Naxalism in Karnataka: From the forests to the prison, now what is the responsibility of the government in bringing them  back to the society

How did such magic happen in 40 days?

They are out from the forests to the prison, now what is the responsibility of the government in bringing them  back to the society?

What about the other assurances given to them ?

What is the duty of the civil society in actualizing the above?   

Dear Media Friends,

We are all witnesses to a significant event that unfolded swiftly. Many questions, curiosities, and confusions have arisen among many people. Here the question as to “What next?” is of utmost importance. There is much to say, and even when we try to provide a brief answer, the statement regarding this highly commendable  event will still remain long. How you use this information is for you to decide.

We hereby try to present this phenomenon under five aspects as below:

1. Importance
2. Background
3. Chronology
4. Special Acknowledgments
5. Future Responsibilities

Importance:

Karnataka has introduced a new model. It has found a special formula for solving the problem of Naxals. News of encounters and killings between Naxals and police have been continuously coming from Chhattisgarh and certain other states. Karnataka has uniquely addressed this history of disasters. The Naxal movement, which has been ongoing in Karnataka for five decades, has now reached a decisive stage. Yesterday, in the presence of the Chief Minister, six Naxalites returned to democratic movements, bringing the activities of Naxalites in their old form to a complete halt. This process has been much welcome by the entire civil society. In the present model, we wish to pinpoint on three new contents.

1. The six Naxalites above have repeatedly clarified that: “We have not abandoned the struggle. We are changing the path of the struggle. We will continue to fight for the people till the very end of our lives.” This is the most important feature of this model. “It has become clear to us that when circumstances change, the method of struggle must also change. That is why we have made this decision.” “It is not due to any pressure or fear, but out of our own will that we entered this struggle and out of our own will that we have changed the path of this struggle.” The key point here is that the Naxals are not surrendering, but rather changing the path of their struggle. The government has provided them the opportunity to change that path. The Naxals have shifted from armed struggle to democratic struggle. Therefore, we appeal to the media to give this new model a new language. This is not surrender; it is transformation to a new path. They are not surrendering, but returning to the mainstream of democratic struggles.
2. This was made possible because both the civil society and the government worked together with mutual trust, coordination, and a single-minded decision. Had the civil society not engaged in the efforts to convince the Naxals, it would not have been possible for the government alone to resolve this. Similarly, if civil society’s proposed solution had not been responded to positively by the government, this would not have been possible too. In a way, it was the “joint mission that created this magic”. The role of civil society in this is extremely significant, and we urge the government, society, and media to recognize this.
3. Naxal Movement is not a nuisance, but an intense response to persistent social injustice. This might appear revolutionary to some and extreme or violent to some others. However, the Naxal Movement is not a menace but a sharp form of resistance against the injustices deep rooted in the society. As long as there is injustice in society, it will be impossible to prevent such forms of severe resistance. The essence of the matter here is that it is impossible to build walls to block the flood of resistance and Karnataka has developed a well thought out fresh model that is vital in the current context. It must be channelised into serious, uncompromising democratic form of struggles. This is exactly what has happened here.

Background:

The attempt to address the question of Naxals through a new approach began two decades ago. In 2005, the murder of Prominent Naxal leader Saket Rajan and activist Shivlingu shook the entire state of Karnataka. This led to a conflict with the then Dharm Singh government, as Saket Rajan was a prominent figure known for his immense social concern, intellectual wisdom, courage, and his unique personality. His book “Making History” was an invaluable contribution to the history of Karnataka’s people. His murder disturbed the human conscience and created a sense of urgency to find a solution. Many prominent figures, including Gauri Lankesh, Doreswamy, and A.K. Subbayya, contributed to the formation of the “Citizens’ Initiative for Peace.” The goal was to find a new solution to the issue of Naxals. Despite repeated requests to the government to call for talks, the then government paid no heed, and the causalities continued. Even after BJP came to power in 2008, there were no opportunities, as the party had no concern for it, ideologically standing on an opposite ground.

In 2013, when the BJP lost and the Congress returned to power, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took charge. With the new government in place, the “Citizens’ Initiative for Peace.” became active again, pushing for talks with the Naxalites. Siddaramaiah responded positively, stating that the government would support the Naxalites’ return to the mainstream if they chose to participate in the talks. The civil society platform welcomed this gesture and urged the Naxalites to come forward to resolve the issue. Noor Sridhar and Sirimane Nagaraj, the Naxalite leaders with a different perspective, held an underground meeting with one basic condition: the government must not create any obstacles in their return to democratic struggles after rejoining the mainstream. The government agreed and the very policy in Karnataka was amended as ‘Surrender and rehabilitation / facilitating the left wing extremists to come to the mainstream policy’ to provide for it. And clear understanding evolved in such other aspects of the old policy too, which do not do justice to the comrades in struggle.

In December 2014, Noor Sridhar and Sirimane Nagaraj emerged from underground in Chikkamagaluru and were warmly received by all the democratic and left forces in Karnataka. This marked the beginning of the new model. Later, seven more Naxalites (Padmanabha, Renuka, Rizwan, Parashurama, Chennamma, Kanyakumari, and Shivakumar) returned to the mainstream around 2017. The entire process was handled efficiently by the “Citizens’ Initiative for Peace.”

In 2018, when the government changed again and the BJP came to power, the doors to addressing this issue suitably were closed. The government also ceased the operations of the “Naxalites Surrender and Rehabilitation Committee” that had been set up earlier. As a result, the lives of the seven Naxalites who had rejoined the mainstream became unstable, and no one came forward to listen to their plea. All these individuals faced immense hardships. In 2023, following the active involvement of civil society, the BJP lost power, and Congress returned to govern. The “Citizens’ Initiative for Peace.” immediately reconstituted the rehabilitation committee and urged the government to resolve the issues of the Naxalites who had been abandoned. However, unfortunately, the Congress government also paid no attention to these concerns. Reports of Naxalites casualties continued to emerge from Kerala’s Wayanad. The police department grew eager to force the Naxalites to surrender, and the rehabilitation committee was reactivated. Civil society members were urged to facilitate contact with the Naxalites and help them in this process, but the government however paid no heed to the problems of those who had already returned.

On November 18, 2024, in the name of encounter the killing of Vikram Gowda occurred. After ten years without any fatalities related to Naxals, Karnataka was again shocked by the bloodshed, especially as an Adivasi youth was killed. This tragedy served as a heavy blow to all of us. Karnataka’s people-oriented media and journalists responded sharply. The “Citizens’ Initiative for Peace.” became active once more. On November 20, they held a press conference condemning the government’s actions as “heartless policies” and demanded a judicial inquiry. At the same time, they appealed to Naxals to return to the democratic struggle stream. They offered their support for mediation and invited the government as well to send out a positive signal to them if they were for it.

On November 18, 2024, Vikram Gowda was killed. On January 8, 2025, in the presence of the Chief Minister and the entire cabinet, Naxalites were welcomed back into the democratic mainstream. The question arises on how such a sudden and swift change was possible in just 40 days? How did these rapid developments occur? The answers to these questions are worth studying, as they offer valuable lessons in the new model that has emerged.

Chronology

Here is a chronology of the ‘Mission democratic mainstream’, a 40-day joint operation of the civil society and the government.

• On November 20, Citizens’ Initiative for Peace held a press conference condemning the killing, demanding an investigation and also making an appeal to the Naxalites.

• Later in the same month, a delegation of the Citizens’ Initiative for Peace (CIP henceforth) meeting the Chief Minister demands an end to the combing operation and informs him that the Naxalites will be approached and persuaded if the government responds appropriately. The Chief Minister says, “Do it, you will have our full cooperation”.

• CIP talks to friends of pro-people organizations active in the hilly tribal areas and requests them to inform all their activists to try and establish contact with the Naxalites and keep in touch with the CIP representatives when that becomes possible, so that the process begins. All the activists and leaders of the people’s organizations of that area respond positively and begin the effort.

• In December first week when the naxal team visited a village, the activists of the progressive organizations put forth the appeal by CIP and request them to consider about the possibility of coming to the mainstream democratic movement. They respond saying, “government won’t give us that opportunity and we are not ready to rot in jail”. Local activists try to persuade them saying “there is no harm in trying”. They say that they would think about it and with that the first effort ends.

• On Dec 15^th, a small letter is sent to the local progressive activists through an elderly tribal lady saying “if the government is ready to consider our demands, we would consider their appeal to us”. Immediately, this message is passed over to the CIP team.

• The CIP team meets the head of the intelligence department, Mr Hemanth Nimbalkar, and informs him about the positive response that they have received from the Naxalites team. They tell him “We are ready to go to the forest. But combing must be stopped if we are to go, our safety is to be assured and that if they do come out we should be assured that they will not be made to rot in jail”. A lot of discussion takes place on this and finally the Chief of intelligence requests the CIP team to carry on with the negotiations and go to the forest to try to persuade the naxal team. He also promises to talk with the government to look into their demands.

• The very next day the CIP team meets the chief minister, informs him about these developments and requests the full cooperation from their side. CM responds positively and tells that he would talk with the deputy CM and home minister about the matter since the decision is to be taken on behalf of the government.

• On Dec 28^th the CIP team receives a message of ‘go ahead’ from the CM and on Dec 29^th he issues an official statement inviting the Naxalites to the mainstream. The process of actual negotiations begins from there.

• On Jan 1^st, a letter by the naxal team is sent to the CIP team through the same elderly tribal lady that they have seen the invitation by the CM to come to democratic path of struggle and hence they are ready for a discussion with the CIP team.

• On Jan 2^nd CIP team leaves for the forest and reaches the border of the forests on Jan 3^rd early morning, walks through the forests by foot to reach the designated place. The discussion begins and continues for a whole day. The Naxalites place several of their demands before the CIP team which includes-
• We are to be treated with respect and dignity
• We should not be made to rot in jail with false cases and accusations.
• All our comrades who surrendered long ago but still are being traumatised by the legal process should be provided with proper legal processes to clear the cases.
• A judicial enquiry should be conducted into the encounter of the naxalite cadre Vikram Gowda.
• All the problems of the tribals for which we were fighting thus far should be considered seriously and solutions should be worked out for the same.
• A memorandum including 18 demands was handed over to the CIP team.
• On 4^th Jan, CIP teams leave from there immediately to travel a long distance and reaches the capital to have a discussion with the officers of Naxalite surrender and rehabilitation (SR) committee. All of us sit for a whole day to resolve each demand point by point and draft a reply on behalf of the committee and the government. Officers in the SR committee respond positively to all the aspects and some of them promise to discuss with the CM and the cabinet and give concrete answers. By 6^th evening, almost all the issues are sorted out, and a green signal is given by the committee and the government.
• On 7^th, the CIP team again enters the forest to negotiate with the Naxalites with the reply from the government, the Naxalite team is taken aback with the meticulous reply by the government, they respond saying “we did not expect such a detailed answer from the government. Apart from this, we have you and also the broad section of the progressive people of the state with us, we trust all of you and we are ready to come out”.
• On Jan 7^th the CIP team which was negotiating with the Naxalites comes out and contacts the officers at Balehonnur. By then the remaining members of the civil society representatives in the Naxalite rehabilitation committee also come and join us there.
• Early morning at 5 am on Dec 8^th, the team of negotiators goes back into the forest to bring the Naxalites with them, the plan was to bring them to Chikkamagalur IB where a huge number of progressive organisations were assembled to receive them. But when the team reaches Balehonnur, they are informed that the CM has invited everybody to Bangalore to welcome the Naxalite team to mainstream personally.
• The officers promise the CIP team to bring all the progressive organisation members to Bangalore.
• With that the Naxalites accompanied by the team of negotiators and officers start for Bangalore.
• On 8^th Evening, CM receives them with the team of cabinet members including the DCM and Home minister. Naxalites explain the situation of the tribals and demand justice and rights to all the tribal and other oppressed communities. They also request the government to help the other members who have come out earlier but struggling to lead life in peaceful ways and those who are in jail for a long time. They demand judicial probe into the matter of Vikram gowda encounter.
• CM responds positively and also tells them about the importance of the democratic way of struggle under the Indian constitution which is a symbol of liberty, equality and fraternity.
• A press conference is held to announce this positive development.
• The Naxalite cadres were then sent to meet their estranged families of years, which was a heart-warming moment.
• The legal process began thereafter and right now they are under judicial custody in Parappana agrahara prison.

With this an issue which was unattended for decades is settled in a peaceful, democratic manner unlike many other states which witnessed or is witnessing a huge bloodshed and loss of precious lives on both the sides. This could very well be called a ‘Karnataka Model’ of resolving this complex problem in the current scenario. Our humble feeling is that it could be considered seriously by the concerned citizens and such others in few other states, in accordance with the current conditions there. This is so precious lives with fine qualities can be better involved in the service of the larger noble cause.

Special Thanks to:

Such a phenomenon of addressing the Naxal issue has not happened in the whole of India. A few attempts were made in Andhra Pradesh but ended in disaster. But Karnataka handled it with dignity and set a new precedent. The number of people who were engaged in this endeavour, working directly or indirectly cannot be calculated. However, some people need to be remembered on this occasion.

First of all, the first credit for this achievement goes to those six Naxal fighters. It takes many times more courage to come out to the mainstream after much experience, than it took to go to the path of armed struggle in the forest. By taking that bold, clear, principled and firm decision, these people are an inspiration to all the fighters. No number of salutes are enough for their commitment to the struggle and their concern for the people.

Secondly, we all extend our sincere thanks to the elderly tribal lady and villagers and families of the tribal village Hagalaganchi who went to great length to make this development a reality. As many of the negotiators are seniors, they cannot walk into the dense forest. When requested to keep the naxalites in their farms in the borders, they said “If such a positive negotiation is going to take place to end this crisis, we are ready to take any risk to keep them here to facilitate the process”. Nothing can measure their determination and their contribution in taking care of them.

Crucial in persuasion were Noor Sridhar, who came from the same background and knew them closely, and Sripal, who had been involved in taking up the Naxal cases with lot of care in the last two decades. Without them, this would not have been possible.

Taking firm decisions on behalf of the government, being friendly with the civic forum, and planning the exit steps have made this work go on a fast-pace. The contribution of the Chief of the intelligence Mr Hemanth Kumar Nimbalkar is unmatched in this regard. Likewise, SP Hariram Shankar and deputy director Sudhir Reddy played a crucial role in this. A special thanks to all of them.

This would have been impossible had it not been for the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah who considered that all the fighters and activists including those who took to the path of naxalism were due to the deep-rooted social problems.  Before we went to the talks, he promised us that the government would be with you. When they were brought into the mainstream, his promise is that “they have come from the jungle to jail, let’s do something to bring them from jail to the mainstream society” was crucial to this process.

We thank all these people from the bottom of our hearts. But these were not the only people who need to be remembered. Credit goes to the many kind-hearted minds who tried, got involved in any way possible, wrote about it, spoke about it, worked as volunteers, and the young activist group who worked like earthworms behind the scenes. Heartfelt greetings to all.

Future responsibilities and resolute measures

The talk of “end of the Naxal problem” is very much making the rounds. It is true that due to the present event, the Naxalite armed form of struggle has in a way been concluded in Karnataka, Tamilnadu and Kerala states. But neither the problems pertaining to this team of Naxalites have ended, nor any of those problems of the lives of the people of Malenadu and other hilly region that the Naxalites have raised have been carefully taken up or resolved. It is not enough that the Naxalites have been welcomed to the democratic mainstream; the government needs to exhibit a strong will to resolve the socio-economic problems that are at the very root of Naxalism per se.

Moreover, only the first stage in the process of bringing the naxalites to the mainstream is completed. They are only brought out of the forests; they have not yet reached the society at large. They are placed behind bars and need to face the cases under several serious charges. Mundagaru Latha alone carries as many as 84 cases! A large number of cases are there not onin Karnataka but also in Kerala. To begin with they have to secure bail in all these cases. Then court proceedings should take place and the cases finally settled. In fact, getting them out of the jails, will be more difficult than getting them out of the forests. The Citizens’ Initiative for Peace played the principal role in releasing them out of the forests. But the main responsibility of releasing them from the jails should be borne by the government. Even whether the government will at least keep its word of ensuring them bails remains a question. This whole crisis will really find some light only when this is fulfilled.

There are 6 major aspects which the government should immediately payattention to.

1. Suitable arrangements should be made to provide legal assistance to the 6 naxalites who have now come to the democratic mainstream such that they come out on bail first and later from the cases piled on them.

2. Full cooperation should be extended to Kanyakumari and others, who for the last 7-8 years are suffering in jail, for getting their cases settled and being released.

3. The Karnataka government should officially send a letter to the Kerala and Tamilnadu governments and obtain their cooperation in getting the ex-naxalites out from the jail to the democratic main stream.

4.Those ex-naxalites who have already come to the democratic mainstream should be invited, their grievances heard and suitable remedial measures taken.

5. The present Naxalites team has repeatedly emphasized and presented an 18-point charter of demands pertaining to the lives of the poor oppressed sections of the people; these should be thoroughly discussed point-to-point and constructive measures initiated in the direction of resolving them. For this, special meetings should be arranged at Chikkamagaluru, Udupi, Shivamogga and Bengaluru and the needed process of proper measuresshould be begun after thorough discussions.

6.A judicial inquiry should be ordered into the killing of Vikram Gowda.

Yesterday our delegation met the Chief Minister and brought all these problematic aspects to his notice, upon which he has assured that he will issue instructions for initiating needed measures. We are hopeful that the CM will take quick decisions on it all. But grave apprehensions remain, of course. If we leave this responsibility on the government alone and keep quite none of these will be implemented; the comrades who have landed up in jail with hopes on all of us, will never be able to come to the democratic mainstream in the real sense.

Hence, we the citizens need to convene a meeting at the earliest, form several sub teams and exert maximum efforts to ensure that all these aspects are fulfilled. Within the next week, citizens’ meetings will be convened, first in Bengaluru and then in different districts, exclusively for this purpose. We request the active involvement of all.

Greetings to all.

On behalf of Citizens’ Initiative for Peace,

Prof. V.S.Sridhar

Prof. Nagaragere Ramesh

B.T.Lalitha Naik

N.Venkatesh

Vijayamma

Noor Sridhar

Tara Rao.