Global Day of Action Against Operation Kagar

Lêgerîn Britain Committee

Image from: Karapatan.org

In the forests of central India a war is being waged against the indigenous and Adivasi people.

For years the ruling Modi BJP government has been strangling the peoples of India between two hands. In the one hand is the intense Hindu fascism and nationalism that is trageting the rich diversity of peoples, languages and religions in India. Targeting in particular the Muslim population and seeking to create a homogeneous Hindu nation-state and a strict caste hierarchy. In the other hand is a vicious corporate capitalism, with heads of corporations working closely and openly with the government to open up the land to extract raw materials for industry, as well as exploit or erase the populations who live there. All of this to continue to expand the profits of a small number corporations, and to continue the desire of the Indian state to become a global power. The cost to the people and the land has been bloody.

Right now this is manifesting in the violent repression of Operation Kagar specifically targeting indigenous people and maoist resistance.

On this Global Day of Action we call on all resisting and democratic youth to recognise the struggle taking place in the forests of India and make it part of our internationalist action and conciousness.

What is Operation Kagar?

Operation Kagar is a military “security” operation waged by the Indian state that claims to be targeting the Maoist movement, known as the Naxalites. Operation Kagar is not something new, but is the latest in a series of many military operations aimed at “crushing Naxalism” in India. However, the deeper intentions of the operation are to remove the indigenous Adivasi peoples who have lived in the jungles of central India for thousands of years, and open their lands to mining and industrial operations for the big corporations such as Adani, Tata and Vedanta.

The forests of central India in Bastar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana have long been the homeland of a rich diversity of peoples, languages and cultures; the Gond, Khoya, Bhatra amongst many others that make up the Adavasi communities

The Communist Party India–Maoist, the organisation leading the armed resistance in central India have their roots in the uprisings of the 1960s and have for decades been at the front of resistance to capitalist extraction in central India. The movement has long been rooted in the communties of the central states and an expression of indigenous resistance. Despite the claims of some media outlets, the revolutionary movement and the Adivasis of these states cannot be seen as speparate. They have organised commitees, democratic assemblies, education, healthcare and women’s organisation, as well as armed resistance to the attacks of the Indian state. Since 2024 under Operation Kagar hundreds of CPI-Maoist cadres, often unarmed, have been killed or assassinated in attacks by the state, including General Secretary Comrade Basavraju.

Again however it has to be recognised that the goal of Op. Kagar is is not only the defeat of the Maoist movement but the diplacement of Adivasi communities. The operation began with the killing of a six month old infant in her mothers arms by a stray bullet, from there hundreds of villagers have been killed by security forces, often in staged “encounters” where villagers are falsely tagged as Maoists. Alongside this 1000s have been arrested. The use of drones, motars and other artillery have made the existence and the life of Adivasis impossible. As with many fascist forces, torture, sexual abuse and gendered assaults have been actively used aginst the population. Finally the presence of security forces in the region have turned the forests effectively into open air prisons, for every three Adivasis there is one policeman and in the last 8 years 250 “security camps” and fortified police stations have been established.

Despite these attacks, the resistance continues, protests and actions both armed and unarmed continue without fear, from the CPI-Maoist and the Adavasi communities, as well as urban organisations across India that are challenging the fascism of the BJP and Operation Kagar.

In the struggle for freedom globally we have to be able to see and feel oursleves as part of a global movement, to feel the pain of those far from us, a multitude of cultures, languages, beliefs and ideologies that make up the tapestry of resistance. As internationalist youth we condemn the fascist attacks on the Adivasis and the repression of resistance in the forests of Dandakaranya and Chattisgarh. On this day, also the birthday of Indian revolutionary leader Anuradha Ghandy, we send solidarity and revolutionary greetings to all the people of India fighting for land and society.

Lal Salam!

Hasta Siempre!

Serkeftin an Serkeftin!

Victory or Victory!

For more information on Operation Kagar see: @jcrsi.1967 on Instagram