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SOUTH ASIA INTELLIGENCE REVIEW
Weekly Assessments & Briefings
Volume 16, No. 19, November 6, 2017
Data and
assessments from SAIR can be freely published in any form
with credit to the South Asia Intelligence Review of the
South Asia Terrorism Portal
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Odisha:
Malkangiri: Retreating Disruption
Deepak
Kumar Nayak
Research Assistant; Institute for Conflict Management
On October
22, 2017, the dead body of a civilian, identified as Sama
Pangi (45), was recovered from Spillway Ghat (bank
of a water body) of Balimela reservoir in the Chitrakonda
area of Malkangiri District in Odisha. On October 15,
2017, Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist)
cadres had hijacked a motor launch boat and taken Sama
Pangi, its driver, hostage in the "cut-off"
region of Chitrakonda in the District, when the vessel
was on its way to Kunturpadar carrying grocery items for
Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) forces deployed in the
region. The Maoists killed Pangi suspecting him to be
a ‘Police informer’. According to Police, Pangi had been
attacked two years earlier as well, but had survived.
Following the attack, he had left his native village Janti
and was staying at Pilobai village in the Chitrakonda
area. He had sought protection from the District Police.
On October
6, 2017, CPI-Maoist cadres shot Dambaru Nayak (40) dead
at Kurub village under Kalimela Police limits in Malkangiri
District. According to reports, nearly 20 to 25 armed
Maoists had come to the village and dragged Dambaru out
of his home. They held a Jan Adalat (People’s/
Kangaroo Court organized by the Maoists) where they accused
him of being a ‘Police informer’ and shot him dead in
the presence of the villagers.
On October
5, 2017, CPI-Maoist cadres killed a villager, identified
as Imra Kabasi, in the Bapanapalli area under Padia Police
limits in Malkangiri District. The Maoists dragged Imra
to the nearby forest and slit his throat. The Maoists
suspected that Imra was a 'Police informer'.
According
to partial data collated by the South Asia Terrorism
Portal (SATP), at least nine civilians have been killed
in Malkangiri District in Left Wing Extremism (LWE)-linked
violence in 2017 (data till November 5, 2017). Significantly,
out of five Districts across Odisha from where such civilian
fatalities have been recorded in the current year, Malkangiri
has the dubious distinction of being the front-runner,
with Kalahandi and Koraput both standing distant seconds,
with two fatalities each. Kandhamal and Rayagada have
recorded one such fatality each. The total number of civilian
killings in such violence across Odisha in the current
year stands at 15.
Out of
31 Districts across seven States from where Maoist-linked
civilian fatalities have been recorded in the current
year, Malkangiri was the worst, with nine fatalities;
followed by Jamui (Bihar) and Gumla (Jharkhand), with
five fatalities each.
Since the
formation of the CPI-Maoist on September 21, 2004, Malkangiri
has recorded at least 116 civilian fatalities and is ranked
1st among a total of
18 Districts
in Odisha from where civilian fatalities have been registered
over this period. In terms of all-India data, out of 116
Districts from where civilian fatalities have been recorded
since the formation of CPI-Maoist, Malkangiri ranked 6th.
The Districts which recorded a greater number of civilian
fatalities included West Midnapore (West Bengal), 464;
Dantewada (Chhattisgarh), 337; Bijapur (Chhattisgarh),
174; Gadchiroli (Maharashtra), 153; and Gumla (Jharkhand),
121.
Fatalities
in Malkangiri District 2004*- 2017**
Year
|
Civilians
|
SFs
|
LWEs
|
Total
|
2004
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
2005
|
4
|
0
|
1
|
5
|
2006
|
3
|
2
|
10
|
15
|
2007
|
3
|
2
|
6
|
11
|
2008
|
8
|
60
|
3
|
71
|
2009
|
7
|
3
|
3
|
13
|
2010
|
8
|
5
|
4
|
17
|
2011
|
7
|
1
|
1
|
9
|
2012
|
7
|
8
|
1
|
16
|
2013
|
18
|
1
|
16
|
35
|
2014
|
19
|
0
|
2
|
21
|
2015
|
16
|
3
|
6
|
25
|
2016
|
7
|
1
|
31
|
39
|
2017
|
9
|
0
|
1
|
10
|
Total
|
116
|
86
|
85
|
287
|
Source:
SATP, **Data till November 5, 2017
*
Formation of CPI-Maoist on September 21, 2004.
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After registering
a significant dip in civilian fatalities, on year on year
basis, in 2016, the surge witnessed in the current year
is worrying. The escalation may primarily be due to declining
engagement with Security Forces (SFs) on the ground, as
is evident from the data: just one Maoist killed in the
current year as against 31 Maoists killed in the corresponding
period of 2016, the highest Maoist fatalities in the District
since the formation of CPI-Maoist. Civilian targeting
is a low risk effort to restore a measure of dominance
in areas where the Maoists have suffered major reverses,
and to inflict penalties on those who are perceived as
aiding the State’s operational successes.
Indeed,
since the two
successive encounters
in the Bejingi Forest area between Ramgarh and Panasput
in the Malkangiri District on October 24 and 27, 2016,
the Maoists have been struggling to retain their hold
in the District. Since September 21, 2004, Malkangiri
District has recorded 86 SF fatalities, as compared to
85 fatalities among the Maoists, establishing a kill ratio
of 1:1.01 in favour of the Maoists. Out of 69 Districts
across 14 States of India from where fatalities in both
these categories were recorded, the kill ratio has been
in favour of the Maoists in just 25 Districts. Significantly,
the kill ratio has veered sharply in favour of the SFs
since 2013.
Located
in the southern part of the State, Malkangiri also shares
its borders with Sukma District (carved out of Dantewada)
in Chhattisgarh; Khammam District in Telangana; and East
Godavari and Vishakhapatnam Districts in Andhra Pradesh.
The District population is 613,192 (Census 2011), and
it occupies an area of 5,791 square kilometers. 2,321
square kilometres of its total geographical area, about
40.08 per cent, is under forest cover. Terrain and geographical
proximity to contiguous Maoist-affected regions in neighbouring
States (Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh), have
made Malkangiri a perfect area for a guerrilla stronghold.
Significantly,
the Maoist diktat runs across the District, despite their
progressive loss of geographical control in Malkangiri.
Disruptive dominance is maintained through the creation
of an atmosphere of terror in the region through the targeted
killing of civilians, as well as other acts of intimidation.
On September
18, 2017, the Maoists forced a family from Paparmetla
Palem village in Malkangiri District to leave their village.
Ten members of the family of Kamal Khila were forced out,
as the Maoists had branded their son, who was working
outside the State, a Police Informer. Earlier, on September
17, 2017, a youth, Pilku Khara, belonging to Luchapani
village in the Chitrakonda Block of the District, fled
home after a Maoist kangaroo court held on September 9
told him to join their organisation or face ‘punishment’.
Further, around 20 armed CPI-Maoist cadres had barged
into Murelguda village under Chitrakonda block on September
14, 2017, in search of their ‘convict’ Ramachandra Sisa,
who had been ‘awarded death sentence’, by a kangaroo court
on September 9, 2017, for defying the Maoists. As the
Maoists failed to extract any information about Sisa,
they set his two-wheeler on fire. They also terrorised
the villagers while enquiring about Sisa, who is reportedly
running for his life after he escaped from the kangaroo
court. Sources indicate that he has moved to an undisclosed
location along with his wife, leaving behind his frail
mother to fend for herself in the village. Similarly,
on September 1, 2017, a family in the Jantri village in
the Chitrakonda Block had to leave their home after the
Maoists threatened them.
Meanwhile,
on October 15, 2017, CPI-Maoist posters and letters were
found at Badatekguda under the Kalimela Block of the District,
in which the rebels demanded that at least 10 people from
each village of Malkangiri District must join the Maoists
at the Helkanur Hill on October 25, 2017. A violation
of the ‘order’, the Maoists warned, would attract the
‘death sentence’. No further information is available
about the incident. In the same letter, the Maoists had
asked surrendered cadres to return to the outfit, else
they would ‘not be spared’.
Apart from
the increased civilian fatalities in Malkangiri, other
patterns of violence in the District have also seen a
rise. A total of 15 persons were abducted in four incidents
in 2017 (till November 5), while there was no such incident
in the corresponding period of 2016. The Maoists have
carried out three incidents of arson in 2017, as against
none in the corresponding period of previous year. Further,
at least 11 families have deserted their homes in 2017
due to Maoist threats, as against seven families in the
corresponding period of 2016.
On October
26, 2017, the State Government decided to intensify its
drive against the CPI-Maoist, with a focus on joint operations
by Police and Central Forces in Malkangiri and Koraput
Districts, which were considered to be Maoist strongholds.
On October 26, 2017, during his first visit to Malkangiri
and Koraput, State Director General of Police (DGP), R.P.
Sharma, since taking charge as the State Police Chief
on August 31, 2017, reviewed anti-Maoist operations and
stated, "Our emphasis will be on joint operations
and better co-ordination between the forces." DGP
Sharma, also reviewed the ongoing work on the Gurupriya
Bridge, which would connect the six Gram Panchayats
(village level local-self government institutions) in
the "cut-off" area located across the Balimela
reservoir, with the District's mainland.
Earlier,
on September 28, 2017, Border Security Force (BSF) Additional
Director General (ADG), Arun Kumar, had informed,
We
are planning to fill security gaps in the cutoff
areas of Malkangiri and Tulsi Dongri of Chhattisgarh
to cause maximum damage to the Red rebels. Accordingly,
we are planning operations in those particular areas.
Communications in the cutoff areas is a major problem.
Recently, the Central Government has allotted Rs
25 crore for upgradation of infrastructure in these
areas. This has boosted the morale of the forces..
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The Maoists
persist in their effort to retain a hold in Malkangiri,
and the security challenge refuses to die. Time bound
efforts – both from the Centre and State – are quintessential
for the District to consolidate the tremendous gains that
the SFs have secured, and to ensure that the Maoists find
no remaining place to hide, despite the difficulties of
terrain and location that have long favoured them.
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Progress
on an Unfinished Agenda
S.
Binodkumar Singh
Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management
On October
30, 2017, the three-day debate on the
Interim Report
of the Steering Committee set up under the Constitutional
Assembly (CA) began in Parliament. The debate was supposed
to conclude on November 1. However, due to demands from
a large number of Members of Parliament (MPs) for additional
time to express their views, Chairman of the CA, Speaker
Karu Jayasuriya decided on November 2, 2017, to continue
the debate on November 2 and November 8.
The Interim
Report was submitted to the CA by Prime Minister Ranil
Wickremesinghe as Chairman of the Steering Committee on
September 21, 2017, stressing that Sri Lanka should remain
one undivided and indivisible country, where maximum devolution
should be granted, but argued for the inclusion of specific
provisions in the Constitution to prevent secession (division
of the country). The report proposed that provincial councils
would be the primary unit of devolution, while local bodies
had been named as the implementing agency of both the
central Government and the provincial councils.
Issuing
a statement following the submission of the Interim Report,
R. Sampanthan, Leader of the Opposition and of the main
Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), stated,
on September 21, 2017, “The successful conclusion of this
Constitution-making process on the basis of an acceptable,
reasonable and substantial national consensus would bring
about a firm finality to this issue. Sri Lanka would perpetually
be a united undivided and indivisible country in keeping
with the basic and Supreme Law of the country, and on
the basis of the free will and consent of its entire people.”
However,
the Joint Opposition has expressed itself against the
new Constitution. On July 7, 2016, the Joint Opposition
had announced its
‘Shadow Cabinet’
in which former President Mahinda Rajapaksa was appointed
shadow Prime Minister. On January 27, 2017, while addressing
a public rally in Colombo, Rajapaksa accused President
Maithripala Sirisena of trying to appease the minority
Tamil community by promising devolution of power, saying
he would oppose the “fraudulent” new Constitution. Further,
on October 26, 2017, the Joint Opposition’s
constitutional expert, Professor G.L Peiris declared that
the Government did not have a mandate for a new Constitution,
and that the Joint Opposition opposed the Interim Report
submitted to Parliament on the new Constitution.
Of late,
the Joint Opposition group has been divided over the Constitution-making
process, with one group insisting on immediate withdrawal
from the CA and the other adamant on remaining in it.
Surprisingly, Joint Opposition leader Rajapaksa, participating
in the CA debate on the Interim Report on November 2,
2017, expressed hope that the new Constitution would promote
national and religious unity. Rajapaksa stated that he
was participating in the legislative process to formulate
a new Constitution with the sincere hope of creating unity
in the country and enjoined leaders not to create hate
among communities.
As a result,
expressing optimism, Minister of Finance Mangala Samaraweera,
participating the debate in Parliament on October 31,
2017, observed, “By formulating a new Constitution the
trajectory of the country can be changed towards a new
direction and create an 'equal citizenship' to bring about
economic prosperity.” Meanwhile, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe
speaking in the debate on November 1, 2017, insisted that
the Government cannot do anything without the agreement
of all parties. The Premier called upon everyone to be
united to introduce the new Constitution.
Significantly,
in another step forward in Sri Lanka's path to sustained
peace, and paving the way to set up an office to trace
around 20,000 people still missing eight years after the
end of the nearly three-decade-long civil war, President
Sirisena on July 20, 2017, signed the Office on Missing
Persons (OMP) Act. Further, on September 12, 2017, President
Sirisena signed the Gazette Notification to operationalize
the OMP Act from September 15. Accordingly, on October
24, 2017, the Government called for applications to appoint
members to the OMP. Applications have been called from
persons with previous experience in in fact finding or
investigation, human rights law, international humanitarian
law, humanitarian response, or who possess other qualifications
relevant to carrying out the functions of the OMP. The
applications, along with the curriculum vitae, were to
reach the Acting Secretary General of the Constitutional
Council, Parliament of Sri Lanka, Sri Jayewardenepura
Kotte, on or before November 6, 2017. The bill to establish
the OMP was introduced on May 22 2016, and on June 21,
2017, the bill was
passed unanimously
in Parliament.
Regarding
the devolution of power, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe,
on July 27, 2017, declared that it was difficult to go
back to a pre-1972 system, as the parties had committed
themselves to maximum devolution of power, unlike those
days where Government Agents represented the state at
the village level. Meanwhile, on October 21, 2017, President
Sirisena observed that the devolution of power should
not be carried out in the interest of politicians but
it should be dedicated to strengthening the people and
fulfilling their needs. The aim of decentralization of
power, he emphasized, was to equally hand over the benefits
of development to each citizen and to create an environment
for each person to live in a just society. Devolution
of power should never divide or separate the country,
the President added.
Meanwhile,
reassuring that the Tamil minority community’s demand
for a federal solution to meet its political aspirations
was not aimed at dividing the country, Northern
Province Chief Minister C.V. Wigneswaran stated on September
9, 2017, “You [the Sinhalese] think we [Tamils] are all
terrorists. We do not want to divide this country. When
we ask for federalism we are being accused of trying to
divide the country. The Tamils want the distinct identity
recognized by the majority Sinhalese.” Likewise,
on October 4, 2017, Opposition Leader Sampanthan stressed
that that the majority Sinhala communities need not to
be afraid of the Tamils, as there would be constitutional
protection preventing any move towards separation. The
power-sharing arrangements would be worked out within
a United, Undivided and Indivisible Sri Lanka.
Another
Tamil demand was the release of prisoners detained under
the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) without any court
cases. Around 132 Tamil prisoners are known to be in custody,
including both those awaiting trial for several years
(ranging from 8 to 24 years) or serving sentences. Disturbingly,
a Hartal (General Strike) campaign was launched
by the business community and Tamil civil organizations
in the Northern Province on October 13, 2017, demanding
the release of Tamil prisoners. All traders in the Northern
Province closed their shops to support the Hartal. Education
activities in all Tamil schools in the North were crippled
and all transport services came to a halt. Further, moving
an adjournment motion in Parliament on October 17, 2017,
Opposition Leader R. Sampanthan urged the Government to
release all persons held in custody under PTA, from the
North and East, without further delay. Once again, Sampnanthan
told Parliament on November 1, 2017, that things would
get worse for Sri Lanka, especially in the international
arena if the country failed to address the ‘national question’.
Separately,
the international continues to leverage the human rights
platform to pressurize Colombo, expressing disappointment
in Sri Lanka's progress in achieving the key goals set
out in the
United Nations Human Rights
Council (UNHRC) Resolution adopted
in October 2015. UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights
and Counter-Terrorism, Ben Emmerson observed on July 14,
2017, "None of the measures so far adopted to fulfill
Sri Lanka's transitional justice commitments are adequate
to ensure real progress, and there is little evidence
that perpetrators of war crimes committed by members of
the Sri Lankan armed forces are being brought to justice."
Similarly, International Crisis Group in a
report
released on July 28, 2017, said that eight years after
the end of Sri Lanka's armed conflict, the promises by
the Government to the UNHRC in 2015 have failed to materialize
and the urgent economic and psychosocial needs of all
conflict-affected groups remain unmet.
Moreover,
at the 36th session of the UNHRC in Geneva on September
11, 2017, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad
Al Hussein urged the Sri Lankan Government to accelerate
the pace of fulfilling the UNHRC resolution adopted in
October 2015. Similarly, Human Rights Watch (HRW) calling
on UN member countries to press Sri Lanka to promptly
meet the targets of the UNHRC's October 2015 resolution
for transitional justice, stated on September 14, 2017,
"Governments at the Human Rights Council should be
clear with Sri Lanka that setting up various reconciliation
offices and talking of progress is not the same as implementing
the 2015 resolution. Long-suffering Sri Lankans need to
see the resolution fully carried out, and they need to
see evidence that justice is being achieved."
Meanwhile,
demonstrating the Government’s commitment, Minister of
Prison Reforms, Resettlement and Rehabilitation D. M.
Swaminathan noted, on September 18, 2017, that the Attorney
General’s Department would take steps to expedite the
cases of those arrested under PTA. The Minister confirmed
that steps were being taken to deal with cases filed under
PTA. More significantly, at the concluding ceremony of
the Nila Mehewara - President's People Service - National
Programme 2017 held at Saivapragasa Ladies' College in
Vavuniya District, President Maithripala Sirisena and
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe visited Vavuniya District
in the North on October 21, 2017, in an effort to resolve
the problems of the public. At the event, the President
symbolically handed over 5000, land deeds to the people
of the North. The Nila Mehewara - President's People Service
- National Programme 2017 was launched in Vavuniya in
March. For over seven months Ministers and Secretaries
have visited Vavuniya from time to time under the program
to provide solutions to the unresolved problems of the
people.
On November
1, 2017, Prime Minister Wickremesinghe launched the five-year
National Action Plan for
the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights
at a ceremony held at the Parliament Complex. Speaking
at the event, the Prime Minister declared the time had
come to reaffirm human rights in the country. The National
Action Plan for the Protection and Promotion of Human
Rights 2017-2021 documents goal-oriented activities in
Human Rights arena, aimed to strengthen national processes
and mechanisms for the protection and promotion of human
rights through substantial constitutional, legislative,
policy and administrative frameworks. Earlier, on May
26, 2016, Sri Lanka expanded its commitment to human rights
by ratifying the
International Convention
for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance
and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
The National
Unity Government (NUG) has made remarkable efforts to
press forward the reconciliation process by reaching out
to the Tamils and initiating constitutional and legal
reforms. It has furthered the much-awaited Constitution-making
process by debating the Interim Report of the CA Steering
Committee in Parliament. However, as some leaders of the
Joint Opposition continue to oppose the Interim Report,
the process is yet to be completed, and Sri Lanka’s journey
to achieve development targets and the reconciliation
process remain unfinished.
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Weekly Fatalities: Major
Conflicts in South Asia
October
30 - November 5, 2017
|
Civilians
|
Security
Force Personnel
|
Terrorists/Insurgents
|
Total
|
INDIA
|
|
Jammu and
Kashmir
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
8
|
Left-Wing
Extremism
|
|
Chhattisgarh
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
Jharkhand
|
0
|
0
|
4
|
4
|
Maharashtrar
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
INDIA (Total)
|
1
|
4
|
9
|
14
|
PAKISTAN
|
|
Balochistan
|
0
|
0
|
2
|
2
|
FATA
|
1
|
1
|
0
|
2
|
KP
|
0
|
2
|
1
|
3
|
PAKISTAN
(Total)
|
1
|
3
|
3
|
7
|
Provisional
data compiled from English language media sources.
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