The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has shared crucial intelligence with sister agencies, alerting them about the resurging Maoist recruitment activity, especially focusing on children, in Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. According to the intelligence inputs exclusively obtained by The Free Press Journal, the insurgents are forcing tribals to send at least one child aged between 15 and 25 years from each family to join the Maoists.
Actions against tribals intensified
They have also intensified their actions against tribals who are suspected to be informants of law agencies. Three people were slain this month, with two of them being killed in the last five days.
As per the analysis, the Maoists are pressuring tribals to send their kids to join the insurgency for two specific reasons: one is the dwindling strength of their cadre and second is that the security agencies refrain from firing at children. According to the inputs, the Maoists are attempting to derail the Surjagarh mining project.
Cadres trying to turn tribals against security forces
The cadres are trying to turn tribals against the security forces, by claiming that the Surjagarh hills and forests, which are home to Madia Gond tribals, are the target of a government conspiracy to displace tribals from their homeland and hand over control of the land to corporates.
In this regard, several agitations were organised by Maoists in the last several months. Recently, security forces arrested 21 tribals who agitated at Todgatta against the project. Those arrested are currently in Chandrapur jail, said Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police Nilotpal.
Agency officials say...
Owing to the shrinking cadre, the insurgents are undertaking recruitment initiatives in Surjagarh and other tribal areas. The situation becomes more challenging when human rights activists raise the issue on international platforms, manipulate the information and present it as if the tribals are not safe in India, said agency officials.
Explaining the tactic to deploy kids, an official from a central intelligence agency said that the Maoists are cognisant of the fact that any encounter between security forces and children during operations could bring criticism and allegations of fake encounter and human rights violations.
