Jharkhand: West Singhbhum – Lingering Menace
On August 8, 2024, a trooper of the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), the special anti-Naxal [Left Wing Extremism, LWE] unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), was injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion during a search operation against the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadres in the Saranda Forest area under the Chotanagara Police Station limits in West Singhbhum District.
On July 11, 2024, CPI-Maoist cadres shot dead a youth who had come to the weekly market in the Nachalda village of Lonjo Panchayat (a village-level local self-government institution) under the Sonua Police Station limits in West Singhbhum District.
On June 17, 2024, at least five CPI-Maoist cadres, including ‘zonal commander’ Kande Honhaga from Thalkobad in Chaibasa, ‘sub-zonal commander’ Singrai aka Manoj from the Jaigur Police Station area in Chhattisgarh, and ‘area commander’ Surya aka Munda Devgam, were killed, along with two female cadres, Junga Purty aka Marla and Sapni Hansda, in an encounter with SFs near Lipunga in the Tonto and Goilkera areas under Gua Police Station limits in the West Singhbhum District. Singrai carried a bounty of INR 1 million, Kande INR 500,000, and Surya INR 200,000. Singrai and Kande were experts in laying IEDs. Moreover, two Maoists, identified as ‘area commander’ Pandu Hansda and woman Maoist Batri Devgam, were arrested during the operation. Later, one INSAS (Indian Small Arms System) assault rifle, two Self-Loading Rifles (SLRs), three .303 rifles, and one 9mm pistol were also recovered from the site.
These incidents indicate a continuing risk in the West Singhbhum District, considered one of the worst LWE-affected districts in the country.
According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), at least 12 fatalities, including six civilians and six Naxalites (Left Wing Extremists), have been recorded in eight LWE-linked incidents since the beginning of 2024 (data till August 18) in West Singhbhum District. During the corresponding period of 2023, nine fatalities, including six civilians and three SF personnel, were recorded in eight LWE-linked incidents, while another 10 fatalities, including five civilians, two SF personnel, and three Naxalites, were recorded in 10 LWE-linked incidents in the remaining period of 2023. There were four fatalities, including two civilians and two SF personnel, recorded in three LWE-linked incidents in 2022. Since March 6, 2000, when SATP started compiling data on LWE across India, at least 228 fatalities, including 78 civilians, 88 SF personnel, 58 Naxalites, and four fatalities in the ‘unspecified’ category, were recorded in 103 LWE-linked incidents in the West Singhbhum District.
No SF fatality has been registered in West Singhbhum District in the current year, thus far (data till August 18). The last SF fatality was recorded on November 17, 2023, when a CPI-Maoist-triggered IED blast killed a CRPF trooper and injured two others, when a squad of the paramilitary forces was conducting an anti-Maoist operation in a forest area under Goilkera Police Station limits in West Singhbhum District. Five SF personnel were killed including the November 17, 2023, fatality, in 2023. Since March 6, 2000, 88 SF personnel have been killed in the district.
Civilians remain under continuous danger in the district, with at least six civilians already killed since the beginning of the year (data till August 18). During the corresponding period of 2023, six civilian fatality was registered, and another five civilian fatalities were recorded in the remaining period of 2023, giving a total of 11 civilian fatalities through 2023. There was a high of 13 civilian fatalities in 2013, while a low of one fatality was documented in 2015. Since March 6, 2020, 78 civilians have been killed in the district.
Other parameters of LWE-linked violence indicate a decline in Maoist activities in West Singhbhum. The Maoists have triggered at least two blasts in the current year, the second lowest in a single year since 2000, with the previous low of one recorded twice, in 2004 and 2019. There were 26 such incidents in 2023, and three in 2022. A total of 51 such blasts have been recorded since March 6, 2000.
Overall Maoist-linked incidents decreased from 37 in 2023 to 23 in 2024, within a comparable time frame (data till August 18). A total of 63 Maoist-linked incidents were recorded through 2023. Incidents of killing decreased marginally from nine in 2023 to eight in 2024, again in a comparable time frame. At least 18 incidents of killing were recorded through 2023. A total of 103 such incidents have been recorded since March 6, 2000.
A constant vigil against rebel elements and combing operations have led to the arrests of 340 Naxalites in the district since March 6, 2000. So far, at least five LWE rebels have been arrested in the district in the current year.
Mounting SF pressure has also led to the surrender of 22 Naxalites in the district since March 6, 2000. So far, 15 surrenders have been reported in the current year. On April 11, 2024, as many as 15 CPI-Maoist cadres, including a minor and two women cadres, who were active in the Saranda Forest region in the West Singhbhum District, surrendered before the Police. All the surrendered cadres belong to the squad of Misir Besra aka Bhaskar aka Sunirmal aka Sagar Ji, who carries a bounty of INR 10 million on his head, and Patiram Majhi aka Ramesh aka Anal Da. The Police stated that the Maoists chose to surrender due to their frustration with the exploitation of the people by top Maoist leaders. Speaking on the surrender, Chaibasa Superintendent of Police (SP) Ashutosh Shekhar, stated, “All of them being locals, it will have a great impact on the strength of the red rebels as it will weaken them further.”
West Singhbhum, covers 5,351.41 square kilometres, of which 53 per cent (around 2836.24 square kilometres) are under forest cover. The district is located in the southern part of Jharkhand, bordering Odisha, and is the largest district in the state. The district borders Khunti on the north and Saraikela Kharsawan on the east, in Jharkhand; the Mayurbhanj District of Odisha lies to the southeast; the Keonjhar District of Odisha to the south; with the Simdega District of Jharkhand and Sundargarh District of Odisha located to the west. The geographical juxtaposition of steep mountains and deep hill forests in the district makes it a difficult job for the SFs to contain the LWE rebels.
On June 18, 2024, Director General of Police (DGP) Ajay Kumar Singh warned the red rebels to join the mainstream of society under Jharkhand’s Surrender and Rehabilitation Policy, or face the consequences.
Meanwhile, on June 27, 2024, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted extensive searches at the premises of various suspects and Maoist over ground workers (OGWs) at four locations in West Singhbhum District. A statement issued by the NIA disclosed that several incriminating materials, including mobile phones, documents, and letters, were seized during the searches. The NIA action came in a case (RC-03/2023/NIA/RNC) linked to the arrest in July 2022 of three OGWs, from Bera Kenduda School in West Singhbhum District. The arrested OGWs were working as couriers for the CPI-Maoist. The NIA’s investigation in the case, which it took over in August 2023, is continuing.
Despite actions taken against the rebels, their activities remain unabated.
On July 10, 2024, train services on the Mumbai-Howrah railway route were halted for five hours after Maoists allegedly put up a poster on the railway track at the Odisha-Jharkhand border near Manoharpur Block (administrative division) in West Singhbhum District.
Further, on July 27, 2024, Maoists put up banners and posters across multiple locations including the Panchpahia village school to Domlai village and Jhariakela in the West Singhbhum District, to mark the commencement of their ‘Martyrs’ Week’ (Shaheed Saptah), from July 28 to August 3. Numerous posters were displayed just 50 to 100 meters from the Chotanagara Police Station and the CRPF camp in Chotanagara Village within the Saranda Forest region. Issued by the CPI-Maoist’s ‘Southern Zonal Committee’, the posters called for the observance of the ‘Martyrs’ Week’ and urged villagers to commemorate the sacrifices of the martyrs with revolutionary zeal. The posters mentioned tactics such as Maoist raids, adhering to the rules of war, minimizing unnecessary losses, and increasing the victory ratio in guerrilla warfare.
Earlier, on July 23, 2024, the Maoists put up banners and posters and also left booklets at various places in the areas around Mahali Sai and Chowk in Otar Panchayat under the Karaikela Police Station area in West Singhbhum District, and announced a Jharkhand-Bihar bandh (general shut-down) on July 25 and ‘Martyrs’ Week’ (Shaheed Saptah), from July 28 to August 3. The CPI-Maoist called for a Bihar-Jharkhand Bandh on July 25.
SFs have visibly consolidated their dominance in West Singhbhum and have been able to contain the Naxalites; however, the continuing risks of the rebels cannot be ignored, especially looking at their unending revival efforts and disruptive activities of the rebels. Nevertheless, the Maoists retain the capacities to inflict occasional damage, and to continue with a spectrum of overground activities as well. Jharkhand was long listed among the worst Maoist-affected states in the country, and residual risks are yet to be neutralized.