BAIRGANIA (India): They call it revolution and project themselves as Bihari Robin Hoods committed to protecting peasants. They wilfully kill the “oppressor” — men in khadi and khaki — and do so with a fierceness calculated to shake the establishment. They are Naxalites and virtually control the entire belt from East Champaran, West Champaran and Madhubani to Sitamarhi districts of north Bihar bordering Nepal.

The armed struggle that began in the late 1960s in eastern India has grown tremendously over the past years as the administration is ill-equipped and unable to deal with the growing violence. The Naxals are well-versed in guerrila warfare with the terrain of dense forests providing the hideouts necessary for their operations. They are armed with sophisticated weapons and usually prefer organized and mass killings to the odd-attacks on a targeted individual. And when they strike, they ensure that a trail is not left behind, making it impossible for the police to follow them or trace their hideouts.

The Naxalites never leave behind their injured or bodies of their dead. In most cases, they carry their dead with them, and if they cannot, they cut off the heads to make it difficult for the police to identify them. There are several Maoist and People’s War outfits active in border districts of Bihar. Some of these groups are: Lok Sangram Morcha, Majdoor Kissan Mukti Morcha, Majdoor Kissan Sangrami Parishad, Jan Sangram Samiti, Bharat Naujawan Sabha, Shramik Sangharsh Manch and Nari Mukti Sangarsh Samiti.

All these outfits have militant wings. Some of the well-known militant outfits that are also active in these border areas are known as the Guerrilla Gang, Permanent Red Gang, Temporary Red Gang, Jan Militia and Gram Raksha Dal. The Maoists also have their own intelligence group called Gupt Fauji Sangthan (secret intelligence unit). The groups have a well-defined propaganda machinery. Magazines like Lal Pataka, Lal Chingari, Red Star, Dakshin Desh, Lal Mashal and Kaithal Kala are distributed in the region. These are read by the local population that is well versed with the red ideology of revolution.

The militants are in some cases better equipped than the police force that is still struggling with obsolete weapons and methods of communication. The Naxals carry radio equipment to keep in touch with their comrades. The hand-held walky-talkies are freely available and are obviously not a prized item, unlike the weapons that are never found abandoned. After the Madhuban encounter, the district police recovered a few walky-talky sets from the places where the Naxalites had carried out their operations. The militants also distribute pamphlets after carrying out their attacks. The police and district officials are scared of providing information and being quoted. A senior police officer, however, told this correspondent that the Naxalites had distributed pamphlets saying: Pratikriyavadi sarkar ki sampati zaabt karo (seize the property of reactionary government)” in certain areas of Madhuban on June 23.

The majority of the Naxalites who attacked the State Bank of Indian Branch were women. The militants are now recruiting women for attacks. Commenting on the violence, Motihar district magistrate Vinay Kumar said, “They carry all modern weapons. Their basic motive is to demoralize police force, snatch arms and kill them.” They have got full support of Maoists belonging to Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh. Now, the Naxalites and the Maoists from Nepal appear to be working out a joint strategy.

Local officials did not rule out the possibility of more such organized attacks in the near future. Railway stations and tracks are also being targeted now. A high-ranking official of the district police said, “Intelligence reports have confirmed that the Maoists may target Motihari, Samastipur, Ram Bhadrapur, Haya Ghat, Darbhanga, Jai Nagar, Bettiya and Baghaa railway stations.” But there is a sense of despair in the region.—By arrangement with AsianAge/Delhi.