Maoist Insurgency and Indo-Nepal Border Relations

19 Jan, 2002    ·   678

Kanchan L addresses the issue of complex network of Maoist groups and its implications on the Indo-Nepal relations
Kanchan Lakshman
The re-launching of the Maoist insurrection on 23 November 2001 has highlighted the issue of cross-border linkages between various extremist and terrorist groups. Whilst the sub-continent is grappling with the aftermath of September 11 and the subsequent war hysteria, there is an imminent danger that cataclysmic events in Nepal may affect the internal security scenario in India . This assumes significance because these terrorist movements have developed inextricable cross border linkages.

 

 

A succession of recent events and utterances has warranted rethinking on India ’s security frontiers with Nepal . Approximately five months before the Maoist insurgents decided to suspend the latest cease-fire, the Co-ordination Committee of Maoist Parties and Organization of South Asia (CCOMPOSA), an umbrella outfit of nine left-wing extremist and Naxalite organizations active in four countries of South Asia – India , Nepal , Sri Lanka and Bangladesh , had been launched. The People’s War Group (PWG), Maoist Communist Centre (MCC), Revolutionary Communist Centre of India (RCCI-Maoist) and the Revolutionary Communist Centre of India (MLM-Marxist-Leninist-Maoist) in India are signatories to this declaration calling for ‘revolutionary solutions’. It has appealed to “all Maoist forces to unify and coordinate the activities of the Maoist parties and organizations in South Asia ” and observed that ‘national liberation’ movements were underway in Kashmir, Nepal , Assam , Northeastern States, Bangladesh and Pakistan .

 

 

This multilayered and synergized fraternal network could warrant the presumption that leftwing extremists are merely seeking to prove a political point rather than gain any strategic edge. Available evidence indicates that the agenda of unifying for gaining a military edge is as significant as the ideological unity agenda. 

 

 

The MCC, traditionally active in the districts of central and south-central Bihar , has reportedly chosen Sheohar district in north Bihar , bordering Nepal , as its new operational area. The MCC is active in Darbhanga, another north Bihar district bordering Nepal . Reports indicate that the MCC moved from central and south-central Bihar to the north to link with the Maoists in Nepal . Both groups have reportedly cemented their ties and are now exchanging men and material.

 

 

The Maoists are also attempting to establish a network in north Bengal and Sikkim . Their imperative is to develop a nexus with the PWG, which is trying to build a safe corridor from Bihar to Nepal through Burdwan and north Dinajpur districts. Regular meetings have been reported from Jhapa district, along the Indo-Nepal border, and Siliguri. The Nepali Maoists are believed to be taking shelter in India and building on their relations with Tharu tribals residing on the Indo-Nepal border. Bheri Anchal district in Nepal , adjoining India ’s Bahraich district, has been the centre of Maoist activities. The Nepali Maoists are reportedly infiltrating into India , mainly through the Indo-Nepal border in Darjeeling district, following a crackdown upon them. That they have frequently been crossing over into Bihar , besides Jharkhand, and that they have been collaborating with their associates in India is evident from a recent report submitted to India ’s Home Ministry. Media reports of May 2001 have indicated that the Home Ministry had forwarded to the Bihar government Nepal ’s request to flush out from the State extremists who are reportedly conducting training camps for Nepali Maoists. (“A spurt in Maoist attacks”, Frontline, vol. 18, no. 9, April 28 - May 11, 2001)

 

 

This Report indicates that there had been a steady trickle of Maoists into Kaimur and Aurangabad districts over the past two years. The area is ideal for hideouts being mountainous and densely forested. Kaimur, close to Uttar Pradesh (UP) on the Indian side of the border, also provides an escape route for the Maoists. Deb Mukharji, the former Indian Ambassador, reportedly said in September 2001 that the extremists in Andhra Pradesh and Bihar could have links with the Maoists in Nepal . However, he emphasized that the Indian government was not supporting Nepal ’s rebels. Following reports that the Maoists had fled towards the Indian border, the responsibility for monitoring the entire 735km open border in Bihar has been handed over to the Special Services Bureau (SSB). The State government has been requested to cooperate with it by keeping a watch on the Maoists. The UP Border Police, especially constituted to control the 550-km border with Nepal , are ill equipped at present to handle this task. 

 

 

The transborder confederation of leftwing extremists will increase the problems facing the security forces along the 1,751-km porous border between the India and Nepal . These diffused networks of violence in the east need to be critically examined. Effective strategies for meeting these evolving internal security challenges must address the complex networks of individuals and ideologies, apart from their state sponsorship, if any. 

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