South Asia Terrorism Portal

INDIA

Andhra Pradesh: Unfinished Task
Deepak Kumar Nayak
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

Relying to a question in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament), the Government on March 18, 2020, asserted that “steadfast implementation of the National Policy and Action Plan-2015 has resulted in consistent decline in LWE [Left Wing Extremism] related violence in the country” including in Andhra Pradesh. However, the fatalities in year 2019 suggest an upward trend.

According to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), the Andhra Pradesh recorded 14 fatalities (five civilians and nine Maoists) through 2019, as compared to three (civilians) in 2018. This is the highest overall fatalities figure recorded in the State since 2010, when 31 fatalities were registered. The highest overall fatalities since March 6, 2000 when SATP started compiling data on LWE, however, were recorded in the undivided state of Andhra Pradesh in 2005 (317 fatalities). No fatality has occurred in the State in 2020, so far (data till April 5).

The number of civilian fatalities had increased from three in 2018 to five in 2019.

Moreover, seven incidents of killing were reported in 2019 as against two in 2018, the lowest since 2000. At peak in 2005, there were 204 incidents of killing.

However, there were many positives.

No trooper was killed in 2019. In fact, the last SF fatality was recorded in 2017. On May 5, 2017, a Home Guard, identified as Sheikh Valli, was killed in a landmine blast triggered by cadres of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) on the Lothugedda junction-Balapam stretch in Visakhapatnam District.

On the other hand, SFs eliminated nine Naxalites (Leftj Wing Extremists) in 2019, the highest fatalities recorded in this category since 2010, when 14 Naxalite were killed. 

At least 16 Naxalites were arrested in 2019 in addition to 26 arrested in 2018. At least two Naxalites have been arrested in 2020 (data till March 20). On January 8, 2020, a CPI-Maoist couple was arrested from Addaru Veedhi village in Gudem Kotha Veedhi Mandal (administrative sub-division) in Visakhapatnam District. The arrested duo, identified as Bellam Narayana Swamy alias Damodar alias Azad (58), and his wife, Gangi Madhi alias Poolbatti (51), were last serving as ‘Special Zonal Committee (SZC)’ members, and were wanted for several incidents of violence. While, Damodar had a reward of INR two million on his head, Poolbatti carried a cash reward of INR 600,000 on her head. 

Due to mounting SF pressure, a total of at least 38 Naxalites surrendered in 2019, in addition to 49 such surrenders in 2018, according to the SATP database.

According to SATP, LWE-linked incidents reduced from 37 in 2018 to 30 in 2019 and the geographical reach of LWE-linked activities contracted from six Districts of Andhra Pradesh in 2018 to four in 2019.

However, of the 13 Districts in the State, East Godavari, Guntur, Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram, and West Godavari, continued to be listed among the 90 Districts in 11 States identified as LWE-affected by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) on February 5, 2019. In addition, these six Districts of the State were among the 90 Districts in 11 States covered under the Security Related Expenditure (SRE)/LWE scheme for the purpose of reimbursement of expenditure incurred on counter-LWE operations. Moreover, of these six Districts, Visakhapatnam had been included in the list of 30 Most Affected LWE Districts from seven States across India, released by the UMHA on August 1, 2018.

According to a November 27, 2019, report, over 600 tribals from Majjigaruvu village in Gangaraju Madugula Mandal in Visakhapatnam District took out a rally to protest against atrocities committed by the CPI-Maoist, demanding that the Maoists stop killing innocent tribals after branding them as ‘police informer’. Significantly, to counter the protest rally, the Maoists also mobilised about 300 tribals from various villages to stage a dharna in the same area. However, the group supporting the Maoists, was later convinced that they were being exploited by the LWEs and that development was the only way forward for the people.

Nevertheless, concerns still persist. According to a July 4, 2019, report, the security agencies have flagged increased Maoist activity at the tri-junction of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. To ensure that the Maoist rebels do not gain any foothold in the southern States, UMHA, in consultation with the States, initiated pre-emptive Police action in these areas. Accordingly, an unnamed UMHA official asserted, “there will be a decisive push” against the Maoists, and the focus will be on southern States where increased Maoist activity has been observed of late.

Further, according to a March 10, 2020, report, Maoist action teams were on the prowl in the Visakhapatnam Agency in an effort to establish their dominance and to take their chances during the forthcoming local body elections. An unnamed senior official of the Visakhapatnam Rural Police, stated, “A lull in their activities indicates that they may strike at any time during the elections. We have information that there have been changes in their rank and file.” The local body elections were scheduled for March 21, 2020. However, on March 15, 2020, the scheduled elections were put off indefinitely by the State Election Commission (SEC) in view of spread of coronavirus.  

Despite Andhra Pradesh’s excellent performance in anti-Maoist operations, according to Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) data (as on January 1, 2019), the sanctioned strength for the States’ Police is 73,366 but only 61,168 personnel were in position, yielding a vacancy of 12,198, i.e. 16.62 per cent. Furthermore, the Police-area ratio (number of Policemen per 100 square kilometres) for Andhra Pradesh is 37.45, as against the sanctioned strength of 44.92. The all-India ratio is 62.88, against a sanction of 78.95 per 100 square kilometres. These critical security gaps in capacities and deployment in the State need urgent attention. [Disaggregated data for the Police-population ratio (Policemen per hundred thousand population) for Andhra Pradesh was not available for 2019].

Meanwhile, the Governments – both at the Centre and State level – in addition measures taken in the past, took further steps in their fight against this LWE.  Most recently, on February 4, 2020, Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy in the Lok Sabha (Lower House of India’s Parliament) stated that, to identify and fill critical gaps in infrastructure and services between 2017-18 and 2019-20, INR 123.75 million had been released under the Special Infrastructure Scheme (SIS) and INR 518.2 million have been released under SRE scheme to Andhra Pradesh. Under SIS, funds were provided for strengthening of State Intelligence Branches (SIBs) and Special Forces of the State, as well as for construction of Fortified Police Stations (FPS). 25 Fortified Police Stations (FPS) are to be constructed in Andhra Pradesh, including five FPS in the East Godavari District.

Over the years, SFs have fought a successful battle against the Maoist insurgency in Andhra Pradesh, even as sustained developmental measures have cut into the rebel recruitment base. Troubles in neighbouring States, however, continue, and operations across State lines are an ongoing risk in Andhra Pradesh as well. Vigilance and a sustained effort are necessary to ensure that there is no future resurgence of Maoist activity in the State.  

INDIA

Kerala: Creeping Intrusions
Indrajit Sharma
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On March 11, 2020, a Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) cadre, identified as P. Srimathi (27), was arrested by the personnel of Tamil Nadu ‘Q’ Branch near Attappady forests in Palakkad District. According to a Police Official, Srimathi was a member of the Kabani and Bhavani Dalam (armed squad) of the CPI-Maoist. She was wanted in over 20 cases registered both in Kerala and Karnataka, and was on the watchlist of Police of both the States for long.

On January 15, 2020, Maoists attacked and vandalized a tourist resort at Attamala town under Meppadi Police Station limits in Wayanad District. They also stuck handwritten posters in the name of the Kabani Dalam of ‘Nadugani Area Committee’ (NAC) of CPI-Maoist, on the walls of the resort.

According to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), these are the two Maoist-linked incidents reported in the State in 2020, thus far (data till April 5).  During the corresponding period in 2019, there were three Maoist-linked incidents. Another two more incidents were reported in the remaining period of 2019. Through 2018, there was no such incident. The last incident before this was reported on September 21, 2017, when a CPI-Maoist leader Kalidasan aka Kalidas aka Sekhar Raja (44) was arrested from the Moolakombu tribal settlement on the Kerala-Tamil Nadu border at Pudur near the Attappady Block of Mannarghat Taluk in Palakkad District.

Out of the five incidents in 2019, three were incidents of killing, resulting in five fatalities (all Maoists). The previous fatality was reported in 2016, when two CPI-Maoist cadres, including a woman, were killed in an encounter with the Kerala Police, inside the forests at Padukka under Nilambur forest range in Malappuram District on November 24.

Since March 6, 2000, when SATP started compiling data on Left Wing Extremism (LWE), the State has recorded eight LWE-linked fatalities, all Naxalites [Left Wing Extremists]. The maximum number of fatalities (five) were reported in 2019, followed by two in 2016 and one in 2014.

Maoist-linked activities were reported from three Districts – Thrissur, Palakkad, and Wayanad - in 2019. Significantly, all the Maoist fatalities in 2019 were recorded in the latter two Districts – Palakkad (four Maoists) and Wayanad (one Maoist). Since March 6, 2000, 11 Districts have reported LWE-linked incidents out of 14 Districts in the State. The three other fatalities – two in 2016 and one in 2014 – were reported from two Districts – Malappuram (two Maoists) and Wayanad (one Maoist).

Indeed, on October 29, 2019, the Police issued a major alert across the State with a specific alert issued for five northern Districts – Kannur, Kozhikode, Wayanad, Malappuram, and Palakkad. An unnamed senior Police Officer disclosed that Maoist movements had been reported more frequently in these Districts.

Out of these five Districts, three – Palakkad, Malappuram, and Wayanad – are also among the 90 Districts in 11 States listed as LWE-affected by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) on February 5, 2019. Significantly, these three Districts fall into what is designated as the Kerala-Karnataka-Tamil Nadu (KKT) tri-junction area where the Naxalites have been engaged in efforts to set up a base.

Over the past few years, multiple intelligence inputs to Kerala Police have suggested an expansion of Maoist influence in the KKT tri-junction area. According to a November 21, 2019, report, the Multi Agency Centre (MAC) had, on several occasions, raised the issue of Naxals migrating from the Dandakaranya zone, mainly concentrated in south Bastar, towards the KKT axis. Further, of the three States into which KKT falls, Kerala has repeatedly been highlighted as the State where the increase in Maoist migration and arms training has been most active.

A December 17, 2018, report mentioned an intelligence input claiming,

In addition to several measures in past, the Kerala Government adopted a number of measures in 2019 to contain the Maoist attempts to spread their influence in Kerala. As reported on August 22, 2019, after years of adopting a soft approach towards the Maoists, the State Police decided to go on the offensive with their ‘Surrender or Assault’ scheme. Under the scheme, Maoists are given a time frame to surrender, failing which the Police will launch an assault via a series of offensive operations.

Despite this, the State continues to witness a visible Maoist presence, if not a consolidated front.

More worryingly, according to a March 16, 2020, report, after facing continuous setbacks in the State, the Maoists’ central leadership has decided to revamp the State leadership to strengthen their activities. A ‘central committee member’, identified as Sanjay Deepak Rao, a resident of Andhra Pradesh, has taken over the leadership of the Maoists in Kerala. Police sources have received information that Sanjay Deepak Rao was appointed as the ‘state committee leader’ with an aim to strengthen the armed force in the State. So far, the Maoists wing in Kerala was operating under the ‘central committee’ member – B.G. Krishnamoorthy, a native of Karnataka who is currently leading activities in tribal hamlets under the CPI-Maoist Nadukani Dalam unit. The newly appointed leader Sanjay Deepak Rao is listed among the top 38 Maoist leaders, and carries a bounty of INR 4 million on his head. The change in leadership could have serious ramifications for the State in the near future.

The Maoist presence in the State is still no more than incipient, and it is important that the SFs scotch their ambitions at this stage. The cost of allowing any further consolidation of the rebels in Kerala would be unacceptable.

PAKISTAN

 

   

Punjab: No Place for Minorities
Tushar Ranjan Mohanty
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management

On March 31, 2020, a crowd of Islamist radicals attacked the Gurudwara in Nankana Sahib city. The crowd gathered in the evening in front of the main entrance of the Gurudwara and started throwing stones. The extremists threatened to eliminate every single Sikh faithful from the city and announced that they would give the location with an Islamic name.

Kalyan Singh, a Sikh leader, alleged,

Violence was triggered by the family of Mohammad Hassam, the boy who kidnapped and converted Jagjit Kaur about six months ago. The girl's parents managed to get her home thanks to the intervention of government officials. But Mohammad's relatives want the young woman to come back to them.

Jagjit Kaur was abducted by one Mohammad Hassam on August 27, 2019, and later converted to Islam on August 27, 2019. As the case of forceful abduction and alleged conversion is under trial, Jagjit Kaur is at a shelter home in Lahore. Mohammad Hassam was arrest on January 6, 2020.

Significantly, this was the second such attack on the Gurudwara Nanknana Sahib. A mob led by members of Hassam’s family had pelted stones and raised threatening slogans at the Gurudwara on January 2, 2020 as well.

On March 15, 2020, a mob of Islamists demolished the home of a Christian family in the Kachi Abadi neighbourhood of Okara city under Okara District. According to reports, the home belonged to one Nadeem Sohotra, a 30-year-old sanitation worker. His family was told that they were not allowed to live in the home due to their religious identity as Christians.

On February 29, 2020, three graves belonging to the Ahmadis were desecrated by Police in the Chak-2 Thal Development Authority (TDA) area of Khushab District. The spokesman of the Jamaat Ahmadiyya Pakistan, the Pakistani organisation representing the Ahmadis, Saleemuddin stated,

Police have desecrated three tombstones of Ahmadis' in a graveyard in Chak-2 TDA. This was done at the behest of mullahs (clerics). The Ahmadis are not even safe in their graves in Pakistan.

Ahmadis are, by law, not considered Muslims in Pakistan. Ahmadis differ with other Muslim sects over the finality of Prophet Muhammad as the last Prophet. The Ahmadi branch of Islam was founded on March 23, 1889, by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad in the Qadian town of pre-partition Punjab. In 1974, the Government led by Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto passed the Second Amendment to the Constitution, declaring the Ahmadis 'non-Muslim'. Thereafter, on April 26, 1984, the then President General Zia-ul-Haq issued Martial Law Ordinance XX, declaring imposing restrictions on the practice and profession of the Ahmadi faith, and prohibiting Ahmadis from calling themselves Muslim or "posing as Muslims", offences punishable by imprisonment. In combination, these two Amendments have legalized the persecution of the Ahmadis in the country.

On February 28, 2020, a Christian farm labourer Saleem Masih succumbed to his injuries. He had been tortured for two hours on February 25 for washing himself at a tube well owned by a Muslim farmer in Bhagiana village in Kasur District. Nadeem, his elder brother said,

We have to take a bath after unloading husk from a trolley. Even the cold weather doesn't matter. The itching from chaff, stuck in our clothes, disturbs our sleep. They threatened him with dire consequences when he cleaned himself after unloading a vehicle last week.

On March 2, 2020, Police arrested four accused of the case.

On February 2, 2020, one Azeem Gulzar (25) was left half-paralyzed after being shot in the head during a mob attack on a church under construction in Sahiwal town under same District. Gulzar, a tailor by profession, had donated his 51-square-meter plot for a community church. The Muslim-majority village is home to about 150 Christians. The attack followed months of heated arguments between Gulzar's family and Muhammad Liaqat, a Muslim schoolteacher who opposed construction of the church on the empty plot that shares a wall with Liaqat's house. Several suspects were arrested by the Police but were subsequently enlarged on bail.

According to partial data compiled by the South Asia Terrorism Portal (SATP), five incidents of attack on religious minorities have already been reported in the current year, thus far (data till April 3, 2020). There were six such incidents through 2019 and five in 2018.

According to the US Department of State's 2019 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices: Pakistan, released on March 11, 2020,

Societal violence due to religious intolerance remained a serious problem. There were occasionally reports of mob violence against religious minorities, including Christians, Ahmadi Muslims, and Hindus.

These incidents falsify the claim of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, who tweeted on February 26, 2020,

I want to warn our people that anyone in Pakistan targeting our non-Muslim citizens or their places of worship will be dealt with strictly. Our minorities are equal citizens of this country.

While incidents of radical attack on minorities continue unabated in Punjab in particular, and the country at large, terrorism-linked fatalities in the Province, as in the case of the Country, continued to decline through 2019. Punjab registered 28 fatalities (12 civilians, nine Security Force, SF, personnel, and seven terrorists) in 2019, as against 36 such fatalities (16 civilians, six SF personnel, and 14 terrorists) in 2018.

According to the SATP database, there were 12 civilian fatalities in 2019 as compared to 16 in 2018. Fatalities among SFs, however, increased from six in 2018 to nine in 2019. On the other hand, fatalities among terrorists fell by 50 per cent, from 14 in 2018 to seven in 2019.

Incidents of killing also fell from 10 in 2018 to seven in 2019. Similarly, the number of major attacks (each involving three or more fatalities) came down from six in 2018 to four in 2019. In the worst incident, a suicide attack targeting an Elite Force van parked near Gate-2 of Data Darbar [shrine of Lahore’s patron saint Syed Ali Hajwairi popularly known as Data Gunj Bakhsh] in Lahore, the provincial capital of Punjab, took place on May 8, 2019. At least 14 people, including six Police officials, were killed and another 24 sustained injuries.

The significant improvement in terrorism-related violence is undermined by the growing presence of religious extremists/fundamentalists who provide a breeding ground for extremist formations. The top leaderships of prominent terrorist groups is still very much present in the Province. Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), despite a notional ban, continues to operate from the Bahawalpur District of Punjab. Reports claimed that JeM ‘chief’ Masood Azhar was shifted from his Bahawalpur headquarters to Rawalpindi for his personal safety. Interestingly, Pakistan’s Economic Affairs minister Hammad Azhar on February 17, 2020, said Azhar has gone missing from the country ahead of the crucial Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Plenary held on February 19-21, 2020, at Paris, France. It is well-known fact that Pakistan, at that time had taken some superficial actions against terrorist formations to appease FATF in order to avoid potential blacklisting. Though, the Federal Minister of State for Interior on March 4, 2019, claimed that Masood Azhar’s Son Hammad Azhar and brother Abdul Rauf Asghar along with 42 others linked to outfits were detained by Pakistan Government, open source reports claimed that Abdul Rauf Asghar and Masood Azhar’s  brother-in-law Qari Talha  had been managing the day to day activities of the group.

Further, Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) chief and Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) founder Hafiz Saeed also operated freely in Punjab until his arrest on July 17, 2019, after he was sentenced to 11 years in jail in two terror financing cases on February 12, 2020, again under acute FATF pressure. Saeed recently underwent angioplasty at a hospital in Lahore after he complained of chest pain. Doctors at the Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore examined him and referred him to the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC) where he underwent angioplasty. It is an established fact that Saeed and his aides have always enjoyed the support of Islamabad and have operated out of the jails earlier too. 

While there has been some respite from terrorism in Pakistan’s Punjab Province, the Government’s continued patronage continues to create fertile spaces for the proliferation of state-backed extremist and terrorist formations.