Mainstreaming Maoists: Time will tell if efforts of cops, K’taka govt will pay off

Bengaluru(The Uttam Hindu): Following the recent encounter with Naxal leader Vikram Gowda (44) in the Kabbinale forest region of Hebri taluk in Udupi district, Karnataka, the Anti-Naxal Force (ANF) has intensified combing operations in the area.

This has forced the remaining Maoists to retreat deeper into the forests of neighbouring Kerala.

There has been no trace of Maoist teams led by Mundagaru Latha and those associated with Vikram Gowda during the encounter, including Sundari and others, who managed to escape.

Police have claimed that the Maoists aimed to expand their base in Karnataka following the increased focus on the implementation of the Kasturirangan Committee’s report.

The Kasturirangan Committee on the Western Ghats, was formed in 2012 to examine the Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) report, also known as the Gadgil Committee report.

The committee was tasked with balancing the needs of conservation and sustainable development in the Western Ghats, a region of high ecological sensitivity.

Authorities also revealed that the Maoist teams had been visiting homes and holding meetings with locals, exploiting their fear of eviction from forest areas and the fringes of the forest regions.

Acting on Intelligence inputs and the recovery of weapons, the police gathered information about Vikram Gowda's movements, ambushed him, and shot him dead in an encounter on November 19.

Speaking to IANS, senior advocate Dinesh Hegde Ulepady, who has extensively traveled through the forests of the Western Ghats, rejected the notion that the Kasturirangan report triggered the Maoist movement in the region.

He emphasised that locals are being forced to live in appalling conditions.

“I have traveled extensively here. Even today, locals are forced to carry the sick for kilometers to reach hospitals. The forest department does not allow the construction of roads, and if local tribes attempt to build one, they face legal action. They are prohibited from touching honeycombs on trees, an activity they have practiced for thousands of years,” he stated.

“Where will the locals go if they are threatened by the police? There are many fundamental questions surrounding the issue. Following the encounter, there is panic. The entry of police forces itself raises significant concerns among local tribes. There was no significant Naxal activity in the region until now. We don’t know where this development will lead,” Ulepady added.

Muneer Katipalla, a CPI-M State Committee Member and social activist, maintained that the Kasturirangan report has caused anxiety and concern among people living on the fringes of the forest.

He stated that the Naxal movement in Karnataka has reached its final stages.

“For the past 15 to 16 years, the Naxal movement has been weakening in the state. Since the encounter of Saketh Rajan in 2005, there have been no new recruits, and those already in the movement have become inactive. Most of them are Adivasis living under abominable conditions,” he stated.

Katipalla explained that while the Kasturirangan report has pushed locals into a state of panic, any resulting movement would not necessarily be a Maoist one.

“Naxalism emerged in the state 25 years ago, and I have observed it closely. The government is not practicing what it preaches. There is a significant gap between words and actions. In my opinion, the government has taken an extreme step to suppress any people’s movement,” he opined.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Home Minister G. Parameshwara have appealed to the Maoists to lay down arms and surrender, encouraging them to accept the rehabilitation package offered by the government.

Internal Security Division DGP Pronab Mohanty has issued a stern warning, stating that surrender is the only option left for the Maoists.

Karnataka is home to one of the largest forest covers in the country.

Experts have warned that opposition to the Kasturirangan Committee’s recommendations could have disastrous consequences for the ecologically-fragile Western Ghats.

The report proposes that 37 per cent of the total area of the Western Ghats, about 60,000 square kilometers, should be declared an eco-sensitive area (ESA).

The Karnataka government has rejected the Kasturirangan Committee report and opposed its recommendations, fearing that its implementation could hinder development in the region.

The classification of 56,826 square kilometers of the Western Ghats region, including areas in Karnataka and other states, under the Kasturirangan Committee's recommendations by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests has sparked significant opposition in the state.

Police claim that the Maoists are attempting to exploit the insecurity of farmers and residents in these areas, who fear eviction following the implementation of the report.

Authorities had earlier gathered Intelligence that the team led by Vikram Gowda and Mundagaru Latha was meeting with families living on the fringes of forest areas and conducting meetings.

It is to be seen whether the efforts of the police and the government will result in bringing the Maoists to mainstream.