'Address land rights issues to tackle Naxalism'

Counter insurgency operations alone will not end Naxalism as the government needs to address its "root cause", which is the issue of forests and land rights, former BSF Director General E N Rammohan, who probed the Dantewada killings last month, said Friday.

Speaking at a BSF function in New Delhi, Rammohan claimed that though the Greyhounds of the Andhra Pradesh Police have been able to check Naxalism to a large extent, "they have only put a lid on the problem." He said the root cause for the spread of Naxalism was the issue of land and forests rights. "It (the problem of Naxalism) can be solved only when we attack the root cause," he said.

Rammohan said the issue of Naxalism can only be settled to a large extent by bringing in and implementing land ceiling laws and giving opportunities to the poor and the tribals. He cited examples of how tribals were fooled into debts in many parts of the country and how they were never given the right price to their produce. His comments assume significance as the former BSF DG was appointed by the Union Home Ministry to conduct an enquiry into the Dantewada incident of April 6 when 76 security personnel were gunned down by the Naxals. Rammohan has since submitted his report to the Home Ministry. The report looks into the reasons and lapses responsible for the Dantewada incident as also what better could be done.

Rammohan said the Border Security Force and Indo-Tibetan Border Police were better trained and equipped to handle left-wing extremism than the Central Reserve Police Force. "Preferably, in insurgency, BSF and ITBP should be deployed," he told reporters. He said the Naxals were attacking security forces for arms and ammunition. "The answer to this problem (Naxalism) is that you identify what is the problem and let people get their due. At the same time you should have operations led by forces." Referring to the mineral deposits in the forests where the tribals have lived for thousands of years, Rammohan said, "A very simple question arises. Who does these mineral deposits belong to? Does it not belong to people who have been living there for hundreds of years?...."

Asked about his opinion on the role of civil society and NGOs vis-a-vis Naxalism, he said, "There may be people working in these area with certain motives, I really don't know. But then why would a professor in Delhi go all the way down there and work for these people. Their interest is to see that justice is done." He said the government should work with NGOs already present in such areas.

Responding to a query on "criminalisation" of the ideology on which the Naxal movement started, the former BSF chief said, "I don't think that this movement is being criminalised. They are being forced to commit criminal acts.