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  • 75 Indian paramilitary troops massacred by Maoists

    India minister Chidambaram reviews Maoist rebel attacks


    India's Home Minister P Chidambaram is visiting the central state of Chhattisgarh, a day after Maoist rebels killed 75 soldiers.

    A large patrol of federal paramilitary troops was ambushed on Tuesday by hundreds of heavily armed insurgents in a remote part of Dantewada district.

    Rescue teams were later ambushed in attacks using landmines and gunfire.

    Correspondents say it is the worst attack on security forces by the rebels since their insurgency began.

    An air force transport aircraft has been sent to Chhattisgarh to bring back the bodies of the soldiers who died in the attacks.

    Mr Chidambaram said the offensive against the Maoists would continue - 12 rebels have been arrested in Chhattisgarh after the latest attacks.

    Police officials said the paramilitary troops, belonging to India's Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), came under attack in the densely forested Mukrana forest in Dantewada district.

    The troops were returning to their camp with an armoured vehicle after a three-day-long combing operation in the area.

    Home Secretary GK Pillai told the BBC that they had gone looking for rebel training camps on "specific intelligence inputs", but had not found any.

    'Totally outnumbered'

    An improvised explosive device detonated under an armoured vehicle just as the troops came under heavy fire from rebels positioned on a hillock, police officials said.

    As the troops took cover behind the trees, they found that the rebels had booby trapped the trees with explosives. Troops in the open were gunned down by the rebels.

    Police officials said that a vehicle accompanying a rescue team which rushed to the area to take away the dead and the injured was also blown up by an improvised explosive device, killing its driver.

    "We were totally outnumbered. And they [rebels] had far too much ammunition. How could just 80 of us [soldiers] fight more than 1,000 of them? We got no time and no opportunity to retaliate," Pramod Kumar, a soldier who survived the ambush, told The Times of India newspaper.


    The Maoists have stepped up attacks in recent weeks in response to a big government offensive along what is known as the "red corridor", a broad swathe of territory in rural eastern and central India where the Maoist rebellion has been gathering strength.

    Nearly 50,000 federal paramilitary troops and tens of thousands of policemen are taking part in the operation in several states.

    Thousands of people have died during the rebels' 20-year fight for communist rule.

    The latest attacks come two days after rebels killed at least 10 policemen and injured 10 more in a landmine attack on a police bus in the eastern state of Orissa.

    The rebels say they will step up attacks unless the government halts its offensive against them.

    Mr Chidambaram has said troops will intensify the offensive if the rebels do not renounce violence and enter peace talks.

    The Maoists want four senior leaders freed from jail and the offensive halted before any talks.

    Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoist insurgency as India's "greatest internal security challenge".

    The Maoists say they are fighting for the rights of the rural poor who they say have been neglected by governments for decades.
    BBC News - India minister Chidambaram reviews Maoist rebel attacks
    wow just wow. Shows how well sophisticated these guys have become, its about time that the Indian army and the air force get called in. The paramilitary forces are getting a mauling.
    Cow is the only animal that not only inhales oxygen, but also exhales it.
    -Rekha Arya, Former Minister of Animal Husbandry

  • #2
    Rest In Peace

    God give the families and friends of these men all comfort and may the souls of these dead soldiers rest in peace.

    I'm very, very sorry to read this.

    "The paramilitary forces are getting a mauling..."

    They certainly did and you're correct that this attack was quite sophisticated if the accounts are correct. Absolutely they had intelligence about the route of return unless there was only one way into and back out of the patrol area.

    I doubt that the rebels had the means to plan, prepare, and man several ambush locations simultaneously. If THAT proved true then you've really got a massive problem.
    "This aggression will not stand, man!" Jeff Lebowski
    "The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else when you're uncool." Lester Bangs

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    • #3
      Very sad news. RIP.
      In the realm of spirit, seek clarity; in the material world, seek utility.

      Leibniz

      Comment


      • #4
        RIP.

        Very depressing news. The fact that the rebels had such excellent intel that they could prepare the area in detail and mass superior numbers without the security forces knowing about it shows how far behind we are.
        As S2 said they probably have sympathisers within the govt machinery who provided them with info on the CRPF routes and the relieving forces that would move to assist them.
        Last edited by bolo121; 07 Apr 10,, 11:07.
        For Gallifrey! For Victory! For the end of time itself!!

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        • #5
          RIP. :(

          Its time for an all out war with the Maoists. I think we gotta involve the Airforce to monitor the rebel movements. I dont think Indian army is needed here.
          Good Intelligence from the Airforce and units like AP 'Greyhound' would finish them off. But development should be go hand in hand with these operations or else the commies would start all over again.
          Diplomacy is the art of saying 'Nice doggie!'...till you can find a rock. ;)

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          • #6
            Kar chale hum phida jano tan saathiyo,
            Ab tumhare hawale watan saathiyo...
            RIP.

            It seems there is lack of intelligence inputs on local areas, while maoists seem to have good intelligence networks.
            If the airforce could deploy a few helicopter gunships to strafe the maoists during a battle, it should help. These guys have managed to assemble 1000 rebels in a small area, outnumbering the CRPF. At the very least, a few such strafing attacks could dissuade them from attempting such mass mobilisation and give a morale boost to the troops.
            Its after all, dense jungle, no risk of hitting any local tribals, and if so they are probably sympathisers anyway.
            Why isnt IAF at least used for reconnaisance, why is there so little value for the lives of the troops?
            Isnt it true that Army was used in 1971 by Indira Gandhi before the Bangladesh action to destroy the Naxalites ( Maoist ).
            Most of these Naxalite / Maoists have sympathisers in the cities who are giving them support and sustenance - its time the police in the city arrest eliminate them and choke off oxygen to these people.
            There are reports that Maoists are planning to expand to urban areas using urban poor as fertile ground for recruitement - then it will really hit the fan.
            Development and tribal welfare is a must, but how does the state go about it if its is a no-go zone?
            Also the extortion money they get from the plantation and mining companies should be cut off - I hope to god that the Home ministry guys are doing some serious rethinking on all this rather than using the paramilitary as some quick solution - or else we are in for it.

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            • #7
              RIP to all those killed..and the murderers must be hunted down.

              But this is not a war to be won by the military and if you use the army then you are using it against your own people. Development for the sake of development is not the right way. I read this story about how this bauxite company wanted to mine a mountain sacred to one tribe.Now the company's argument was that they will put back some amount of the profits to benefit the tribals but if the tribals don't want that money and want the bauxite company to get the hell out of there then the company needs to leave not the tribals who have been there from centuries.

              Edit: I think I read the home minister saying something about how he did not want the tribals to live in a "museum culture" or something like that. Who is he to decide what culture they should live in. The whole attitude to the problem is wrong.
              Last edited by calass; 07 Apr 10,, 16:49.

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              • #8
                Originally posted by calass View Post
                RIP to all those killed..and the murderers must be hunted down.

                But this is not a war to be won by the military and if you use the army then you are using it against your own people. Development for the sake of development is not the right way. I read this story about how this bauxite company wanted to mine a mountain sacred to one tribe.Now the company's argument was that they will put back some amount of the profits to benefit the tribals but if the tribals don't want that money and want the bauxite company to get the hell out of there then the company needs to leave not the tribals who have been there from centuries.

                Edit: I think I read the home minister saying something about how he did not want the tribals to live in a "museum culture" or something like that. Who is he to decide what culture they should live in. The whole attitude to the problem is wrong.
                Ideally yes the state governments assisted by central govt paramilitary forces should be able to deal with the problem.
                The problem is the fact that many of these politicos have cozy agreements with naxal/maoist leaders for their help come election time. On the other side of the coin they routinely support exploitation by big business of the rich natural resources in the area while driving the tribals from the land and paying them little or no compensation.
                In addition state level corruption is so high as to render the state machinery such as schools, hospitals etc nonexistent or barely functional in most rural areas.
                The government of india does not have the political willpower to change this in any meaningful way.
                The only option left is to bypass the state machinery completely and use the army for securing the area with dvelopment handled by central government.

                About the development angle, I agree to an extent but we cannot coddle our tribals like a richer nation would be able to.
                If the amount of jobs generated and money pumped into the economy from a certain project is big enough, then yes clear off the tribals, bribe them with lots of cash and start the project.

                If i was to dream, then the ideal solution would be to detain indefinitely all members of the state houses of Chattisgarh, Jharkand, Orrisa and West Bengal in a nifty Guantanamoesque facility out in the Andamans. The states to come under Central emergency rule and state bureaucracies and paramilitaries ruthlessly purged. THEN you can think of fighting an efficient counter insurgency campaign against the reds.
                For Gallifrey! For Victory! For the end of time itself!!

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                • #9
                  Rip

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                  • #10
                    From news reports, the intelligence was the biggest failure, second were the mistakes carried out by the CRPF (they used the same route there and back), third was the disconnect between the CRPF and the state police. The CRPF is a foreign force to that area, they don't speak the local language and they heavily rely on the state police for intelligence. This joint CRPF-state police mechanism still isn't functioning the greatest and the communication between the two is very poor. All these things added with the lack of experience of the CRPF all played a big part in this massacre. The CRPF also needs some army officers to step in, if not as actual leaders than atleast as advisors.
                    Cow is the only animal that not only inhales oxygen, but also exhales it.
                    -Rekha Arya, Former Minister of Animal Husbandry

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                    • #11
                      RIP.

                      I think the paramilitary forces and the police dealing with this menace needs to be equipped much better. Armored vehicles, heavy firepower, use of drones for intelligence, having access to air power at beck and call etc. should be routine.

                      Our police is fighting these scum with none of the support that they need from the nation. It should be an unequal fight, one where the Naxals have no chance in any battle.
                      There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who understand binary and those who don’t..

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                      • #12
                        Originally posted by Vinod2070 View Post
                        RIP.

                        I think the paramilitary forces and the police dealing with this menace needs to be equipped much better. Armored vehicles, heavy firepower, use of drones for intelligence, having access to air power at beck and call etc. should be routine.

                        Our police is fighting these scum with none of the support that they need from the nation. It should be an unequal fight, one where the Naxals have no chance in any battle.
                        There are many other things involved than just weapons. Maoists are good fighters not because they have superior weapons but because they are acclimatized and know the area like the back of their hand.

                        As for air power, Chidambram says hes deciding on it, but it would be a wrong decision, we haven't used it till now and it would be stupid to start using it; it would alienize the locals even more. Even the IAF chief says hes against using the air force for anti-naxal actions. Air force would be good for recce and casualty evacuation. The CRPF just needs better training, not bigger guns.
                        Last edited by Tronic; 07 Apr 10,, 18:55.
                        Cow is the only animal that not only inhales oxygen, but also exhales it.
                        -Rekha Arya, Former Minister of Animal Husbandry

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          The incident is still a muddle but NDTV tried piecing it together:

                          Dantewada massacre: The post-mortem

                          For Home Minister P Chidambaram, who has spearheaded the recent thrust on anti-Naxalism, the Chintalnag massacre comes as a tremendous setback.

                          "We deeply mourn the loss of 76 lives, and we salute the brave jawans who laid down their lives in the defense of freedom, liberty and democracy. It's the Naxalites who have described the state as their enemy and the conflict as the war. It is a war that has been thrust upon the state by those who do not have legitimate right to carry weapons or to kill," he said in Jagdalpur on Wednesday after paying tribute to the brave jawans killed in the massacre.

                          His day began with explanations - why did trained and armed jawans die so helplessly?

                          "Five platoons of the 62nd Battalion of the CRPF had established a base camp at Chintalnag, in Dantewada district. A decision was taken that the security forces will undertake an area domination and operations exercise, including night halts, in the area. It's a joint decision taken by IG Bastar, DIG Dantewada, and DIG CRPF. It was an 81-strong party, accompanied by one Head Constable of the civil police. They had two night halts. On the 6th morning about 5:50 am, they came under heavy firing," the Home Minister said.

                          But was it an intelligence and strategy failure, or did they walk into an improvised trap?

                          "This was a familiarisation exercise to understand the terrain. It wasn't an intelligence-based operation. Something has gone wrong," he added.

                          Sources tell NDTV that many things went wrong:

                          Local police know the terrain better, but the CRPF took just one policeman along.

                          On Tuesday, the government said it was a Chhattisgarh Police-CRPF joint operation. Today, Chidambaram clarified it was a joint decision. The local police were informed about the operation on March 29, but were certainly not a part of it.

                          The CRPF men were on an area domination operation to assert their presence in the terrain and here they made a vital mistake: Instead of taking different routes to go in and return, the jawans came back the same way and got hit.

                          Sources also say the jawans appear to have bunched up in one area against standard operating procedures, which made them an easy target for Naxals who anyway had vantage point on a hillock.

                          Meanwhile, the Opposition is slamming the government.

                          "There should be coordination at all levels, between the state and the Centre. There was a lack of that. Intelligence was also poor. The Home Minister slept for four years, thinking it was some socio-economic problem. Only now the Home Ministry is feeling the crisis," Arun Jaitley, Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, said.

                          The government insists there is no change in their stand.

                          "I don't think there should be a knee-jerk reaction. It's long-drawn struggle. It will take two-three years, perhaps more. We must remain calm," Home Minister P Chidambaram said.

                          Chintalnag has become a low point for the Indian government and it is facing political humiliation over the unprecedented manpower loss at the battlefront. But while battling the Maoists, experts say, one must understand that there would be casualties on both sides, and India will have to come to terms with it.
                          Dantewada massacre: The post-mortem
                          Again, the lack of experience of the CRPF played a big part.
                          Cow is the only animal that not only inhales oxygen, but also exhales it.
                          -Rekha Arya, Former Minister of Animal Husbandry

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                          • #14
                            The Hindu
                            Opinion » Editorial
                            Published: April 7, 2010 23:08 IST | Updated: April 7, 2010 23:11 IST April 7, 2010
                            Behind the horrific massacre
                            Share · Comment · print · T+

                            Fester Lente — “make haste, but slowly” — was the motto guiding the Roman Emperor Gaius Julius Caesar Augustus as his forces fought the wars that guaranteed the Mediterranean world two centuries of peace. Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram's advisors need to whisper those words in his ear. Tuesday's horrific annihilation of an entire company of the Central Reserve Police Force by insurgents in Chhattisgarh was wholly avoidable. It was not just one of those inevitable tragedies that scar the road to ultimate victory. It has demonstrated that the architecture of the government's counter-Maoist campaign is fundamentally flawed. Mr. Chidambaram's dramatic pursuit of success and his high-sounding polemical attacks on the Maoists have endeared him to Indians frustrated by years of inaction against terrorism. However, a poorly thought-through counter-insurgency campaign has ended up jeopardising the lives of men who are being pushed into a battle they are ill-trained and ill-equipped for. For the most part, the new forces arriving inside the forest heartlands of the Maoists have been doing little other than protecting their own logistical lines and camp perimeters. Tuesday's massacre, and the killings in West Bengal and Orissa that preceded it, have shown that the surge isn't displacing the insurgents: it's creating targets for them to attack.

                            Last year, counter-insurgency strategists in the Union Home Ministry began deploying central forces in a ‘clear, hold, and build' strategy. The theory was that the forces would displace the insurgents and thus pave the way for a civilian development programme. It hasn't worked. In successful counter-insurgency campaigns, the number of enemy combatants killed by state forces far exceeds their own losses. In Jammu and Kashmir, for example, Indian forces killed 3.1 jihadists for each fatality of their own last year. But in the counter-Maoist campaign, data published by the New Delhi-based Institute for Conflict Management's show, police forces have suffered far more fatalities this year than they have been able to inflict. Last year, too, 312 police officers were killed compared with 294 Maoists. It is clear that a thoroughgoing training programme is needed for both central and state forces. Police in J&K, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and Tripura learned those skills in battle, sustaining horrific casualties in the process. The waste of human life can be avoided — but it will take time. Even as they build counter-insurgency capabilities, the central and State governments would do well to content themselves with a more modest, workable containment strategies. As the scholar Ivan Arreguín-Toft has shown in his thoughtful work on asymmetric wars, the strong do sometimes lose — in the main when their responses to their adversaries' strategies are flawed. India ought not to be losing the war against the Maoists. It will, inevitably, continue to do so as long as grandstanding substitutes for capacity-building and strategic thinking.

                            Keywords: Maoists, massacre, insurgency, naxalism

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                            • #15
                              You increase the military response to Naxalism in isolation, then you will lose the war against them. Hell, that was the REASON that they attacked the army - to provoke a heavy-handed response.

                              They will simply draw the fight to populated areas where you will almost certainly kill civilians which helps their cause even further.

                              Given that the Judum had already displaced half the population with their little war games it's hardly surprising that they didn't have any local intel - I mean, they're practically doing that Naxal's job for them.

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