Naxal activity in Karnataka, subdued through police crackdown, implementation of rehabilitation schemes in border districts and infighting has resurfaced recently. Naxal menace, earlier confined to Raichur and Tumkur districts bordering Andhra Pradesh (AP), has now spread its tentacles to Western Ghats. The Police encounter with Naxalites on November 17 in Udupi district has brought to the fore the growing influence of Naxals in Kudremukh national park (KNP) area spread over three districts- Udupi, Dakshina Kannada and Chikmagalur. Two suspected women left wing extremists belonging to the People’s War Group (PWG) were gunned down at Bollattu village of Karkala taluk. A third Naxalite, Yashoda, was injured in the shootout and is now in police custody. Two other male extremists, identified as Vishnu and Anand, managed to escape from the site.

Investigations revealed that there might be about 50 Naxalites owing adherence to the PWG operating in the State. Of these, 20 to 30 are suspected to be operating in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chikmagalur, and Shimoga districts. These naxlaites also get logistic support from AP based PWG outfits.

The main reason behind the westward movement of Naxalites in the state could be the continued neglect of tribals in the Kudremulh national park area by authorities and other socio-economic disparities. Frequent police operations in AP-Karnataka border after the October 1 assassination attempt on AP Chief Minister could be another factor.

The extremist outfits have adroitly exploited the discontentment among the tribals of the region. The "ruthless" imposition of park rules on tribal groups who have been living inside the park limits for 200 years helped the outfit to set up a base. For the past 10 years, young members of over 1,350 families having dwellings in the newly allotted park area in Belthangady taluk have protested against the Forest Department's move to evict them. Recently, the Forest Department, with the support of the Revenue Department, threatened to evict farmers from KNP limits. The departments also asked them to pay fines for encroaching on government land and warned them that if they do not leave the park, they will be treated on par with poachers.

Quite a few organizations which believe in revolutionary ideologies have taken up the cause of tribals after the latter were served with eviction notices by the State Forest Department. These organisations have carried out a massive propaganda among the tribals and villagers in the national park not to part with their land at any cost. The PWG rejects parliamentary democracy and believes in capturing political power through protracted armed struggle. This strategy entails building up bases in rural and remote areas by convincing the victimized and poor people of exploitation by the government or landlords. According to the literature seized from the encounter site, there are names of 16 villagers with details about their caste, profession, the land they owned, their children, their profession, education and so on. The Naxalites had made a caste-wise and class-wise analysis and identified potential supporters.

In Raichur district, the Naxal leaders began their activities about 15 years ago by taking cognizance of the local situation. The villages here were facing atrocities like ill treatment of Dalits, bonded labour, land grabbing and cheating by landlords.

In the name of Pragathipara Vidyarthi Kendra (PVK) and the Karnataka Raitha Coolie Sangha (KRCS), the Naxal leaders began to attract people by resolving their problems and gaining their confidence. ‘Praja panchayats’ is another mechanism through which the Naxals are luring the villagers. At one such ‘Praja Panchayat,’ an excise contractor was asked to pay Rs.50, 000 for beating an employee. In 1989, Naxals at Basavanbhavi Circle in Raichur city shot one landlord. In Tumkur district, some groups like Praja Guerrilla Dalam (squd) have become popular with the people of the area through their social welfare programmes like building water tanks, distributing groundnut seeds etc. 

In reaction to the presence of Naxalites in the Malnad areas, the state government has decided a Rupees 60-crore rehabilitation scheme, treating the issue as a socio-economic problem arising out of poverty and lack of basic amenities for those living in the forest areas. Apart from that, the authorities are also planning to directly involve villagers in the combing operations through Grama Rakshana Samitis.

For the tribal people, the forest is part of their lives. They should be properly convinced about the rehabilitation package. Proper communication with them was of utmost importance. On the other hand, the decision to involve villagers in combing operations could result in an escalating cycle of violence in the State as happened in other Naxal infested States.