Understanding Indian Insurgencies

[davidbfpo]

Two reports, first an Indian newspaper with official statistics after this headline and sub-title:

More security personnel were killed in Maoist-hit areas than in Kashmir: Govt; The ministry said 2017 witnessed 504 incidents of Maoist violence, which is more than double the number of militant attacks in J-K where 194 such incidents were reported until July.

Link:http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-...Mb0lz873K.html

Then a commentary by a SME @ CSIS via Lawfare, whose Editor's introduction is:

Insurgencies have plagued India throughout its modern history, and several remain active today. Until recently, it seemed that the Indian government was making progress, however fitfully, in reducing the scope and scale of the violence. Sarah Watson of CSIS argues that today Modi's government is dropping the ball. After significant gains, India's counterinsurgency campaigns are stalling, and the government appears unable to either conciliate or coerce effectively.

Link:https://www.lawfareblog.com/indias-c...-warning-signs

[davidbfpo]

Within this large document is a "gem", an article by Lt General (Dr.) VK Ahluwalia, former Commander in Chief, Indian Army’s Central Command; it tackles insurgency and terrorism.
Link:http://visionofhumanity.org/app/uplo...Index-2017.pdf

[davidbfpo]

Indian policing commentary, not with an insurgency focus, by an Indian SME and here is a telling phrase:

No wonder our police force has become a pressure cooker about to burst.

Link:https://www.outlookindia.com/magazin...ur-cops/299556

[davidbfpo]

Indian commentary, not with an insurgency focus, on the problems faced by CT agencies, by an Indian SME. This phrase would apply elsewhere:

The most worrying aspect of global terrorism is that individuals who are already on the CT machinery radar are seen committing carnage....is our counter-terrorist architecture flexible enough to match or surpass the exponential thinking of terrorists?

Link:http://indianexpress.com/article/opi...error-4960932/

[davidbfpo]

Thanks to a "lurker" a pointer to book recommended by a SME:

..there are very good books: On Naxalism: The best book I would recommend is Prakash Singh’s (He was Director General of Police, BSF) “The Naxalite Movement in India”. He is my batch mate in the I.P.S. That will give you the background. Several others had also written including me on this subject. If you read Economic & Political Weekly you will find good articles from the citizens’ perspective. The best book on Punjab insurgency is Mr. Julio Ribeiro’s “Bullet for Bullet”. Mr.Ribeiro was the fist DGP, Punjab to tackle Punjab insurgency, followed by Mr.K.P.S.Gill who has also written a book. One of the best commentators on North East is Mr. Sanjoy Hazarika, a former New York Times correspondent. He has written a book “Writing on the Wall”. His pieces appear in the Hindu.

Link:https://www.reddit.com/r/india/comme...ial_secretary/

[MoorthyM]

As I explain here: https://politicalviolenceataglance.o...hadist-groups/, countering clerical influence will form the basis for defeating the global Islamist threat.

[davidbfpo]

A short report based on their book, Alpa Shah, who teaches anthropology at the London School of Economics, is the author, most recently, of Nightmarch: Among India's Revolutionary Guerrillas; it opens with:

Tens of thousands of people have died in the conflict between Maoist guerrillas and the Indian state. Alpa Shah lived among the tribal villagers in their guerrilla strongholds for a year and a half to understand why they shunned democracy to take up arms.

(Closes with) But the Naxalite movement has survived against all odds, resurfacing each time the state assumed it had been snuffed out.

The BBC's photo is worrying and made me wonder if the foremost guerilla was serious._96083788_gettyimages-148026315-1.jpg