Naxals establishing bases in urban India - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

After establishing their bases in rural areas of India, inhabited mostly by tribals, the left wing extremists are trying to move into urban areas of the country. Dr PV Ramana, a Research Fellow in the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis, disclosed that the left wing extremists are functioning under the "RDF, (Revolutionary Democratic Front), a front organization of the CPI (Maoist). It's an organization banned under the unlawful activities prevention act of the Government of India". According to experts and Intelligence agencies, left wing extremists have a clear cut strategy to infiltrate the various workers' union in the metropolitan cities. They are specifically targeting the unemployed youth, and people from the marginalized section of the society who are susceptible to their ideology and can be easily manipulated into executing their plans. Dr P. V.Ramana, disclosed that the Maoists had prepared in September 2007 an 'urban perspective plan', which is the "blueprint to carry out Maoists' activities in towns and cities. "Maoist's presence in Delhi has been detected quite some time back. Delhi has a six member state committee; steadily the Maoists are trying to make a base in Delhi , and Delhi is not alone. The objective of the Maoists is to penetrate the industrial workers; unorganized labor; students; youth; educated unemployed; intelligentsia and the middle class'', said Dr Ramana. The involvement of left extremists is strongly suspected behind the recent violent protests at the Maruti Suzuki's Manesar factory and the strike that happened at the Honda factory in Gurgaon couple of years ago. Some of the well known worker's unions in Delhi are also suspected to be infiltrated by the left extremists. "In the past when there was a strike at the Honda factory in Gurgaon around two years back, it was suspected that the Maoists were behind it. Now recently, when violent protests have taken place in Maruti's Manesar plant, the role of the Maoists have once again been suspected. Beyond this in 2008 around March or so, it was reported that an organization known as 'Delhi Safai Karamchari Sangathan' which is essentially the association of sanitation workers in Delhi has been infiltrated by the Maoists. Therefore, yes we are seeing Maoists presence in Delhi for few years now'' said, Dr, PV Ramana. Naxals take advantage of the anonymity which a metro city provides and operate very silently in these centres which make it very difficult to detect them. Dr Ramana feels that itt has become imperative to equip the Indian law and order machinery with required skills, to detect and stop these silent naxal cells operating out of our metro cities.