Bastar, Chhattisgarh:
The PM has said that Maoists are the greatest threat to our internal security. In fact more people have been killed in the fight against left-wing extremism than in violence carried out by terrorists, but how exactly do the Maoists operate.
NDTV's Sudhi Ranjan Sen travelled deep inside Bastar, Chhattisgarh, into a Maoist camp to meet one of their top leaders. Here's an exclusive report...
It is easy as well as difficult to find the Maoist in these jungles of Bastar. Easy because they are there almost everywhere. Difficult because you never know which way you are going or how long it will take you to reach the top leadership.
Just when we lost our sense of direction, we had reached in the middle of nowhere.
Just like these antiquated weapons, Maoists have mastered the art of using old methods on communications.
In the age of cellphones, it is an extensive and trusted network of human couriers, including villagers that are used to send and receive messages. It doubles up as an intelligence service as well.
Senior leaders do use cellphones, but sparingly and change the numbers frequently.
The tents are makeshift and can be assembled or packed up in five minutes. Almost everything is temporary here.
The food is gathered from local villagers. They never camp in one place for long. Yet their military tactics are strongly organized.
"There is a base force, a secondary force and primary force. The base force is the people's militia, who watch the enemy. The primary force is the combat force that leads attacks," explains Kosa, one of the top leaders.
The Maoists may seem like a rag-tag force, but it's held together with a strong discipline and fear.
Any cadre or villagers seen to be violating the Maoist diktat faces what their critics call a kangaroo court. Punishment could be hard labour, expulsion from the party, and even death - reserved usually for police informers or those who work against the party.
And everything, including an interview to the media, has to have the clearance of the topmost body - the central committee.
"No place for people who are against the larger interests of the people," says Kosa, who is the chief of the Dandyankaranya Special Zonal.
"We do not want to harm the people. It is never our intention. But if some wrong is committed unwittingly, we accept it. And if it is committed by our party cadres, we take action against them," he says.
But for villagers here, caught between the Maoists and government troops, it is often much more than what they can handle.
NDTV's Sudhi Ranjan Sen travelled deep inside Bastar, Chhattisgarh, into a Maoist camp to meet one of their top leaders. Here's an exclusive report...
It is easy as well as difficult to find the Maoist in these jungles of Bastar. Easy because they are there almost everywhere. Difficult because you never know which way you are going or how long it will take you to reach the top leadership.
Just when we lost our sense of direction, we had reached in the middle of nowhere.
Just like these antiquated weapons, Maoists have mastered the art of using old methods on communications.
In the age of cellphones, it is an extensive and trusted network of human couriers, including villagers that are used to send and receive messages. It doubles up as an intelligence service as well.
Senior leaders do use cellphones, but sparingly and change the numbers frequently.
The tents are makeshift and can be assembled or packed up in five minutes. Almost everything is temporary here.
The food is gathered from local villagers. They never camp in one place for long. Yet their military tactics are strongly organized.
"There is a base force, a secondary force and primary force. The base force is the people's militia, who watch the enemy. The primary force is the combat force that leads attacks," explains Kosa, one of the top leaders.
The Maoists may seem like a rag-tag force, but it's held together with a strong discipline and fear.
Any cadre or villagers seen to be violating the Maoist diktat faces what their critics call a kangaroo court. Punishment could be hard labour, expulsion from the party, and even death - reserved usually for police informers or those who work against the party.
And everything, including an interview to the media, has to have the clearance of the topmost body - the central committee.
"No place for people who are against the larger interests of the people," says Kosa, who is the chief of the Dandyankaranya Special Zonal.
"We do not want to harm the people. It is never our intention. But if some wrong is committed unwittingly, we accept it. And if it is committed by our party cadres, we take action against them," he says.
But for villagers here, caught between the Maoists and government troops, it is often much more than what they can handle.
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