Maoists to observe year-long PLGA anniversary from Dec 2, pledge to regain lost ground, strength

RAIPUR: People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the armed wing of the banned Maoist organisation, has announced to observe their 20th year of formation as ‘year-long action’ from December 2. 

Instead of the PLGA week, which they usually organise every year in memory of slain cadres of their military wing, it is going to be PLGA anniversary that will continue till December 1, 2021, with a ‘resolve to regain their footing and armed strength’. 

The outlawed CPI (Maoist) is pushed on a back-foot by security forces across the major conflict-ridden insurgency areas in the country. They exhorted Maoist cadres to continue the armed struggle with their Central Military Commission (CMC) taking the onus to bolster the organisation’s tactics against the government’s new offensives.

Ahead of the PLGA anniversary, the CMC has released a comprehensive report with figures on the PLGA's guerrilla actions to recount their achievements ever since its inception in the year 2000 and the future plan.

However, the law enforcing agencies dubbed such a report as "reaffirmation of the rebels’ violent and destructive mindset".

“During the last 20 years of existence, PLGA was not only accountable for the loss of thousands of valuable human lives but also deprived the native population their right to health, education, connectivity and other basic amenities”, asserted Sunderraj P, inspector general of police (Bastar Range).

Since 2001, according to CMC’s compiled data, the armed cadres of PLGA killed 2958 and injured 3507 security personnel of central and state forces. Besides, they put to death as many as 222 politicians (people’s representatives) and 1105 people they accused as agents of security forces. They admitted to losing their 4483 cadres (including 294 PLGA comrades) in the struggle against the forces during the past two decades. They looted 3208 weapons of different categories and 152899 cartridges added to their armoury. 

The Maoists' documents, accessed by The New Indian Express, stated that the PLGA encountered major challenges during its two decades. They struggled the most during the controversial Salwa Judum movement (2004-2009), operation Green Hunt (2009-2017), and the central government’s scheme SAMADHAN (the acronym given to the current phase of counter-Maoist moves). During the hostilities, several rebels from the grassroots level to their central committee either got killed or arrested, the report stated.

They conceded to being routed from some of their strongholds in the guerrilla warfare but contended to regain the lost ground through the people’s movement.

The PLGA guerrilla had carried out 208 major, 318 medium and 3948 small actions targeted against the forces during the last two decades, the report cited.