More than 50% of guerrillas women, says senior Maoist leader

The People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) – a banned organisation in India, is attracting more and more women and 60-70 per cent of those recruited in the year 2013-14 were from the fair sex. More than fifty percent of the PLGA cadre currently in central regional bureau of CPI (Maoist) are women. The revelation was part of a 73-page interrogation report of senior Maoist leader Chambala Ravinder alias Arjun, exclusively with dna.

Who is Chambala Ravinder alias Arjun?
Chambala Ravinder alias Arjun, 44, is a senior Maoist leader who surrendered before Telangana police in July 2014 along with his wife V Adimi. He was carrying a reward of Rs 20 lakh on his head while Adimi commanded a reward of Rs 5 lakh.

What does the IR provide insight into?
The interrogation report (IR) provides an insight into the current functioning, finances and operations of Maoists, especially in their stronghold Bastar region in Chhattisgarh. Ravinder was allegedly involved in at least ten major incidents since 1997, in which 83 security forces were killed and 34 injured and the rebels managed to snatch 569 weapons.

Why are more women joining force?
According to Ravinder, men are not very keen to join revolution instead they are happily working outside. Women, due to marriage and other social issues, join comparatively easily. "Overall roughly half of the PLGA cadres today in CRB are women," Ravinder told the interrogators.

Are there desertions in Maoist ranks?
According to the IR, Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) has recruited around 360 cadres in 2013-14 and almost equal number of members deserted the organisation during the same period. Maximum recruits – around 300 – the reports states were from south Bastar and west Bastar.

What does the report reflect upon?
Though the movement may have achieved considerable military success, it is allegedly struggling to find the ideological successors on ground. "I met Ganapathy alias Ramana in February 2014 and held discussions for about 12 days. The organisation had failed to implement the resolutions adopted earlier... the leadership is in short supply; ...the second line of leadership is yet to be developed," Ravinder was quoted as saying in the report.

Was Ravinder involved in armed training?
Ravinder was in charge of the mobile military school (MOMIS), in charge of second battalion and also incharge of the DK communication wing. He hails from Thammada-pally in Wrangal in Telangana and joined Maoist cadres around 1990. In 2000, he took over as commander of the second battalion and in 2010, he was made incharge of the MOMiS, which imparts modern military training to Maoist cadre.

Do party agree with his views?
The assertions made by Ravinder in the IR report are corroborated by the central committee meeting of the party held in 2013 and another high level meeting held in 2014. The internal document has stated that the 'leadership should keep in view the possibility of some persons losing confidence on the revolutionary movement and put efforts to make them stand firmly by filling them with confidence'.

Ravinder as per the IR also states that, besides internal politics he was 'frustrated by the prolonged duration of warfare and…saw no bright light of hope for revolution to pick up.' He also informed investigators that Maoists have decided that the Salva Judum members would be absorbed back 'if they come and surrender before them'.