Indian society has always treated tribals disgracefully, he says, and after decades of neglect and insensitivity, "we have produced a situation where Maoists fill the vacuum".
But even supposedly friendly gangs, said Mr Khan, if heavily armed, can quickly turn into "rogue elephants".The dangers posed by wayward tribals have hit Peshawar particularly hard, with a spate of kidnappings and murders as well as the depot attacks.
The tribals are the original conservationists and their efforts are urgently needed.Murali Reddy Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey .
As a result Maoists often serve as the only source of authority.The state is not providing basic health care or roads and "there is no dignity for tribals," concludes Jairam Ramesh, the cabinet minister responsible for rural affairs.
In a time-honoured fashion, the army has tried to batter mutinous tribals; then secure deals with them on its terms.
Last year, moreover, a committee of Pushtun grandees retired civil servants, judges and so forth was told to find out what the tribals wanted.
He sees the root of the problem in the high-school dropout rate among dalits and tribals, but backs a voluntary system in which the government would offer tax or other incentives to firms that meet employment targets.
The Naxalites claim to be fighting for better treatment of marginalised tribals; but deny the government access to areas they control.
In that Manichean world, the tribals and Maoists are one; and anyone against Maoists is against the tribals, therefore for the state, and hence complicit in the abuses.
In that assault a presidential spokesman claimed that dozens of Dinka, the tribe to which the president belongs, had been killed by Nuer tribals.
This is the India of grinding poverty, a victim of social exploitation of the worst kind, where the inhabitants – mainly tribals – are treated like chattels and domestic animals by the upper caste political leaders, landlords and forest contractors.
