<p>After several days of helpless handwringing, the West Bengal government has begun to crackdown on Maoists in Lalgarh. Over the past few days, activists of the Maoist-led People’s Committee against Police Atrocities have been on a rampage in Lalgarh, attacking members of the ruling CPM, and ransacking and burning down their homes and offices. Several CPM cadres have been killed in the violence. Even as the situation in Lalgarh worsened, the West Bengal government seemed to be gripped by a strange paralysis. Memories of its confrontation with Maoist-backed activists in Nandigram, which cost the CPM dearly in the recent general elections, seems to have contributed in part to its tardy response. While a cautious approach is understandable, delay in responding to the crisis is inexcusable. It would have given the Maoists time and space to consolidate their grip over Lalgarh. They are likely to have fortified their positions there. The offensive launched by the state police backed by central security forces to clear Lalgarh of the Maoists will not be easy. Much bloodletting can be expected in the coming days. This could have been avoided had the problem been nipped in the bud.<br /><br />The Maoists are expected to use the tribals as human shields. This and their cynical exploitation of the tribals’ problems must be condemned. But as disgraceful has been the response of the mainstream political parties -- the Left, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress -- to the crisis at Lalgarh. Their responses to the problem have been determined by their need to politically embarrass each other and score points rather than tackle the problem.<br /><br />It is likely that the state police backed by central security forces will wrest control over Lalgarh from the Maoists in a few days. But this is not a problem that is restricted to Lalgarh alone. Maoist influence in West Bengal has been growing rapidly. Neither is it a problem that can be resolved entirely by physical elimination of the Maoists. If Maoists have been able to win support of the tribals this is because of the latter’s extreme alienation from the Indian State. There have been reports too that the CPM’s packing of the police force with their cadres has contributed in large measure to the current Maoist vs police clashes in Lalgarh and other areas. Lalgarh is the symptom of a larger problem and until that is resolved more Lalgarhs will happen.</p>
<p>After several days of helpless handwringing, the West Bengal government has begun to crackdown on Maoists in Lalgarh. Over the past few days, activists of the Maoist-led People’s Committee against Police Atrocities have been on a rampage in Lalgarh, attacking members of the ruling CPM, and ransacking and burning down their homes and offices. Several CPM cadres have been killed in the violence. Even as the situation in Lalgarh worsened, the West Bengal government seemed to be gripped by a strange paralysis. Memories of its confrontation with Maoist-backed activists in Nandigram, which cost the CPM dearly in the recent general elections, seems to have contributed in part to its tardy response. While a cautious approach is understandable, delay in responding to the crisis is inexcusable. It would have given the Maoists time and space to consolidate their grip over Lalgarh. They are likely to have fortified their positions there. The offensive launched by the state police backed by central security forces to clear Lalgarh of the Maoists will not be easy. Much bloodletting can be expected in the coming days. This could have been avoided had the problem been nipped in the bud.<br /><br />The Maoists are expected to use the tribals as human shields. This and their cynical exploitation of the tribals’ problems must be condemned. But as disgraceful has been the response of the mainstream political parties -- the Left, the Congress and the Trinamool Congress -- to the crisis at Lalgarh. Their responses to the problem have been determined by their need to politically embarrass each other and score points rather than tackle the problem.<br /><br />It is likely that the state police backed by central security forces will wrest control over Lalgarh from the Maoists in a few days. But this is not a problem that is restricted to Lalgarh alone. Maoist influence in West Bengal has been growing rapidly. Neither is it a problem that can be resolved entirely by physical elimination of the Maoists. If Maoists have been able to win support of the tribals this is because of the latter’s extreme alienation from the Indian State. There have been reports too that the CPM’s packing of the police force with their cadres has contributed in large measure to the current Maoist vs police clashes in Lalgarh and other areas. Lalgarh is the symptom of a larger problem and until that is resolved more Lalgarhs will happen.</p>
