Does Palamu attack signal a revival of CPI (Maoist)?

The Jharkhand government used the run-up to Republic Day to showcase its "achievements" on various fronts. Just 3 days ago, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar had hoisted the largest tricolour in the country atop the tallest pole at Pahari Mandir in Ranchi.

However on the evening of 27 January, the state was given a violent reminder. The Maoists struck at the Kalapahari area of Palamu district, killing 5 police personnel and 2 civilians. Apparently 8 persons were injured in the landmine attack.

Also read - Chhattisgarh Police seek to gain control in Bastar as Maoist unit weakens

The attack

Photo: Amit Das

The incident has come as a shock to the government and the police. The initial response of police and the local administration was to downplay the attack. At first, they claimed that nobody had died and just few people had sustained injuries. But barely an hour later, the police admitted that two of its personnel had lost their lives. It was in no position to conceal the truth by around 10.30 pm.

There were reports of violent skirmishes between CPI (Maoist) and another Naxalite organisation called Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC) in Kalapahari region for the past few days. The two outfits had clashed on the night of 26 January in the same area. The next morning, there was a fierce encounter between police and the Maoists.

CPI (Maoist) is under attack from rival Naxal outfits in Jharkhand. Palamu is its last bastion

The CPI (Maoist) cadre had reportedly informed the security personnel that several of their comrades were killed in this encounter. But it proved to be a trap.

The policemen were attacked on their way back after investigating the Maoist claims in an enclosed TATA-407 vehicle.

Also read - Class divide: how Maoist factions are cancelling each other out

Police negligence

Photo: Amit Das

It was a straight-forward case of police negligence. There are clear operational guidelines that bar security personnel from traveling in enclosed vehicles in Maoist-affected regions as they become an easy target.

However, Palamu police chose to ignore these guidelines. They seem to have learnt no lessons from a similar attack near Hazaribagh a few years ago in which the Maoists killed 14 police jawans in an explosion. They, too, had boarded an enclosed vehicle.

It is estimated that 487 police personnel have died in Maoist violence since the formation of the state. The latest attack has, once again, exposed the laxity of the Jharkhand police in tackling the left wing insurgency.

The police has 5 anti-landmine vehicles in Palamu but none of them are in working condition as their tyres are dysfunctional.

The state police headquarters had issued nine tyres for these vehicles in 2014. Only two of them reached Palamu. The rest have not been transported from the headquarters. This was the reason the ill-fated policemen had no option but to travel in an ordinary TATA-407 mini truck.

Chief Minister Raghubar Das has vowed that the sacrifice of these policemen will not go in vain. Accusing Maoists of cowardice, he expressed solidarity with the aggrieved families and assured all assistance in the treatment of the injured.

Photo: Amit Das

But these words are not reflected in the reality on the ground. The injured people were rushed to Ranchi's Medica Hospital. But no senior police official took the trouble to visit the hospital on the night of 27 January. This is despite the fact that most of them were in the city at that time.

Jharkhand DGP DK Pandey accepts the responsibility of negligence that led to this attack. He has promised that the police will soon establish a camp in the Kalapahari region. He said that the police has sufficient resources to counter the Maoists and that the insurgents would be completely wiped out from Jharkhand in 2016.

The policemen traveled in an enclosed vehicle, in violation of the security guidelines

Despite the DGP's bravado, the Palamu incident clearly indicates a resurgence of left-wing terrorism in Jharkhand. It was assumed, not long ago, that the Maoist insurgency was breathing its last in the state. The Jharkhand government as well as police administration were claiming Operation Saranda and other police operations had broken the back of the red ultras.

The state has witnessed an attack of this magnitude after a long interval. The killing of two policemen in Godda during the Lok Sabha elections was dismissed as an aberration. There was a time when Palamu was considered as a Maoist bastion where even security personnel feared to enter. However, the region had been relatively calm in the past few years.

What is the CPI (Maoist) trying to achieve?

Photo: Amit Das

The attack has also left several unanswered questions regarding the strategy of CPI (Maoist). Why did it suddenly choose to attack the police when TPC was posing a serious challenge to its dominance in the region?

Several analysts view it as a battle of existence for CPI (Maoist) in Jharkhand. The ultra-left party was forced out of its strongholds by Operation Saranda. Its sphere of influence has considerably shrinked over the last few years. Several other Naxalite organisations like People's Liberation Front of India (PLFI) have strengthened their roots in regions surrounding Ranchi. The CPI (Maoist) is fighting for survival against TPC in the Chatra-Hazaribagh area.

According to the state government, 76 Maoist organisations are active in Jharkhand. They extort levy in their respective areas. Palamu is apparently the only region in Jharkhand where CPI (Maoist) still has some presence. The latest terror attack was a desperate attempt at saving its last citadel in the state. It is their way of telling rival groups that they are still relevant in Jharkhand.

Police has 5 anti-landmine vehicles in Palamu but none of them are in a working condition

It is no secret that Naxal groups have mushroomed in Jharkhand with the sole purpose of extorting money. Currently, PLFI and TPC seem to have overtaken CPI (Maoist) in this illegal business. Some people believe TPC has a tacit backing of police to weaken the more nefarious CPI (Maoist).

The Palamu attack might be the beginning of yet another bloody battle between various left insurgent groups. After losing the coal-rich area of Chatra to TPC, the forest region of Palamu is vital for the existence of CPI (Maoist) in Jharkhand.

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