With their back to the wall Maoists resort to extortion
Maoists, who propagate themselves as the messiah of the poor, are virtually working against the interests of the down trodden. Poor villagers, including the tribals are increasingly becoming victims of Maoist onslaughts.
THE RECENT activities of the Maoists have raised a serious question about their goals. With the continuous pressure from the security forces the Maoists are on the run. With their back stuck on the wall the Maoists have started resorting to their old tactics of scaring the tribals at gun point and mounting torture on the poor villagers to expand their bases in new areas.
A senior intelligence official said the Maoists had been trying to penetrate into the new areas of West Bengal and Maharashtra following mounting pressures from the security forces in Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal and Chhatishgarh.
“The Maoists have been attacking the security forces at regular interval on one hand and on the other, they have intensified tortures on the poor tribals in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and Maharashtra to extort support from the them,” the official said.
Like any other terrorist organisation, he said, the Maoists had been creating fear psychosis among the villagers and tribals by threatening them to kill, loot and rape with the lone purpose of expanding their bases. Moreover, their kangaroo courts were even worse than the concentration camps of the Nazis or Talibans, he pointed out.
“The recent disclosures to media by a couple of women squad leaders of the Maoists only confirm corruption, nepotism and sexual abuse of its cadres by the leaders of the red ultras,” he said.
The intelligence official said a number of medium level Maoist leaders had been indulging in crimes like dacoity targeting small and medium businessmen to extort funds for the organisation. Police recently arrested a medium level Maoist leader from west Bengal for looting money from a businessman and killing him. A number of similar incidents were reported from Nadia, Murshidabad and Birbhum districts.
Intelligence reports suggested that the Maoists had also been forcing some villagers to cultivate opium in at least three districts of the state. “They are desperate to enter the drug market to collect funds and arms with the security forces mounting their operations against them,” the report said.
The Maoists had reportedly set up links with Laskar-e-Toiba, Inter-Services Intelligence and several militant organisations operating in the Northeast to get help from them.
Meanwhile, several left leaders have accused the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal of conniving with the Maoists to expand their bases in areas, known as the stronghold of the left parties.
A senior intelligence official said the left leaders’ allegations might not be baseless at all as there had been several instances of Maoists’ link with Trinamool Congress. “Several Maoist leaders have already admitted that they had helped Trinamool Congress in Nandigram, Singur and Khejuri with arms and training. Moreover, a Maoist has recently been arrested from the car of a Trinamool Congress leader,” he said.
What was even more disturbing, he said, was the way the Trinamool Congress activists had snatched an arm supplier of the Maoists from police custody in East Midnapore. “Unfortunately, Trinamool Congress MP Subhendu Adhikari has openly supported the action. The concerned police personnel had been suspended after the incident,” he observed.
The official said he had also received reports that a good number of Maoist activists, who were forced to flee Jangal Mahal following continuous raids by the security forces, had again infiltrated into Nandigram, Contai and Khejuri to help the Trinamool Congress.
“It is an old game being repeated time and again since 2006 and 2007. In 2006 and 2007, the Maoists not only supplied arms and provided training to the volunteers of Trinamool Congress led Bhumi Uchched Committee but also actively participated in the agitation. In return, the Trinamool Congress and its allies went out of their ways to help Chhatradhar Mahato, a Trinamool Congress activist and a former Maoist, forms People’s Committee to enable the Maoists to rule Jangal Mahal by annihilating the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and other Left Front cadres,” he pointed out.
Over 400 CPI (M) activists have been killed by the Maoists in West Bengal since the People’s committee’s agitation in Jngal Mahal.
“The Maoists are helping the Trinamool Congress not only to wipe out CPI (M) from West Bengal but also hope that Mamata Banerjee and her party will be able force the United Progressive Alliance government to withdraw the central forces from the state. On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress think tank believes that the Maoists would help the party fight the CPI (M) and come to power after the 2011 assembly elections in the state.
“The Maoists have been attacking the security forces at regular interval on one hand and on the other, they have intensified tortures on the poor tribals in West Bengal, Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar and Maharashtra to extort support from the them,” the official said.
Like any other terrorist organisation, he said, the Maoists had been creating fear psychosis among the villagers and tribals by threatening them to kill, loot and rape with the lone purpose of expanding their bases. Moreover, their kangaroo courts were even worse than the concentration camps of the Nazis or Talibans, he pointed out.
“The recent disclosures to media by a couple of women squad leaders of the Maoists only confirm corruption, nepotism and sexual abuse of its cadres by the leaders of the red ultras,” he said.
The intelligence official said a number of medium level Maoist leaders had been indulging in crimes like dacoity targeting small and medium businessmen to extort funds for the organisation. Police recently arrested a medium level Maoist leader from west Bengal for looting money from a businessman and killing him. A number of similar incidents were reported from Nadia, Murshidabad and Birbhum districts.
Intelligence reports suggested that the Maoists had also been forcing some villagers to cultivate opium in at least three districts of the state. “They are desperate to enter the drug market to collect funds and arms with the security forces mounting their operations against them,” the report said.
The Maoists had reportedly set up links with Laskar-e-Toiba, Inter-Services Intelligence and several militant organisations operating in the Northeast to get help from them.
Meanwhile, several left leaders have accused the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal of conniving with the Maoists to expand their bases in areas, known as the stronghold of the left parties.
A senior intelligence official said the left leaders’ allegations might not be baseless at all as there had been several instances of Maoists’ link with Trinamool Congress. “Several Maoist leaders have already admitted that they had helped Trinamool Congress in Nandigram, Singur and Khejuri with arms and training. Moreover, a Maoist has recently been arrested from the car of a Trinamool Congress leader,” he said.
What was even more disturbing, he said, was the way the Trinamool Congress activists had snatched an arm supplier of the Maoists from police custody in East Midnapore. “Unfortunately, Trinamool Congress MP Subhendu Adhikari has openly supported the action. The concerned police personnel had been suspended after the incident,” he observed.
The official said he had also received reports that a good number of Maoist activists, who were forced to flee Jangal Mahal following continuous raids by the security forces, had again infiltrated into Nandigram, Contai and Khejuri to help the Trinamool Congress.
“It is an old game being repeated time and again since 2006 and 2007. In 2006 and 2007, the Maoists not only supplied arms and provided training to the volunteers of Trinamool Congress led Bhumi Uchched Committee but also actively participated in the agitation. In return, the Trinamool Congress and its allies went out of their ways to help Chhatradhar Mahato, a Trinamool Congress activist and a former Maoist, forms People’s Committee to enable the Maoists to rule Jangal Mahal by annihilating the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and other Left Front cadres,” he pointed out.
Over 400 CPI (M) activists have been killed by the Maoists in West Bengal since the People’s committee’s agitation in Jngal Mahal.
“The Maoists are helping the Trinamool Congress not only to wipe out CPI (M) from West Bengal but also hope that Mamata Banerjee and her party will be able force the United Progressive Alliance government to withdraw the central forces from the state. On the other hand, the Trinamool Congress think tank believes that the Maoists would help the party fight the CPI (M) and come to power after the 2011 assembly elections in the state.
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