate
its strength and the government banned it again in 1992.
During the talks on 15 October 2004, the PWG will be represented
by Ramakrishna, Secretary of Andhra Pradesh State Committee of the
PWG, S Sudhakar, Secretary of the Andhra-Orissa Border Special Zonal
Committee and Ganesh, member of the North Telangana Special Zonal
Committee. The approved
agenda, among others,
includes the withdrawal of cases against Naxalite activists, release
of political prisoners, removal of cash awards on activists of Naxalite
groups, disbanding of anti-Naxalite groups and creation of a separate
Telengana state.
In
a reply to the Starred Question No. 425 on 25 August 2004, the present
Minister of State for Home, Sri Prakash Jaiswal told Rajya Sabha
that the Central Government has adopted a three pronged strategy
to tackle the problem of Naxalism: "(i) modernization and strengthening
of State Police forces, long term deployment of Para Military forces,
sustained intelligence based well-coordinated anti-naxalite operations,
(ii) focused attention on integrated development of the affected
areas, and (iii) removal of socio cultural alienation of people,
gearing up of public grievances redressal system and creation of
Local Resistance Groups".
Poor
land reforms:
The
governments fail to acknowledge that the lack of land reforms is
the single most important factor for the Naxalite movement. Despite
adoption of a large number of laws including Andhra Pradesh Land
Reforms (Ceiling and Agricultural Holdings) Act, 1973, land reforms
has never been adequately implemented. According to the Bureau of
Economics and Statistics, for 1998-99 the net sown area in Andhra
Pradesh is a little over 1.09 crore hectares out of the total geographical
area of over 2.74 crore hectares. Out of these, only about four
lakh hectares of surplus lands was declared since the adoption of
the Act in 1973. It took nearly 10 years to acquire the surplus
land from land owning farmers, owing to prolonged litigation. Yet,
in the year 1995, the non-tribals were in possession of 7,51,435.66
acres of lands in Scheduled Areas in clear violation of the Ninth
Schedule of the Constitution of India.
Apart
from bearing 50% of the security expenses, Central government also
allocates funds for economic development to combat the Naxalites.
Developmental funds are either mis-used or remain unutilized. In
the meeting with Naxalite affected states on 21 September 2004,
Minister of State for Home, Sriprakash Jaiswal stated that funds
allotted to some states in 2003 under the BDI had not be utilised
fully. Consequently, the Centre decided that the states would not
get the next installment of the central fund till they showed they
had used up the money given in the previous year. The National Democratic
Alliance government had included 53 Naxal-affected districts under
the BDI. Each of these districts will get an additional Rs 15 crores
a year for three years from the Centre.
Yet,
in a reply to the Unstarred Question No 3487 on 23 April 2003, then
Minister of State for Home informed the Rajya Sabha that In 2002-2003,
the Central government received proposals under Integrated Action
Plans, encompassing development as well as security aspects in the
affected areas, of Rs.1299.17 crores from Andhra Pradesh, Rs.1862.72
crores from Bihar, Rs.1435.13 crores from Chattisgarh, Rs.615 crores
from Madhya Pradesh, of Rs.838 crores from Maharashtra and Rs.268.84
crores from Orissa. Yet, the most States cannot utilize a meager
Rs 15 crores per district.
Atrocities
Against Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes:
Apart
from poverty and land alienation, the atrocities against the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes provide the grounds of growth of Naxalism.
Whether it is in the case of the massacre of Dalits at Tsundur village
in Guntur district in 1991 or brutal murder of a dalit leader, Birusanti
Obanna from Koilkuntla area of Kurnool
district on 22 January 2004, perpetrators
often go unpunished. Although, the government of India adopted
the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities)
Act, 1989, Andhra Pradesh government had established only 12 Special
Courts by 2003.
The
conviction rate for offences against the SCs and STs remains extremely
low primary because of the caste bias which permeates the executive
and judiciary. The Kurnool District Special Court for under SC/ST
Prevention of Atrocities Act, rejected 39 cases registered under
the Act between 29 May and 3 September 1999 on the grounds that
the crimes - which included murders, assaults, rapes - were not
committed on account of the victims being Dalit, but on account
of enmity and lust. The judge in his orders did not give any reason
as to how he arrived at this conclusion. Out of the 1,805 cases
of atrocities against SCs and STs registered in 1998, 1,897 cases
in 1999 and 1,912 cases in 2000 according to then Andhra Pradesh
Home Minister T. Devender Goud, only 27
persons were convicted by May 2001.
Impunity
for fake encounter killings:
In
order to tackle the Naxalites, the State government of Andhra Pradesh
imposed Disturbed Areas Act which provides the extraordinary powers
for arbitrary arrests and detention. Extrajudicial executions have
been part of anti-Naxalite operations. The Andhra Pradesh Police
reportedly established an armed vigilante group known as the "Green
Tigers," whose mission is to combat Naxalite groups in the
state. The NHRC has investigated some 285 reported cases of so-called
"fake encounter deaths" allegedly committed by the Andhra
police in connection with anti-Naxalite operations. In its 1996-97
annual report, the NHRC stated that the evidence on record did not
show in any of the cases "that any prior attempt" was
made by the police to arrest the deceased persons. The report observed
that in "none of these encounters, did police personnel receive
any injury", while one or more persons from the other side
died. The Commission further observed that "no attempt whatsoever"
was made to ascertain the identity of the police officers who fired
the bullets that caused the deaths, and that no attempt was made
to investigate the circumstances under which the police opened fire.
"As this appeared to be the pattern of the procedure followed
by the police", the report concluded, "the Commission
felt it necessary to conclude that the procedure followed by them
was opposed to law". In order to scuttle such inquiries by
National Human Rights Commission of India, then Chandra Babu Naidu
government established State Human Rights Committee, which does
not even meet the standards set by the flawed Human Rights Protection
Act of 1993.
The
alleged extrajudicial killings of Rangavelli, a senior leader of
CPI (M-L) Janashakthi along with 4 others on 11 November 1999, Nalla
Adi Reddy, Arramreddy Santosh Reddy and Seelam Naresh after their
arrest from Bangalore in a covert operation in 1 December 1999,
Bodiga Ravindar and Lambadi Ramulu on 11 January 2000, Yerra Satyam
and Sivanandaare on 25 Janaury 2004 are clear testimonies to continuing
patterns of extrajudicial executions.
The
success of ongoing peace process in Andhra Pradesh could pave the
way to find solutions to the Naxalite problems across India. According
to the information presented at the meeting with Naxalite affected
states on 21 September 2004, 125 districts in 12 States are affected
by Naxalite violence in varying degrees and another 24 districts
were targeted by the Naxals. Naxal violence has claimed 405 lives
in 1,140 incidents till 31 August 2004 as against 348 deaths in
1,138 incidents in 2003. The Naxal violence from 1968 to 2004 has claimed
5,805 lives. They include 2565 Naxalites, 2722 civilians and 518
policemen. The figures fail to address extensive human rights violations
perpetrated by both the Naxalites and the security forces.
Unless, both the Naxalites and state government
of Andhra Pradesh can develop mechanisms to address land alienation
of the tribals and land reforms, and establish accountability for
atrocities against SCs and STs and extrajudicial executions, the
Naxalite movements are unlikely to wither away.
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