The Peoples War Group (PWG) in Andhra Pradesh has gone back to its old strategy of kidnapping prominent local leaders and policemen to pressurize the government into fulfilling its demands. On 2 April 2003, the PWG kidnapped four policemen in Prakasam district to retaliate against its Northern Telangana Special Zonal Committee (NTSZC) member Ramakrishna’s encounter death. It demanded a judicial enquiry into the incident and release of its cadre arrested on various charges in Guntur and Prakasam districts. The Naxalites also demanded the release of 15 tribal men arrested on charges of theft and cooperating with the Naxalites in Kachirajupalle village in Nalgonda district; they had joined the PWG, which recently started famine raids by looting rice mills to distribute rice in drought hit villages to win the sympathy of villagers in these areas. The government did not succumb to these demands.

This strategy of kidnappings started in 1984. The strategy was supported by arguing that any form of struggle was acceptable if it served the cause of armed opposition to the government. Thereafter, it emerged as an important tactic in getting its important cadres released. But this tactic received a setback in 1989 and 1992, when it kidnapped and later killed prominent local leaders and Mandal (Taluk) Presidents Malhar Rao and Shankaraiah Gowd, who had won peoples’ support and admiration in Karimnagar district. People objected and criticized the Naxalites’ acts and many villages prevented them from entering their villages, and even changed a Mandal name to Shankarapatnam. These incidents affected the people’s sympathy for the Naxalites; subsequently, the PWG reviewed its policy of kidnappings and came to the conclusion that if its strategies adversely affected people’s participation and sympathy, it will ultimately result in failure. PWG decided to stop kidnappings to achieve its political goals. This policy continued for the next seven years, till 2001. However, between 1984 and 1993, it kidnapped around 424 policemen, government employees and political leaders. Since 2001, when it revived its kidnapping policy, to date it has kidnapped fourteen people. The PWG has concentrated on kidnapping policemen, apart from political leaders and government employees. Last year, in 2002, it even killed a kidnapped policeman in Vishakapatnam district.

This revival might be because of the police getting the upper hand in combating Naxalism. In recent years the government’s ban on the PWG helped the police to suppress the movement in its strong hold of Northern Telangana district. The police achieved significant gains over the PWG by killing prominent PWG leaders like Nalla Adireddy, Sheelam Narash, Santhosh Reddy, Padmakka and Ramakrishna in this region. The police maintained friendly relations with the people in interior villages, where they have been providing rewards, medical facilities, education and development activities. This led to decreased peoples’ support for the PWG in rural areas. The strengthened intelligence network of the police weakened the PWG. Police even encouraged covert operations against the PWG cadres. All these measures resulted in large scale surrender of militants. According to an internally circulated document among the PWG cadre called “Program and Organization Review”, the PWG decided to restart kidnapping to restrict police movement and action against its cadre in rural areas (Eenadu, 9 April 2003). This document further emphasized using kidnappings to protest encounters and fulfill demands. PWG Vishakapatnam East division committee secretary, Bhaskar, clarified that revived kidnappings was a strategy to avoid killings (Eenadu, 26 April 2003).

The state government has decided not to accept the Naxalite demands and if necessary it would conduct commando operations with the help of helicopters and quick reaction teams to counter the PWG kidnapping blackmail (Eenadu, 18 April 2003). It has got permission from the Chattisgarh and Orissa state governments to cross the border and arrest Naxalites during anti-Naxal operations (India Today, Telugu edition, 15 April 2003). Besides, recent incidents after the kidnapping of four policemen reveals another ploy of the government using people to pressurize the Naxalites to release kidnapped persons. People demanded of the Naxalites that, ‘these policemen are small employees of the government and on humanitarian grounds the PWG should release them.’ The families of kidnapped policemen sat on relay hunger strike and threatened to march into the forests to secure their release. This tactic of the government was successful. On 8 April 2003, the PWG released one hostage and the rest three days later.

However these tactics on both sides will not always work. In the struggle between the government, police and Naxalites the victims are always the people, leaders and government employees. The only solution lies in resolving the differences by negotiations. The PWG recently agreed for negotiations (Eenadu, 26 April 2003); the government’s response is being awaited.