Knowing The Naxal
Let’s begin with learning, in brief, the term 'Naxal' or 'Naxalite’.
A ‘Naxalite’ is a person who believes in overthrowing the Indian government by an armed struggle. Ideology of a Naxalite stems from the 'principles' of Maoism, that is - stressing the advancement of lives of marginalized people, called as proletariat, by establishing a classless society through armed revolution. In India, Maoists in the name of struggle against the fascist Indian state are exploiting some marginalized sections of society like Tribals and Dalits, and minorities living in border states of North-East India and Jammu & Kashmir.
‘Urban Naxals’ are the ones providing them the much needed cover be it legal or intellectual.
How a Naxal is breeded ?
Breeding of a Naxalite begins from a Naxal-affected tribal village. A youth dissatisfied with government because of illiteracy and unemployment, disappointed because a local policeman or politician has harassed him or his family member, disheartened because a local policeman or politician has raped his daughter, mother or sister or agitated because an industrialist with the help of his politician friend has snatched away his land, is being targeted by Urban Naxals, operating in those areas under the garb of NGO or Human Rights group, with impunity granted from their footsoldiers called Naxalites. The youth is made to believe that all his miseries is due to the Indian state. He is made to believe that industrialists in cohesion with Indian state are trying to exploit natural resources possessed by land on which he’s living. He is made to believe that judicial procedure will cost him his entire life. Once he is convinced he is made to believe that only way he can reclaim his lost glory, his land, his respect and his revenge is by taking up gun against the Indian state. He is made to believe that only splitting blood of 'Indians' will get him his respect. He is made to believe that only seceding from India to form their own separate state will solve the problem. And once he takes up gun he becomes a Naxalite. And when he gets killed in an encounter with Indian security forces, his kin is being brainwashed. And the wheel of history repeats.
Now, who can be an Urban Naxal ?
Anyone can be an Urban Naxal. He can be a professor or a historian or a film-maker or a journalist or an actor or a businessman or a lawyer or a socialite or an IAS officer or even an apex court judge. The extent of infiltration these Urban Naxals have in the Indian state machinery is beyond our imagination.
How an Urban Naxal is breeded and nurtured ?
A small town young blood with aspirations enters a college, say JNU in New Delhi, where his professor of political science or humanities teaches him that every politician is corrupt, police force is oppressive and Indian Army is raping women in insurgency-hit Kashmir and Manipur making him hate state machinery ; his professor of history teaches him that all the Rajput kings were only lustful of other women and coward who fell on knees of Mughals and British, all the Brahmins were oppressive towards and subjugated Dalits, all the Vaishyas were only money-sharks who have looted them, making him hate his roots, culture, traditions and altogether his religion. He is being hammered with these half-truths. This brainwashing of a young mind results into a guilt-ridden person who no longer values his rich heritage out of hatred instilled by the people surrounding him. He is made to believe that minorities and marginalized in India are on the verge of extinction and so that they must retaliate against the fascist Indian state. And in retaliation if the need arises to take up arms, it is justifiable.
Now if this person becomes a lawyer, he defends this 'cause' by exploiting the loopholes of law. If this person becomes a journalist, he defends this cause by spreading falsehoods in favour of the naxal movement and against the Indian state. If this person becomes a filmmaker, he defends this cause by making films that is sympathetic to the Naxalites and critical of the Indian state. If this person becomes a writer, he(or in some case 'she’) defends this cause by writing books that tells one-side stories of state oppression on marginalized sections. This person provides all the support that is needed to further the overground Naxalite movement thus should be known as 'Urban Naxal’.
When a political party which is an ideological opponent of the Naxals reigns into power and cracks down on a section of Urban Naxals, others create flimsy ruckus that 'democracy is under threat’, 'fundamental human rights are being snatched away' and 'dissent is being suppressed by the Indian state' by exploiting every means possible. But in actuality these are their foul cries because they can’t defend the Naxalite movement overtly.
They can’t compromise their allegiance to the Naxal movement by going public. So in the name of defending human rights of the accused, they provide them legal shield. These very people within hours of crackdown on their comrades provide them intellectual cover as well, by writing articles on their ideological platforms, always propagating one sided story which is in favour of the accused. They take refuge of the education too. They peddle the narrative that if a person is a lawyer or a journalist he can’t be a Naxalite. Because a person is highly educated, working for the marginalized and fighting against the state, he’s always right is what being peddled by their ecosystem.
Kashmir’s Aazadi Movement or Nagaland’s secessionist movement, Urban Naxals are always there standing behind insurgent groups to provide them everything they provide to overground Naxalites. And when these Urban Naxals comes under fire Elites among the naxal ecosystem takes up the onus to bail them out and provide them intellectual cover. They work from behind the curtain. These are the ones who defend their comrades operating on ground from their echo chambers in New Delhi exercising their influence in corridors of power. The most dangerous of the Naxals.
