In the past weeks the People´s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) under the leadership o the Communist Party of India (CPI[Maoist]) carried out several actions against the old Indian state and the upcoming elections at the regional stage.
On February 12, a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer was killed while another other personnel injured during an exchange of with suspected combatants of the PLGA in Bastar’s Bijapur district. According to a superintendent of the police a team of the 168th battalion of CRPF was on an operation to secure construction works when they got ambushed by the revolutionary forces. There are no reports of injured or killed combatants. 1
A day before, on February 11, a sub-engineer and a head mason, involved in bridge construction work in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, were arrested by suspected Maoists.“A bridge is being constructed over the Indravati river to connect Bijapur and Narayanpur districts. It will connect Bedre to Abujhamad, which is a threat to Maoists. Since it is a sensitive bridge, security has been provided to the construction workers”. 2
On February 7, “suspected Maoists set afire two road construction equipment in Odisha’s Kandhamal district in protest against conducting the panchayat (decentralized government form of village administration) elections in the state[…]”.No detailed information is available on the course of the action itself, but according to Indian authorities, Maoist leaflets were left calling for a boycott of the upcoming panchayat elections, the withdrawal of CRPF camps in the area and district, and adequate pay for workers.3
On February 4, suspected Maoists in restive Bijapur district in Bastar region torched two further vehicles engaged in road construction. According to reports of the reaction a group of PLGA forces approached to the spot and asked the drivers to left the vehicles before setting the trucks used for transportation of raw material ablaze. 4
Attacks on the infrastructure of the old Indian state are necessary to defend People's War. This infrastructure does not serve the people, but the bourgeoisie in the exploitation of the people and the destruction of the environment, as well as the livelihood of the people through mining projects, deforestation and industrial agriculture. Moreover, these measures serve the direct military campaign against the People's War.
Already at the beginning of February, posters and banners were put up in the state of Odisha calling for a boycott of the upcoming panchayat elections, which are scheduled to take place from February 16 to February 24. 5 6As a result of these and other actions, the Kalahandi district administration has asked the State Election Commission (SEC) to consolidate 96 polling stations in the regions affected by the “Maoist threat” in order to provide them with better protection by the reactionary armed and security forces of the old Indian state. 7
1https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/crpf-assistant-commandant-killed-in-encounter-with-maoists-in-bastar-s-bijapur-101644650746060.html
2https://indianexpress.com/article/india/maoists-abduct-2-men-from-building-site-in-chhattisgarh-police-7768570/
3https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/odisha-road-construction-equipment-ablaze-kandhamal-suspected-maoists-1910570-2022-02-09
4https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/raipur/maoists-torch-truck-involved-in-road-construction-in-bijapur/articleshow/89356655.cms
5https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2022/feb/02/maoists-call-for-poll-boycott-2414295.html
6https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/visakhapatnam/andhra-pradesh-cpi-maoists-of-aob-call-for-boycott-of-local-elections-in-kotia-villages-by-odisha/articleshow/89256064.cms
7https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/odisha/2022/feb/12/odisha-poll-panel-urged-to-merge-polling-booths-in-kalahandi-over-maoist-threats-2418633.html
