Naxal attacks: A bloody timeline

The year gone by was the year when Naxalism emerged as a major internal security threat making its presence felt in the public arena. The Naxals not only extended their area of influence beyond the Red Corridor but also shook the centres of power with their changing tactics.

Move to Year 2010 and little has changed on the ground. The three-decade-old Naxal movement, more brazen than ever before, is still keeping states on the edge.

Through this photofeature, we revisit the bloody trail of Naxalism in India.(NDTV photo)

In the latest attack on July 8; the second day of the two-day bandh, the Maoists struck yet again in Chhattisgarh.

A group of Maoists stormed into the house of Congress leader Avadesh Gautam in Dantewada district early morning and brutally killed his 15-year-old brother-in-law and an associate.

Avadesh Gautam is a close associate of Mahindra Karma, known for initiating the anti-Naxal Salwa Judum movement in Chhattisgarh.

The attack is being seen as a retaliatory strike by the Maoists after one of their top leaders, C Rajakumar alias Azad, was killed in an alleged 'fake' encounter in Andhra Pradesh last week.

On June 29, 2010, a Naxal attack in Chhattisgarh left twenty six CRPF jawans dead and seven injured. The CRPF men were trying to secure an area ahead of the upcoming two-day Naxal-sponsored bandh.

At least 90 Maoists ambushed a 63-strong CRPF road-opening party in an area under Dhaurai police station, 3 km from the CRPF camp in Narayanpur district of the state.

In a daring attack on May 17 the same year, Naxals blew up a bus on Dantewada-Sukma road in Chhattisgarh.

Just about a month earlier, at least 75 CRPF personnel were killed on April 6, when a large group of Naxals ambushed them in the thick Mukrana forests of Dantewada.

In the worst Maoist attack, at least 75 CRPF and district force personnel were on Tuesday killed when a large group of Naxals ambushed them in the thick Mukrana forests of Chhattisgarh's Dantewada district.

The attack took place at 6 am on a Tuesday morning. The Naxals also blew up a car being used by the CRPF. The patrol party had been camping in the interiors of Tarmetla jungles looking for Naxal camps.

The police confirms that by 11.30 am, the encounter had ended, and that its personnel were looking for dead bodies.

Dantewada has long been home turf for Naxals in Chattisgarh. The dense forest area is full of landmines.

The Naxal attack was seen as a retaliation against the government's Operation Greenhunt -launched in Orissa and Chhattisgarh.

The attack came just two days after Maoists triggered a landmine blast killing 11 security personnel and injuring several others in Orissa's Koraput district.

In a violent start to their 48-hour bandh on March 23,2010 Naxals blew up a road bridge in Jharkhand, torched a CPM office and set off a blast near a railway track in West Bengal.
The 48-hour bandh was called by the CPI (Maoist) in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and three districts of Maharashtra to protest against the 'Operation Green Hunt' launched against them.
A night before, passengers onboard the Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express had a miraculous escape when seven of its coaches and the engine derailed near Gaya station following an explosion triggered by suspected Maoists.

There was no casualty or serious injury, Gaya district Superintendent of Police Sushil Khopde said, adding none of the derailed bogies fell on its side which possibly was the reason why no casualty took place.(NDTV Photo)

A major disaster was averted as the train was moving at a very slow speed. The seven coaches which jumped the track did not crash because of the slow speed. The train was travelling at 75 km per hour, a restriction put on all night trains in the area fearing trouble during the naxal bandh.(NDTV Photo)

Sanjay Saraogi, a passenger of the D-3 coach, one of the seven derailed bogies, said that none of the passengers were harmed in the incident.

"We heard the sound of a blast, but to my knowledge no harm has been caused to the passengers in the affected bogies," he said from the spot, about 15 km from Gaya station.(NDTV Photo)

The explosive planted in the tracks between Kasta and Paraiya stations went off shortly after the train left Gaya station, Khopde said, adding a medical team with rescue train was sent to the spot.(NDTV Photo)

The impact of the blast caused a 4-feet-wide crater twisting the railway tracks completely. It's evident that the Maoists used powerful explosives which were planted in the section between Kasta and Paraiya stations near Gaya. The driver and passengers say they heard a loud explosion soon after the train left Gaya station. Hearing the sound of the blast, the driver applied the brakes.(NDTV Photo)

Seven coaches and the engine of the 2445 up Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Rajdhani Express jumped the tracks due to the impact of the blast, suspected to be a handiwork of the Maoists who have called a 48-hour bandh in seven states.

The 48-hour bandh has been called by the CPI (Maoist) in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and three districts of Maharashtra to protest against the 'Operation Green Hunt' launched against them.(NDTV Photo)

The Maoist attack on the Bhubaneswar-Delhi Rajdhani late on Monday night was part of a coordinated strike on railway tracks in four states - Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal and Orissa.

Between Monday night and Tuesday morning, tracks were blown up in Gaya in Bihar, West Midnapore in Bengal, East Singhbhum in Jharkhand, and Sundargarh in Orissa.

Naxals also blew-up railway track near Rourkela, Orissa. One goods train derailed, no injury reported, train running between Bombay and Howrah route effected.

Routes of several important trains including New Delhi-Howrah Rajdhani Express were diverted from Mughalsarai to Patna in lieu of Gaya for onward journey, the sources said.(NDTV Photo)

February 18, 2010: In what is being called a 'revenge' attack, 10 people in Jamui district of Bihar were killed and 25 houses were set on fire as over 120 heavily-armed Maoists swooped down on Kasari village.(NDTV photo)

The attack was reportedly in retaliation to police arresting eight Maoists from this area, with help from villagers. After the incident, the Maoists had in fact threatened to retaliate.(NDTV photo)

February 16, 2010: A truckload of Naxals, men and women, surrounded the Shilda camp in West Midnapore, located in a busy market. As many as thirty-six policemen were resting in their tents, oblivious to the deadly fate in store for them.(NDTV photo)

From across the low walls of the camp, petrol bombs and grenades landed with fury. Twenty-four policemen died, some of them burnt inside their tents. Another seven were injured as nearly a hundred Naxals, who burst in with sophisticated firearms and separated the camp with bullets. (NDTV photo)

Maoist leader Kishenji claimed responsibility for the attack.

"We have attacked the camp and this is our answer to Chidambaram's 'Operation Green Hunt' and unless the Centre stops this inhuman military operation we are going to answer this way only," Kishenji said from an undisclosed location.

The Centre was outraged by the brazen attack on policemen. In his statement, Home Minister P Chidambaram hit out at intellectual sympathisers of Maoists. "I would like to hear the voices of condemnation of those who have, erroneously, extended intellectual and material support to the CPI (Maoist)."(NDTV photo)

The massacre of 24 jawans by the Maoists saw an outpouring of grief as families grieved the loss of their loved ones at the funeral that saw a gun salute by their colleagues of the Eastern Frontier Rifles.(NDTV photo)

November 20, 2009: One person was killed and nearly 60 injured as Maoists struck by blowing up a railway track in Jharkhand just as a train was passing by.

Eight coaches of the Tata-Bilaspur passenger train were derailed near Posaita station, 120 km from Jamshedpur, close to the Jharkhand-Orissa border. (NDTV Photo)

Three coaches, carrying central forces, were badly damaged. The train was on its way from Jamshedpur in Jharkhand to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh.

This was the first time that the Maoists blew up the tracks while the train was passing by. They usually blow up tracks hours before the scheduled passing of a train. (NDTV Photo)

The guard of the train said there was a strong jerk as the train was moving and stone chips went flying in all directions. There was a cloud of dust as the train came to a halt. (NDTV Photo)

The trigger- Maoists had called for a 24-hour bandh in Jharkhand, protesting against the assembly elections. (NDTV Photo)

October 27, 2009: This was perhaps the most brazen attacks of them all. The Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express screeched to a halt at the Banshtala stop near Jhargram in West Midnapore district after its two drivers were taken hostage by Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocities. Their demand- release our leader Chhatradhar Mahato. (PTI Photo)

The entire drama began at about 2.45 pm. As the train chugged along the tracks on its way to Delhi from Bhubaneswar, hundreds of armed men appeared on the tracks, waving red flags. (NDTV Photo)

The driver and his assistant were then taken hostage. The armed men asked passengers to get out of the train. Officers of the Railway Protection Force who were on the train began exchanging fire with them. (Image Courtesy: Channel 10)

Amid reports that the PCPA was demanding the release of its leader Chhatradhar Mahato, the activists painted graffitti on the sides of the train in praise of him. Their demands had been laid bare-- Set free our leader. (Image Courtesy: Channel 10)

Speaking to NDTV, top Naxal leader denied that his men were involved with the attack on the train. It was he who first said the PCPA was responsible. The PCPA is believed to be a front for the Naxals in the Lalgarh area. (NDTV Photo)

Naxal leader Kishenji warned the government not to send police forces into the area and asked Railway Minister Mamata Banerjie to visit the area to negotiate with them. Mamata said she was ready to talk to anyone, but the passengers should be released. (NDTV Photo)

Though traumatised, the passengers said they had been treated rather well by the activists. (Image Courtesy: Channel 10)

After almost five hours of a nail-biting game of wait and watch, the Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani crisis came to an end with the Maoist-backed activists who had stalled the train in West Bengal, fleeing on the arrival of the CRPF.

October 21, 2009: After 54 hours in captivity, Atindranath Dutta, the West Bengal policeman, was freed by Naxals. He was abducted after an attack at the Sankrail police station in West Midnapore. Blindfolded and forced to sit on a motorcycle, Dutta was abducted by Naxals who said he would be treated as a prisoner of war. (NDTV Photo)

Dutta was released at a village near Lalgarh after a deal was struck with the state government that allowed 14 jailed tribal women to walk free. They were among a group of 60 women in prison who the Naxals wanted released. (NDTV Photo)

Dutta's abductor, Naxal leader Kishanji held a bizarre photo-op with the media just before releasing him. With his back towards the cameras, he rejected the Centre's conditions for talks, saying surrendering arms cannot be a precondition for talks.

When asked in what condition would he sit for talks, Kishanji said: “The first and foremost condition is that they must withdraw all forces from our area.” (NDTV Photo)

Soon after his release, Dutta was surrounded by mediapersons. Seen here, next to Dutta (R) is NDTV's Monideepa Banerjie from Kolkata. (NDTV Photo)

The day Naxals kidnapped Atindranath Dutta, they also shot dead police officer Dibakar Bhattacharya who was stationed at the same police station.

Seen here, is the policeman's body, who was shot dead inside the police station. (PTI Photo)

October 13, 2009: Blasting train tracks, government offices and mobile phone towers, Naxals unleashed a wave of violence in several places in Jharkhand and Bihar.

In response to the Centre's decision to use force against members of the banned group, the Naxalites went on a rampage, starting with a brazen attack on a railway station in Bihar's Lakhisarai district. Nearly 200 Naxals raided the Banshipur railway station in Patna-Kiul section and burnt a cabin room. (NDTV Photo)

Next on their target list was the Sangrampur block office in the Munger district of Bihar. Most of the official records were destroyed in the incident that took place between 1:00- 3:00 am on October 13. (NDTV Photo)

A block office in the Chanan block of the Lakhisarai district of Bihar was blown. No casualties were reported but the attack left behind a trail of destruction. (NDTV Photo)

The violence continued unabated to protest against the government's decision to step up operations against the rebels. This after the government said it was ready for a newer, bigger war against Naxals and had set aside Rs 7300 crore for the task. (NDTV Photo)

Next, the Naxals blew up a railway track at Narganjo halt in the Jamui district of Bihar. (NDTV Photo)

The station is further down the Banshipur and Mananpur railway stations on the Delhi-Howrah down line. (NDTV Photo)

The Naxals also blasted three mobile phone towers in Toto village of Gumla district and one tower in Chando village of Palamau district. (NDTV Photo)

October 8, 2009: 40 policemen who were patrolling the area near Laheri village were suddenly confronted by more than 200 Naxals. Grossly outnumbered, the police put up a brave fight for hours. 18 policemen died, 22 survived the attack.

The 18 men who died in the line of duty in Gadchiroli were honoured with a special ceremony at the place where they were ambushed by Naxals.(NDTV photo)

All 18 were Commandos of the special anti-Naxal force C 60. Helicopters were sent to the site to try and get the bodies out.(NDTV photo)

Spread over 40,000 square kilometers 20 states, in what's come to be known as India's Red Corridor, Naxals are repeatedly described as the biggest internal security threat to the country.(NDTV photo)

Joining the families at the state funeral, hundreds of villagers from the area, many of whom have supported the Naxals. They may not have changed sides entirely, but they say, their respects and prayers are with the families who've lost lives.(NDTV photo)

Survivors say they will continue their fight. Many of them are tribals for whom joining anti-Naxal operations was a risk. But disenchanted with Naxal ideology, they say they won't surrender.(NDTV photo)

October 6, 2009: CID special branch Inspector Francis Induwar's was killed days after he was abducted by the Naxals while out shopping in a market in Jharkhand's Khunti district on September 30. (NDTV photo)

Induwar's body was found on the Ranchi-Bundu Highway on October 6. His head had been severed from his body. (NDTV photo)

Lying next to Induwar's body - a poster in red. A signed proclamation by the Naxals that the CID Inspector was “given the death sentence”. (NDTV photo)

This was the 12th killing by Naxals in Jharkhand in the last one month. The Naxal policy of the Centre had acquired an aggressive edge over the last few months.

Till the body was found, Induwar's family members held out some hope that he would be released by the Naxals. (NDTV photo)

A relative falls to the ground on hearing about Induwar's death. (NDTV photo)

Kobad Ghandy, the man whose release the Naxals were reportedly demanding in exchange of Induwar's release. Ghandy, educated at Doon School and in London, was allegedly in charge of popularizing the Naxal movement in cities, and abroad. (PTI photo)

Chattradhar Mahato, another Naxals leader, was arrested on September 26, 2009 near Lalgarh in West Bengal. Mahato, leader of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities had been missing since June. Mahato stands accused of lending Maoist support to the tribals in the area to help them take control of Lalgarh. He is one of the three leaders the Naxals want released. Intellectuals in Kolkata are supporting Mahato too, and had accused the police and the government of not having enough evidence against him. (PTI photo)

Chandra Bhushan Yadav was arrested near Hooghly. He had 16 cases against him and police officials say he used to operate mainly in the forests of Jharkhand but had recently moved to Bengal. He is the last of the trio of leaders that the Naxals reportedly wanted released in exchange for Induwar.