SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 14, No. 25, December 21, 2015

INDIA

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Jharkhand: Democracy's March
Mrinal Kanta Das
Research Assistant, Institute for Conflict Management

On December 17, 2015, the Jharkhand Police killed a People’s Liberation Front of India (PLFI) ‘area commander’, identified as Dinesh Sahu (28) in an encounter, at Bandha village under the Tupudana Block of Ranchi District in Jharkhand. He was wanted in at least 29 cases in the Khunti District. Khunti Superintendent of Police (SP) Anish Gupta disclosed, “He (Sahu) was wanted in several cases of rape, murder and extortion. Reacting on a tip-off by one of our informers, we found him and shot him dead.” Four of Sahu’s accomplices, however, managed to escape. Arms and ammunition were recovered from the encounter site. PLFI is a splinter group of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist).

On December 13, 2015, a suspected CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Basudeo Oraon (35), was killed while planting an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) at Anegada village under Bagru Police Station limits, in the Lohardaga District. Police sources disclosed that it was possible that the man was setting up an IED to target security personnel. Describing the incident as a ‘Maoist act’ Lohardaga Superintendent of Police (SP) Kartik S. observed, "The blast occurred right at the spot where Maoists put up a banner last night urging people to boycott Monday's polls. There exists possibility of link between the victim and the poll-boycott."

Further, a ‘sub-zonal commander’ of Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), identified as Sohrai Mochi aka Harinder ji aka Birsa ji, was arrested on December 16 in Palamu's Harya village in the Manatu Police Station area. He was earlier with the CPI-Maoist, but left in 2008 to join TPC and rose through the ranks to become its ‘sub-zonal commander’. TPC is a splinter group of the CPI-Maoist.

Left-Wing Extremist (LWE) groups are facing a tough time in Jharkhand. Even CPI-Maoist, the most prominent LWE outfit in India, is finding it increasingly difficult to operate in the State, as in other theaters of LWE conflict in India. Chhattisgarh which is considered as the nerve centre of Maoist resistance is also crumbling rapidly.

According to the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP) database, LWE-related incidents have claimed 57 lives, including 16 civilians, five SF personnel and 37 extremists in 2015 (data till December 20) in Jharkhand, as against 97 killings including 48 civilians, 12 SF personnel and 37 LWE cadres in 2014. With just over a week remaining in 2015, we see a 41 per cent decline in total fatality figures as against 2014. Further, civilian fatalities have fallen to a third and the single digit SF fatality in 2015 makes it clear that the Maoists in the State are losing steam. According to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) data, as of November 20, Jharkhand has recorded 287 incidents of LWE violence in 2015, down from 338 incidents over the same period in 2014. It is significant to note that there are 19 LWE outfits operating in and out of Jharkhand.

Meanwhile, the second Panchayat (local bodies) election was conducted in the State in four phases, from November 22 to December 12, 2015. Despite the Maoists’ poll boycott call, the voting percentage stood at a high 72 per cent, as against 70 per cent in 2010. The State Assembly Elections held in 2014 also recorded a 66 per cent voter turnout, as against 58 per cent in 2009, a clear electoral rebuff for the Maoists. Crucially, during the Panchayat election period, there was negligible LWE violence reported in the State, with media reports indicating just two arson incidents and one civilian killing. In comparison, the 2010 five phase Panchayat election conducted between November 27 and December 24 had witnessed much higher level of LWE violence. While the first and second phases of the 2010 elections were peaceful, the Maoists fired at polling party in West Singhbhum District and triggered a landmine blast in Chhatra District during the third phase. During the fourth phase on December 24, 2010 the Maoists opened fire from a hill top in Baridih Kanpur panchayat in Chakulia block of East Singhbhum District. Further, during the final phase of elections, two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were killed in an encounter in Godda District and the Maoists set ablaze three vehicles in the same District.

Adding to current Maoist reverses, media reports citing unnamed Intelligence Bureau (IB) sources, suggest that some LWE cadres in Jharkhand wish to surrender, including some at senior levels. Throwing light on the state of affairs in the Maoist movement in the State, People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) General Secretary Shashi Bhushan Pathak noted, “It would be inappropriate to mention that there is a caste war in the Maoist fold but the commitment levels of some leaders have certainly gone down and hence they are turning renegades.” The CPI-Maoist has acknowledged the difficult situation the party is facing on more than one occasion.     

Despite the downtrend, it would be wise not to write off the Maoists in Jharkhand. During the recently concluded Lohardaga Assembly by-election [December 14], after an IED blast triggered by Maoists, a mere five per cent of registered voters came out of their homes at Anegada village, the blast site, to cast their votes, though overall voting per cent was above 66 per cent.  

Moreover on December 9, 2015, the Maoists killed a civilian, identified as Penubolu Venka Reddy, (52), in the forests of East Singhbhum District. Suspected LWEs also abducted a stone crusher plant owner on December 13 from Chowka in Seraikela-Kharsawan District.

Though denied by authorities, media reports suggest that Maoists in Jharkhand have asked people in four villages in Palamu, Garhwa, Latehar and Lohardaga District to “spare” one child from each family to join the armed rebellion. This diktat was reportedly issued around mid November 2015. Last year, following similar reports of Maoists demanding children from each village in Gumla District, the Jharkhand High Court had taken suo moto cognizance of media reports and subsequently directed the state to protect the children from being exploited by LWE outfits.

Meanwhile, efforts to further augment Jharkhand Police strength are ongoing. The Force soon likely to get a Special Intelligence Wing (SIW), on the lines of its Andhra Pradesh counterpart, to be used only for the purpose of collecting intelligence on LWEs and conducting operations against them. According to senior Police officials, it will also act as a brain for the Special Task Force (STF). A meeting chaired by Director General of Police (DGP) D.K. Pandey was held at Police Headquarters in Ranchi on December 8 where a thorough discussion took place relating to the formation of SIW in Jharkhand.

At this juncture a new template seems to be emerging in Jharkhand. Clearly the Maoists’ ability to strike at will has been halted for the time being. Under increasing pressure from the SFs, the Maoists have been constrained in their activities. Sustained pressure would further squeeze the operational space available to them. On the other hand, any complacency would be extremely dangerous, as the Maoists have made many a comebacks in the past.

PAKISTAN

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Funding Terror through Extortion
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

At least five women were injured in a medium-intensity blast in the Mohalla Bajauri Khord area of Sarki Gate in Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), on December 6, 2015. An unnamed Police official disclosed that a device weighing three kilogrammes was planted near the house of one Amjad Khan, a local contractor. “The windows of nearby houses have been damaged and five neighbourhood women were injured inside their houses when they were hit by broken glass,” the official added. The official disclosed that the contractor was constantly receiving threats and extortion demands.

On December 4, 2015, at least two houses were damaged in separate explosions in Yakatoot and Phandu areas of Peshawar. In one incident, an unnamed Police official indicated, unidentified assailants lobbed a hand grenade targeting the house of one Ahmad Khan at Madina Colony in Panj Khat Chowk of Yakatoot. Though there was no loss of life, the house was damaged in the attack.  According to the Police, “Unidentified extortionists had been demanding Ahmad to cough up (sic) Rs. 10 [PKR] million as extortion… They were constantly threatening him.”

In another incident on the same day, the house of a trader, Zainullah Khan Safi, on Phandu Road was damaged when an explosive device planted near the main gate went off. Though no loss of life was reported in the attack, apart from the house, four shops were also damaged in the blast. The attack is believed to be carried out by a group of extortionists.

An Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion took place near the house of a trader, Haji Saeed Hussain, in the jurisdiction of Yakatoot Police Station on November 15, 2015. No causality was reported in the blast. Again, extortionists are believed to be behind the attack.

On November 14, 2015, unidentified assailants hurled a hand grenade targeting the house of a Customs Inspector, Muhammad Rafeeq, at Ghari Qamaruddin in Peshawar, as he had refused to pay extortionists. No causality was reported in the blast.

These recent incidents exemplify a growing trend in Peshawar. According to Peshawar Police data released on November 14, 2015, as many as 58 cases of extortion had been reported under separate Police Stations falling under three Police Circles over the preceding 10 months. Of these, 38 were reported in the Peshawar Cantonment Circle; 14 in Peshawar City Circle; and six in the Peshawar Rural Circle. An unnamed Police official, on the condition of anonymity, is reported to have stated that the actual incidence would likely be much higher, because most victims don’t contact the Police out of fear.

Earlier on July 16, 2015, the Peshawar Police had claimed an over 50 per cent drop in extortion cases in Peshawar during the first six months of the current year. According to them, 107 extortion cases were reported in Peshawar during the first six months of 2014, but the number dropped to 43 in the corresponding period of the current year.

Data collected from the Central Police Office, Peshawar, puts the annual average of extortion cases registered during years 2011, 2012, and 2013 at 30 cases per year. The data shows that while 13 cases of extortion were registered in 2011, 21 such cases were reported in 2012. 56 such cases were witnessed in 2013. This jumped to 285 in the first three quarters of 2014.

Though no current data is available in the open source, a report published in November 2013 indicated that at least 42 groups were actively involved in extortion and kidnappings for ransom in KP: “In the provincial capital, Peshawar, the number of such groups stand at 18, followed by 11 in Dera Ismail Khan, five in Kohat, five in Bannu and three in Mardan.” According to the report, three types of groups were involved in extortion and kidnapping for ransom – militants, criminal gangs and individuals or groups who use abduction as means to settle their business or personal disputes with opponents. “Following abduction, the kidnappers hand their victims over to other groups to make the demand for ransom. In most cases, trained gang members are used to survey the intended target before kidnapping them at gunpoint… Sometimes police officials, other criminals or influential people are used to finalise the payment of the ransom with the target’s families,” the report claimed.

Significantly, cases of Policemen’s involvement in the extortion racket have come to light recently. Three Police officials were suspended on September 26, 2015, for collecting extortion money from leather traders in the Namak Mandi area of Peshawar. The Policemen were suspended after a video came out that showed an old man, the leather trader, handing over money to the Policemen and then leaving. The old trader later had said that he had paid bribes to Policemen on at least eight occasions because they kept giving him trouble. The video also showed a child riding on a bicycle being kicked by a Police constable. 

Unsurprisingly, local traders on July 15, 2015, had insisted that extortionists continue to threaten many of them for money, and that the situation remained far from satisfactory.

More specifically, the Peshawar Chamber of Traders and Small Industry President Ehtesham Haleem stated, on July 15, 2015, that while extortion calls from local phone numbers had declined considerably, extortion remained a worry, and that calls demanding money originating from Afghanistan were forcing 80 to 90 per cent of traders to pay to extortionists, as the Police were failing to stop such demands. Significantly, the Provincial Government and the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority have failed to block unregistered Afghan roaming Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), which are available easily in the local (Peshawar) market.

Significantly, Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials admitted, on November 22, 2015, “These [extortionists] are local groups based in Afghanistan. We know about them and are currently investigating the matter. Our crackdown is still under way. We are trying to target and eliminate all extortionists but it will take time.” On December 13, 2014, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ejaz Khan had admitted that incidents of harassment for extortion have increased and Afghan SIM cards working on roaming were the main medium being used. He had then demanded that these mobile networks should be banned.

Violence related to extortion in Peshawar in particular and KP at large has compelled traders to move to other cities or countries. Though no reliable data has been made available, the KP Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in a statement released on March 4, 2015, had revealed that around 150 professionals had left the Province due to the fear of extortionists. Echoing the sentiment, on the same day, Fuad Ishaq, President of the KP Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had stated that there is a constant threat of extortion to industrialists and traders of Peshawar: “This is why, Peshawar has witnessed flight of capital as well as migration of industrialists and traders to other parts of the country.” He had also disclosed that in KP, extortion cases were on the rise in Peshawar, Charsadda, Mardan, Nowshera, Swabi, Kohat, Lakki Marwat and Bannu Districts. Ishaq added, “If the Government is sincere to bring back peace to the militancy-hit Province of KP, it should work to restore the confidence of the industrialists and traders by providing security.” He argued, further, that this would help fight terrorism as well, since extortion was the principal means used by terror groups to replenish their coffers and sustain their activities.

Regrettably, however, the Provincial Government continues to demonstrate helplessness in controlling terrorism. Provincial Minister of Industries, Shaukat Yousafzai stated, on April 27, 2014, that the Government was pinning hopes on a specialised Anti-Terrorist Force, adding, “We cannot provide a Policeman to every man. But we are trying to solve these burning issues.” He admitted that the Police had been assigned the task of fighting militancy without being adequately equipped.

Extortion has become rampant across KP in particular, and, in fact, across Pakistan at large. The failure of the state to control this menace has contributed directly to the capacities of terrorist groups to sustain their operations, undermining the security of citizens and the state across the country.

Civilians

Security Force Personnel

Terrorists/Insurgents

Total

BANGLADESH

Islamist Terrorism

INDIA

Arunachal Pradesh

Nagaland

Left-Wing Extremism

Chhattisgarh

Jharkhand

Total (INDIA)

PAKISTAN

Balochistan

FATA

Sindh

Total (PAKISTAN)