by the Editor: Siddharth Sehgal

Accountability is something that only exists for ordinary people in India, the higher you go up the political chain, the more responsibility becomes non-existent. Just look at Covid rules, ordinary citizens are fined when the mask is not worn in the proper way or if it’s dangling beneath the nose but politicians are given a free pass to hold election rallies with huge crowds in tow with complete disregard to social distancing. With a mindset like this, do you think there would be any accountability fixed over the death of 22 security personnel in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur in the Maoist attack?

It is not as if the latest attack in the violence-ridden areas of Bastar is the first of its kind, such ambush attacks have happened in the past, the problem lies in learning from past mistakes and deep deficit of political will to counter left extremism. It’s too far from New Delhi and simply not a priority. The home minister is back on the election trail in West Bengal after paying a customary visit to martyred soldiers in Chhattisgarh. Winning an election holds priority over soldiers who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Then there is the operational failure and poor planning. For some reason Director General of CRPF, Kuldeep Singh does not think that 400 of his men walking into a trap of Maoists is a tactical failure. It is this callous attitude and arrogance in higher echelons that result in the loss of lives. When you move a large contingent of force in broad daylight in a dense forest rife with hostile forces who knows the terrain and anticipate your every response then you are inviting trouble. Such mistakes are not expected from CRPF leadership but then again it is too much to ask of accountability within the current political framework.

Last but not the least, the local politicians and police of Chhattisgarh itself share much of the blame. Fighting on the ground against Naxalism is just a short-term fix of a chronic problem. It has to be countered by economic growth, development, and jobs. When the state is not concerned about the lack of roads, mobile towers, proper schools, and hospitals then nonstate actors will fill the vacuum created by the absence of the state. The video in which Maoists are seen releasing the kidnapped CRPF soldier shows a large crowd in the background. This speaks volumes about the hold Maoists have on the local populace that they can organize a huge event in broad daylight with impunity.

But it’s the local populace that will and has borne the brutal brunt of this struggle, unfortunately. Whether the locals like it or not, they should appeal to Maoists to cease violence as conflict will only intensify after such attacks and it’s the locals that end up paying the heavy cost of this insurgency.