In yet another incident of violence against innocent civilians, armed cadres of the proscribed Maoist group killed as many as two villagers in the insurgency-hit Sukma district of Chhattisarh on Thursday, February 22, according to reports in the media.
According to the details received, the incident occurred near the Chhattisgarh-Odisha interstate border, where cadres of the banned group killed two residents of Duled village. The deceased villagers have been identified as Sodi Hunga and Madhvi Nandha.
The extremists after the killing have also claimed responsibility for the attack, labelling that the duo was working as informers for the police. The responsibility for the murders has been claimed by the Pamed Area Committee of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist).
It’s been learned that a police team also visited the spot upon receiving information about the killing, which later took the bodies into their possession and sent them for autopsy. Further a First Information Report (FIR) against unknown Maoist has also been registered in connection with the case.
It is to be noted that the development occurred amidst the fact that the security forces have recently established a tactical headquarters in the heart of the Maoist stronghold at Puverti village under Jagargunda police station limits of Sukma district.
Notably, this is not the only occasion when the extremists have trained their guns on the innocent villagers, and incidents pertaining to civilian killings have been a regular phenomenon in the Maoist affected region of the State.
Earlier, in another such incident of targeted civilian killing, a villager identified as Podiyam Joga was also killed by the extremists. Joga’s body was found lying near the Gorkha area under Bhejji police station limits on February 14.
According to the reports, the extremists had also dropped a detailed handwritten note near the body of the deceased, labelling him as an informer of the police. Podiyam was reported to be an electrician who was accused by the extremists of passing sensitive information to the security forces.
In another incident of similar nature that occurred on February 14 itself, a villager who arrived at a weekly market was also killed by the Maoists in Orchha region of the Narayanpur district of Chhattisgarh.
The incident occurred when Mohammad Iqbal, a plumber by profession, was attacked and killed by the ultras in a weekly market in Orchha. It was later revealed that Iqbal was associated with the Jal Jeevan Mission project.
CAF personnel axed to death
It is to be noted that earlier in another incident, the extremists had also attacked and killed an off duty Chhattisgarh Armed Forces (CAF) company commander in insurgency-hit Bijapur of Chhattisgarh, on February 18.
The extremists attacked the company commander when he was reportedly buying vegetables in a local market under the Kutru police station limits of Bijapur. It was revealed that the attack was carried out by the members of the Small Action Team (SAT) of the extremists. The martyred company commander of the CAF was later identified as Tijau Ram Bhuarya, who was stationed at Darbha camp.
It is pertinent to mention here that the State of Chhattisgarh has been in the grip of insurgency over decades and is considered home to the strongest Maoist formations across the country.
Though, the Maoist affected region of the state has witnessed heavy deployment of the troops alongside the establishment of dozens of security camps, this is believed to have frustrated the extremists, leading to a surge in incidents of killings, abductions of civilians, and obstruction of development projects caused by the ultras.
