Role of Women in Naxalite Movement: Violence and Gun System have no place in Democracy — Re-evaluation
Dr. Ramjilal,
Social Scientist, Former Principal, Dayal Singh College, Karnal (Haryana-India)
[email protected]
(Asian Independent)- Looking at the records of Indian history, it is known that many movements were launched by poor tribal farmers and laborers in the tribal areas of India to save water, forests, and land. But the most famous among these movements is the violent armed Naxalite movement of tribal farmers and workers. This movement started in May 1967 in the small village Prasadu Jyot (Prasadujot) in the Naxalbari area (Darjeeling area) of West Bengal and continues till today.
The main theorists and prominent leaders of this movement were Charu Majumdar, Kanu Sanyal, and Jangal Santhal. Charu Majumdar was influenced by Maoist ideology and he wanted to bring a revolution in India like the Chinese Revolution (1949) which he also named it ‘People’s Revolution’. About 14500 people were killed in this armed rebellion from 1996 to 2022. These include approximately 8000 civilians (ordinary citizens), 3400 military forces, and 4000 rebels.
The main reason for this movement is the illegal occupation of the lands of tribal farmers by landlords and moneylenders. A young farmer had a judicial order allowing him to plow his land that was illegally occupied by a landlord. But the goons of the landlord brutally beat up the young farmer on March 2, 1967. As a result, anger, dissatisfaction, and resentment against the landlords reached their peak in the entire area. On March 3, 1967, 150 tribal farmers, armed with bows, arrows, and spears, sounded the trumpet of the movement. In the span of 15 days from 3 March 1967 to 18 March 1967, several violent clashes took place between farmers and landlords. The United Front government of West Bengal added fuel to the fire by using police and paramilitary forces to suppress the movement.
On 24 May 1967, the farmers of Prasadu Jyoti (Prasadujot) village protested against the landlords and the government. Police entered the village to break the farmers’ strike and in the clash between the police and the farmers, a farmer’s broom was hit by an arrow. The village police inspector died.
On 25 May 1967, women started a movement near the village school and their slogan was “Land to tillers”. Eight women, one man, and two children were killed in the firing by the police to avenge the killing of an inspector during a peaceful protest by women and to teach a lesson to the farmers. Therefore, as a result of the repressive policy of the police on 25 May 1967, the nature of the Naxalite movement became extremely aggressive ,and violent and gradually spread throughout India. The police’s premeditated wrong action proved unfortunate, the consequences of which are still being suffered today
Why do Women and Girls join the Naxalite Movement?
This is a questionable question. Deprivation of rights of tribal forests, water, and land due to commercial projects in Naxalite-affected rural areas, lack of proper resettlement of displaced people, lack of a solution to the problems of poverty, unemployment, hunger, etc., lack of health, education and other facilities. When women and girls go to work in the forests or fields, they have to be accompanied by men from the family – father, brother, uncle, grandfather, and relatives, in order to avoid the fear of atrocities by security forces and local police, physical abuse, sexual violence and rape etc. by declaring them as Naxalites or killing them in fake encounters, feeling of revenge among widows due to the killing of their husbands in false encounters, or giving third-degree punishment or killing them in police custody, matriarchal families discouraging young girls from taking part in the movement. The main reasons are motivation, protection, and allurement by Naxalites.
Ideology has an important and unique contribution to any movement. Ideology is the source of inspiration for self-confidence, self-discipline, determination, sacrifice, and the spirit of sacrifice. It creates a feeling of unity and trust among different people. As a result, inspired by ideology, a person is always ready for any sacrifice. Maoists give assurances and rosy dreams to the youth, especially the girls, that their poverty, unemployment, security, and other problems can be solved only through Maoism. The youth become victims of this beautiful dream and become members of Maoist organizations. Women and girls also join the Naxalite movement due to ideology.
Women’s participation in Naxalite movement
Women Naxalites collectively face insurgent attacks on the strategic front and also provide collective security. Women’s participation is almost equal to that of men in many fields. Many women are also forced to take up arms against organized police exploitation or state repression. According to Pratibha Singh, “In the initial phase of the Naxalbari movement, many women, especially middle-class women, joined the movement under the influence of their male counterparts (brothers, husbands, friends and relatives). This movement brought to many women a new ray of hope for self-transcendence from “everyday” life to “heroic” life’. Along with courier services, women also participate in weapons training, guerilla war fighting, handling weapons along with male Maoists, confronting the police and security forces, violence and attacking police stations, etc. But despite this, Even the Maoist ideology did not become independent from the patriarchal ideology. This is the reason that kitchen work is also handled by Maoist women in the forests.
According to Mallarika Sinha Roy, the role of tribal poor farmer women in the Naxalite movement has not been only of background and image. Rather, they have taken an active part in this movement. They are also taking part in violent acts by Naxalite women squads. Women’s participation includes practical knowledge of the strategy and style of ‘guerrilla warfare’, giving shelter to revolutionary comrades in their homes, providing them food and rest, guarding security outside the house, going from village to village to educate women and men about the Naxalite movement. Giving the message, organizing, motivating to participate in the movement, supplying weapons, explaining the style of guerrilla warfare, providing training and explaining the strategy, providing security while fighting with the police and paramilitary forces, and providing protection to the Naxalite youth. The main tasks are to stay in the forests take training and practice in camps and to protect shoulder to shoulder with men against police or paramilitary forces. After being arrested by police or paramilitary forces, Naxalite women in police custody are subjected to unprecedented torture and inhuman treatment. Latika Guha has described the inhuman treatment in police custody in her memoir ‘Let Hell Be Revealed: Twenty-Seven Days in Lal Bazar Torture Cell’. Both true and false incidents of encounters of Naxalite women also make headlines in newspapers. When caught by the police, Naxalite women are publicly paraded in the villages so that the morale of the people and the girls joining the movement is broken.
An attempt was made to underestimate the role of women in this movement or to portray them as a shadow. Women Naxalites have strongly criticized this approach because the Naxalite movement started from Prasadu Jotgaon on 25 May 1967. On this day, 8 women, one man, and two children were killed in this village.
A memorial pillar has been built in the name of those killed during police firing. The first woman to die in police firing was Dhaneshwari Devi. Apart from Dhaneshwari Devi, the names of other women – Simswari Mullick, Nayaneshwari Malik, Surubala Burman, Sonamati Singh, Phoolmati Devi, Sansari Saibani, Gaudrau Saibani are written on the memorial pillar. The names of Kharsingh Malik and “two children” are also inscribed on the memorial pillar. According to Rabi Banerjee, in the 1960s, Shanti Munda, the only surviving woman Naxalite of the Naxalite movement, had killed many policemen with a bow and arrow. The Naxalites of this area believe that the Communist Party has not done any special work for the upliftment of the area. Did. There is still a hut there. Shanti Munda Naxalite woman believes that the alliance between the Congress Party and the Communist Party of India in Bengal is wrong because even today she considers the Congress Party as a ‘class enemy’.
Women are divided into three categories
Women were in the front row. But with time women were divided into three categories. First, rural women or common women, second, middle-class urban women and third, wives of leading men. Urban women were more educated than rural women. Therefore, they were kept in the ‘protector category’ of ordinary or rural women. Whereas there is a difference in the practical knowledge of urban middle-class educated women regarding the action and struggle on the ground of rural Naxalite women. If we scrutinize the official historical records, we will find that despite being in the front line in the beginning, women have been marginalized over time. “According to the data of April 2021, there are about 70 percent women cadre in the Maoist movement. Despite this, women play a negligible role in matters like ceasefires and talks with government officials etc.
Stories of Girls and Women of the Naxalite movement: Oral History
After reading the stories of former women Naxalites, we come to know that Naxal life is very difficult and harsh. Women have to practice daily with men. As a result of which women are prepared physically and mentally for the movement. According to former Naxalite women, they are taught how to run, jump, crawl, jog, fire at targets, etc. Lakshmi, who joined Dalam at the age of 9, says that after entering the movement, women, like men, have to go through thorny bushes and mud armed with weapons in dark forests. Women work as couriers and messengers. At all times, women, like men, have to be alert and cautious of attacks by police and paramilitary forces. Because they may have to face attack and attack at any time. Women have to carry a gorilla uniform and a kit with them at all times. This kit contains gorilla uniforms, utensils, weapons, ammunition, etc. According to Lakshmi, women are absolutely capable of using AK-47s and other weapons. According to Sunita’s story, “When I was in Dalam, I could easily handle weapons like AK-47s rifle, carbine, 303.” Sunita is torn between the past ,present and future mainstream life. Although life in the jungle is very difficult and harsh, Sunita still believes that “I am alone in this battle of life. Sometimes I feel like joining Dalam again but I am unable to do so. Mainstream life is more difficult than jungle life.’
Naxalite Movement:Sexual exploitation of Girls and Women
Women used to join the Naxalite movement so that they could get freedom from sexual exploitation by the military forces, police, and Salwa Judum. At that time they are assured of security and respect by the Maoists. It is said that they will get equal rights as men. But the internal situation appears to be anti-women. Shobha Mandi (aka Uma and Shikha – commander of about 30 armed rebellions) remained in the Naxalbari movement for seven years and died in 2010. He left this path of violence. Her book ‘Diary of a Maoist details how she was repeatedly raped, exploited, abused, and tortured by her fellow commanders over a period of seven years. He wrote that in the extremist Maoist movement, ‘wife swapping, adultery, rape, physical abuse, and violence are considered normal.’ Not only this but newly recruited girls and women are also physically exploited by senior male militants. Shobha Mandi has described the physical exploitation of senior Maoist women along with many of their young comrades. Shobha Mandi wrote that if a girl or woman became pregnant, she had no alternative except abortion because the child was considered an obstacle to the ‘gorilla livelihood’ Sexual exploitation of girls and women in the Naxalite movement – ‘wife swapping, adultery, rape’ is an inhuman, anti-women, and disgusting form of the Naxalite movement.
But on the contrary, Lakshmi, a former member of the Naxalite movement, says that on joining the Dalam, an oath is taken that they will not be able to enter family life during the membership. Men and women live together in the same camp. Lakshmi clarified that ‘there is no abuse or exploitation’. If any member wants to live as a couple then they can get married. But there are strict restrictions on having children. After marriage, married couples are given 6 months to spend time as partners. If they want to continue in the movement, men will have to undergo sterilization. In other words, sterilization is the basic pillar of the Naxalite movement.
Naxalite Movement: Red Corridor
According to the official report of the Government of India (2007), Naxalites were active in “half of the 29 (now 28 states and 8 union territories) states of India”, which is about 40 percent of India’s geographical area, which is called “Red”. Known as “Corridor”. According to an estimate, his influence was in a geographical area of more than 92,000 square kilometers. In 2009, Naxalites were active in about 180 districts in ten states of India. According to the report of April 2023, about 40 districts of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Telangana are affected by Maoism. This is an unprecedented low-level situation in the Naxalite movement and the movement is likely to basically end in the future, which is a good sign for Indian democracy.
Between 1980 and 2015, the Naxalite movement caused 20,012 casualties; Of these, 4,761 were Naxalites, 3,105 were members of security forces and 12,146 were civilians. According to the official report (2019) of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, there has been a 26.7% decline in violent incidents related to Maoists in the span of five years from 2013 to 2018.
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai said in the Lok Sabha on 14 March 2023 that the number of deaths related to left-wing extremism has declined from 1005 in 2010 to 98 in 2022. In other words, there has been a 77% reduction in Naxalite violence in a span of 12 years (2010 to 2022).
A Solution to the problem
When poor people demand livelihood, employment, and facilities or demand a job, then even in the present democratic system, due to the ‘colonial’ and ‘semi-feudal’ attitude of the police and administrative officers, the police and administration believe that providing jobs is It is not possible to solve this problem by doing so. This approach promotes Naxalite violence more. To stop Naxalism, the police, administration, and bureaucracy should change this feudal and neo-liberal approach so that poverty can be eradicated through development works in Naxal-affected areas.
To solve the problem of Naxalism, there is a need for a policy based on a holistic approach for tribal areas. The policies and programs of the Government of India and the State Governments should reach every village in the areas affected by Naxalism. Politicians and bureaucrats sitting in the capitals should understand that “tribals are also Indians” and “their lives also matter”. If there is no development of the tribals then it is impossible for the complete development of India. Only by adopting a sympathetic approach towards the tribals and winning their hearts can they be brought into the national mainstream. The agitators can be suppressed by the police and security forces but a permanent solution to the problem is impossible. To solve the problem of the tribals, there is a need to maintain their traditional ancestral rights over water, forests, and land. Modern exploitative corporates Illegal occupation of their lands, forests, and mines should be stopped. Modernization is causing ecological degradation. This is a sensitive issue. Both commercial forestry and intensive agriculture have proven disastrous for tribal areas. Because water, forest, and land have been the main source of livelihood for the tribals for centuries, and in fact, it is their lifeline.
It is very important for Naxalists, Maoists, and guerrilla Maoists to understand that India has a democratic system. In a democracy, change of power takes place through voting and in such a situation the government can be changed peacefully. The Mao’s theory that ‘Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun’has become irrelevant and untimely. In a democratic system, if the people can bring about changes peacefully then there is no need to take up arms, and throwing the common people – young men, women, and women into the flame of violence is completely unfair, inhuman, and a heinous massacre. In short, if on the one hand, there is a need for overall development in tribal areas, on the other hand, Maoists should understand that violence and the gun system have no place in democracy.
Although the number of young girls and women in the Naxalite movement is more than that of men, the more famous names among the Naxalite girls and women are Kunnikkal Ajitha (Kerala), Motibai (the first female Naxalite of Andhra Pradesh-Telangana), Hosagadde Prabha (the most wanted female Naxalite). – Karnataka), Narmada Akka (Andhra Pradesh), Venkata Lakshmi (Nirmalakka) etc. But in this article, we are describing the most popular Venkata Lakshmi (Nirmalakka – Andhra Pradesh).
Venkata Lakshmi (Nirmalakka)
The most talked about and popular face of the Naxalite movement is Venkat Lakshmi (Nirmalakka). In 1989, at the age of 22, Nirmalakka left her home after joining the People’s War Group and in 1994 joined the top leaders of the Maoist movement of Chhattisgarh. Apart from her mother tongue Tamil, Nirmalakka had proficiency in Kannada, Marathi, Hindi, Gondi, and Halbi languages. The Red Corridor of South Bastar was her area of work. She had a lot of contact with the local people as she could communicate with them in both Gondi and Halbi languages. In 1998, she became the area commander of the Naxalite movement and had firm determination and self-confidence. While being in the Naxalite movement, he fought bravely against Salwa Judum, police, and paramilitary forces. Nirmalakka was arrested in Raipur on 5 July 2007. To break the morale of the people, she was also taken to those villages where She was popular. Strange but true, the Chhattisgarh government filed 159 cases against Nirmalakka. However, the police did not have any document except presenting warrants in three courts. As a result, after spending 12 years in Jagdalpur jail, Nirmala was acquitted in all 159 cases in 2019. She was found innocent and released from jail. This is a question mark on the working style of the police.
