Tackling Red Terror

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Publication: The Times Of India Mumbai;Date: Apr 27, 2012;Section: Editorial;Page: 18

Tackling Red Terror Concerted strategy needed for counter-measures to Maoist abductions

Even as the fate of abducted Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon continues to hang in the balance, the release of BJD MLA Jhina Hikaka from Maoist captivity is welcome news. The legislator was taken hostage a month ago from his Laxmipur constituency in Orissa. However, a high cost was paid for Hikakas release. The state government has agreed to release 29 jailed Maoists. The message that the Maoists are sending out is clear not only can they carry out a guerrilla campaign from their jungle hideouts but also kidnap legislators to extract concessions. Unless effective counter-measures are put in place, Maoist kidnappings of high-profile targets are bound to rise. And the concessions granted in the bargain would reverse whatever gains are made in anti-Maoist operations. One weakness that has been clearly exposed on the part of the government is the lack of professional hostage negotiators. In all three recent cases of Maoist kidnappings the two Italian tourists and Hikaka in Orissa, and the district collector in Chhattisgarh government authorities named retired and serving bureaucrats as mediators. What needs to be understood is that hostage negotiation is a specialised science that requires an in-depth understanding of captor-hostage psychology. Notwithstanding their understanding of ground realities, bureaucrats simply do not fit the bill. Emphasis also needs to be laid on preventing abductions in the first place, through stepped up security measures. And if they do happen, they can be deterred by raising an elite commando force specifically for hostage rescue missions. The idea is to raise the cost of abductions in order to dissuade Maoists from carrying them out. Moreover, its worth remembering that India is a prime terror target and hostage-taking may not remain the preserve of Maoists alone. Authorities need to devise contingency plans and standard operating procedures for hostage situations, else they will be caught flat-footed once again when the next abduction happens. However, a long-term solution to the Maoist problem requires a twopronged strategy better governance in tandem with security measures. As the case of the district collector who was abducted from the middle of a meeting with villagers shows, one cannot work without the other. The high-handedness of local law enforcement officials and the arbitrary arrest/detention of tribals are two of the main grievances that sustain the Maoist movement. Cracking down on lazy policing is crucial to winning over the hearts and minds of ordinary civilians in Maoist-dominated areas. A concerted strategy along with effective coordination among the states and the Centre is essential to fight the Maoist scourge.

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4/27/2012 7:38 AM