ABSTRACT
The Maoist communist movement in India is commonly referred to as the Naxalite movement. The inland region has in recent years been directly affected by the ultra-left Maoist movement. The socio-economic situation of the tribal population in the Maoist dominated districts of Orissa is extremely miserable. Moreover, the region has also been recently exposed to the competing Christian and Hindu religious missionaries looking for new recruits. At the beginning of the twentieth century the Christian missionaries were particularly successful in their missions with tribal populations in India. However, in recent years, the Christian missionaries are not only facing legal obstacles from the state, but also violent opposition from Hindu extremist organizations. To analyze the link of social network and social action it is therefore important to assess the evolving character of interpersonal ties in protesting societies and its contribution to the strength of protest mobilization.
