Women in India’s CPI (Maoist) Ranks

Abstract

The chapter asserts that the association of women with armed Communist movement dates back to the Telangana Armed Struggle of 1946–51 when women, especially from the middle class, were involved in non-combatant roles, such as maintaining dumps, managing safe houses to facilitate secret meetings and in transporting weapons. Thereafter, the role of women transformed and they were involved in combatant role by fielding weapons and engaging the security forces in gun-battles in Naxalbari as well as Srikakulam Armed Struggle (1969–1970). More than a decade later, women were involved in the Jagityal Rytanga Poratam (Jagityal Peasants’ Struggle. After taking root in Dandakaranya (Bastar), a conscious effort was made from the very beginning to start women’s organizations. Gradually, in the late 1980s – early 1990s, following internal discussions and the aspirations of women themselves in Telangana, a conscious decision was taken not to limit the role of women to non-combatant roles such as maintaining dens/managing safe-houses in urban areas, and they were given the choice of going into the forests to organize the movement/join the armed squads as fighters. This chapter makes a modest attempt to understand why women join in India’s Maoist movement, their role within the outfit, their equation with the leadership and fellow cadres, why they quit, and their lives after they surrender to the authorities.