The Naxalites and the Maoist Movement in India: Birth, Demise, and Reincarnation

Far away from the glare of the achievements in the fields of information technology, a long festering Maoist insurgency is growing in the heart of India. The Maoists have found a strong base among the tribal people of India. By examining the history of Communist movements in India within a behavioral perspective, this article asks the question why in the past similar movements were relatively easy for the authorities to suppress, while the current Maoist insurgency is proving to be much harder to manage? 1 1. I would like to gratefully acknowledge the help of Brian Lovemen. I have benefited from many discussions with him. I am also grateful to Ajay Mehra, Asok Dasgupta, M. Manoharan, M. Narayan Swamy, Prakash Singh, and Sunil Dasgupta. The study has been funded by a generous grant from the US Institute of Peace. “The Naxalites occupy an ambiguous niche in history. Exemplary idealist to some, he indicates to others an expression of immature disaffection that has nothing constructive to offer. In either case, he embodies the reinstatement of man as a moral agent if only because Naxalites so radically challenge the premises of established morality.” — Rabindra Ray 2 2. Rabindra Ray (2002) The Naxalites and Their Ideology. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, India. (2002, p. 2–3).