718 civilians die in Maoist violence in 2010

Unabated Maoist violence in 2010 claimed the lives of 718 civilians accounting for more deaths than the previous year though the incidents were lesser in number compared to 2009, according to the government figures.

The deaths in 2010 occurred in 2212 Maoist incidents compared to 591 civilian deaths in 2258 incidents in 2009. Maoists, who are also known as Naxals, also carried out 365 attacks on economic infrastructure during 2010, figures revealed.

The Government has adopted a two-pronged strategy of development and calibrated police action to deal with the Naxal menace, identified as the biggest internal challenge in India.

It is also assisting the state governments in every possible manner. The Centre has provided Central Para-Military Forces to the states for assisting them in anti-Naxal operations.

Border Security Force (BSF) was deployed in the Naxal-affected district of Kanker in Chhattisgarh in Dec 2009-Jan 2010, and in Koraput and Malkangiri districts of Orissa in Apr 2010.

Having carefully assessed and analysed the problem and drawing upon its vast experience of successfully fighting terrorism and insurgency, BSF has adopted a combat and non-combat strategy in consonance with the Government?s policy of security and development, the government said in a release.

During the early stages of deployment, BSF met with stiff resistance and skirmishes between BSF and Naxalites were more frequent. Naxalites used IEDs to inflict maximum causalities on the force personnel with the aim of demoralizing and gaining upper hand in the area. After a detailed planning and meticulous execution, effective domination of the area was achieved, the government said.

To avoid collateral damage, BSF carried out surgical anti-Naxal operations by developing precise intelligence. It was able to detect 54 unexploded IEDs in 2010, neutralize 4 and apprehend 229 Naxals and recover 182 arms. There is now willing cooperation and flow of information from villagers.

Another area of focus for BSF consequent to its deployment was to inculcate a sense of security among the people and fulfil their aspirations for development.

A series of meetings were held with the public in remote and inaccessible areas. Despite initial reluctance and threatening calls given by Naxalites to the people forbidding them from taking part in the BSF meetings, people came forward.

The public along with the Force identified education, health, connectivity, development and social awakening as some of the issues which needed immediate attention.

Welfare measures taken by BSF have helped the Force win confidence of the people and strengthened its fight against Naxalites in the areas in which it has been deployed in Orissa and Chhattisgarh, the government said.

The Maoist movement began in the late 1960s in a northern town of West Bengal state called Naxalbari, from which the word ?Naxalites? or ?Naxals? , as the rebels are also known, is derived. It subsided in the early 1970s only to resurface as a more violent force that now operates under the Communist Party of India (Maoist).