In yet another brutal display of raw violence against unarmed civilians, cadres of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) have reportedly killed as many as two villagers in the Maoist-affected Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on Wednesday, May 1.
The incident took place in Chhutwai village under the Tarrem police station limits of Bijapur, where the Maoists first abducted the villagers and then strangulated them to death in a Jan Adalat (Kangaroo court of the Mao’s men).
The deceased have been identified as Joga Madavi and Joga Hunga, who were reportedly killed over providing land for a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp erected near the village.
It has been reported that the deceased were real brothers and the Maoist have also labelled charges of espionage before strangulating them to death. As of now, the incident has sent shockwaves across the region and no FIR has been so far filed into the matter.
The incident at Chhutwai occurred almost a week after the armed cadres of the outlawed Communist Party of India Maoist (CPI Maoist) had killed a former district councillor in neighbouring Dantewada district.
The deceased was identified as Joga Podiyam, a former district councilor and a Congress Party worker, who was killed at around 11pm on April 26. The incident occurred in the Potli village of the Maoist-affected Aranpur police station limits of Dantewada.
According to initial reports, the Maoists had also labelled charges of espionage against Podiyam, accusing him of being in hand with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The incident at Potli had also occurred just around 500 metres away from the Chhattisgarh Armed Forces (CAF) camp.
Earlier, in another similar act carried out by the the Maoist, a local BJP leader and Upsarpanch (sub- village head), Pancham Das, was also hacked to death by the members of the Small Action Team (SAT) of the banned outfit in Dandwan village under Farasgaon police station limits of Narayanpur.
It was then reported that the Maoist barged in the house of Pancham Das on April 16 and then forcibly took him along at a nearby deserted place, where they hacked him to death after labelling him with charges of espionage.
Killings of civilians amidst encounters and surrender
It is noteworthy that the recent killings of civilians have occurred in the wake of back-to-back operation carried out by the security forces against the Maoist. According to the figures available, a total of 40 Maoist were gunned down in separate operation carried by the forces in Chhattisgarh in the month of April alone, while the tally for the ongoing year has surpassed the figure of 90.
Recently, a major operation launched by the security forces near the interstate border of Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra on April 30 resulted in the killing of as many as 10 Maoists, including a few top cadres and three female members of the banned Maoist outfit.
The offensive was launched following credible inputs of the presence of top Maoist cadres in the Abujhmaad region, a long held bastion of the outlaws.
The operation in Abujhmaad follows a separate exchange of fire between the forces and the Maoists that resulted in the killing of a total of 29 Maoists near the Binnagunda forest area of Chotebethiya police station limits of Kanker, on April 16.
Significantly, the intensified operations by the forces in the Maoist heartland have also triggered scores of surrenders by the cadres of the outlawed outfit. As a result, a total of 83 former Maoist operatives parted ways with the ultras in the month of April alone.
