The Maoist attack on District Reserve Guard personnel at Dantewada in Chhattisgarh, which resulted in the death of 10 jawans and a civilian driver, is a blow to the counterinsurgency operations in the state. The DRG jawans were returning in a van from an anti-Maoist operation when Maoists set off an IED packed with 50 kilos of explosives that ripped through the vehicle. Wednesday’s attack was the deadliest in a little over two years. The last major attack was on April 3, 2021, when Maoists ambushed DRG personnel along the Sukma-Bijapur border in Chhattisgarh, killing 22 personnel. Maoist violence has been declining across the country, including in strongholds like Chhattisgarh. In February this year, Home Minister Amit Shah told Parliament that fatalities inflicted by Maoists had touched a four-decade low in 2022. The number of districts affected by Maoist violence has halved since 2010, he said. Indeed, the area under Maoist control has declined as have the number of attacks. Meanwhile, the number of Maoists surrendering to the government has grown over the years. However, the capacity of the Maoists to inflict damage remains formidable as evident from Wednesday’s attack.
Part of the reason why the Maoists are able to carry out major attacks is that they have strong intelligence-gathering capacity. Many local residents support them and alert them on the movement of security personnel. While some may do so due to Maoist intimidation, police harassment of local tribals is an important local grievance that contributes to Maoist capacity. Importantly, there is laxity on the part of the State. The DRG personnel were reportedly travelling in a hired private van. While they may have done so to camouflage troop movement, this is a violation of standard operating procedures (SOP). Additionally, why was the road not sanitised? For the government and the security forces to not learn these lessons even after the Pulwama suicide-bomber tragedy in Kashmir in 2019, where similar mistakes were noted, is unacceptable. Just like the deaths of 41 CRPF personnel could have been avoided in Pulwama, the deaths of 11 people at Dantewada, too, could have been avoided had the DRG leadership firmly enforced SOP.
It cannot happen through force alone. Political and socio-economic grievances have forced people to turn against the State and take to arms. Those grievances need to be addressed. It is true that there is economic development in Maoist-controlled areas, but it is benefitting only outsiders, including mining and road-building companies. Local tribals have been evicted from their lands. Development that is extractive and militarised and which excludes marginalised sections will continue to fuel anger and violence.