Renowned traditional medical practitioner, Hemchand Manjhi (Vaidraj), who has been recently awarded the Padmashree award, the fourth highest civilian honour of the country, has announced to return his award after receiving threats from Maoists.
Manjhi, who is best known for his ability to cure many ailments with traditional herbs, offered to return his award on Monday, a day after Maoist on May 26, at midnight, set ablazed two mobile towers in Gaurdand and Chameli villages near Chhotedongar while leaving banners and pamphlets against the 70 years old medical practitioner.
In the pamphlets dropped, the extremists have accused Manjhi for working as a broker for the ‘Jaiswal Niko Company’ who has been at the helm of affairs in Aamdai Mines in the Chhotedongar area of Narayanpur district.
According to the reports, the Maoists, while recalling the murder of Vaidraj Manjhi’s nephew, Komal Manjhi who was hacked to death by the outlaws in November last year, have said that the Ayurveda medical practitioner should be driven out of the country.
Vaidraj Manjhi, who has been treating ailments like cancer with his profound knowledge of herbs, also intended to discontinue his practice after the threat.
Refuting the allegations of the Maoists, Vaidraj said that they (the Maoists) in their pamphlets have accused me of taking money, but we have not received a single penny. They should have called for a Jan Adalat (self- styled parallel judicial system of the outlaws) in the presence of the media and called me, but that was too near the roads, as I cannot sit on a bike or walk by foot.
It must be noted that Manjhi was forced to leave his ancestral village of Chottedongar and shift to the district headquarter of Narayanpur amidst the looming threat of the Maoist attack around six months ago.
He was forced to take shelter at the district headquarters after the Maoists brutally killed his nephew, Komal Manjhi, when the latter was returning after offering prayers in a local temple near Chottedongar in December last year.
▶️सरकार देगी पद्मश्री वैद्यराज मांझी को Y श्रेणी की सुरक्षा |
▶️नक्सलियों ने दी थी जान से मारने की धमकी… #Chhattisgarh | @vishnudsai | @BJP4CGState | @CG_Police pic.twitter.com/5avKmdU0SP— IBC24 News (@IBC24News) May 27, 2024
As of now, the Home Ministry have reportedly ordered a ‘Y’ category security cover for Vaidraj on recommendation of the Protection Review Group of the state government.
Who is Vaidraj Hemchand Manjhi
Hailing from remote terrain of Chotedongar, Manjhi has been serving the people of the surrounding area since the age of 15. Now in his seventies, Hemchand provides treatment of various life-threatening diseases, such as cancer of many forms, blood sugar, and asthma.
In his pursuit to provide suitable and effective medicine in meagre amount, Manjhi also visits the remote terrain of Abujhmaad forest, a hotbed of insurgency to get precious herbs on a regular interval.
President Droupadi Murmu presents Padma Shri in the field of Medicine to Shri Hemchand Manjhi. He is a practitioner of traditional medicine providing affordable care to people for more than five decades. pic.twitter.com/6PGYP6wNUS
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) April 22, 2024
Significantly for his exceptional contribution in serving needy and sick people in remote areas, Vaidraj Manjhi, was conferred upon the prestigious award by the president on April 22 this year.
Opposition of Aamdai Mines
Being operated in one of the stronghold of Maoist, Aamdai iron ore mines of Narayanpur district have been on the radar of the outlaws for long time. The Maoists have time and again registered their strong objections to the mining projects by carrying out acts of violence and issuing death threats to the political representatives
In the banners erected on regular intervals, the Maoists have accused the village heads for aligning with the company engaged in mining projects triggering the exodus of latter from villages to a safer location in the district headquarters.
The extremists have also targeted operations at mines on several occasions by torching vehicles involved in transportation and triggering Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosions, leading to causalities.
In a similar incident earlier, the Maoists wreaked havoc by setting ablaze as many as four trucks engaged in the transportation of iron ore mines from Aamdai Ghati mines in March this year.
The torching incident of March follows a strong Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast that led to the death of two workers associated with the Aamdai mines in November last year.
A week later, the Eastern Bastar Division of the outlawed CPI Maoist, in a press release, threatened to continuously target the location until work is not stopped in the mine.
The outlaws in the press release, while issuing a warning for the workers, said that one should avoid working in the Aamdai mines to protect himself as it is suicidal to work there. They had also claimed that hundreds of IEDs are planted near the location of the mine which will keep exploding until mining is stopped.
It is worth mentioning here that the Maoist have been carrying out such acts of violence against mining and other development projects in the areas dominated by them since always. It is assumed that the outlaws consider these projects as a threat to their existence as employment opportunity and better connectivity in the remote regions could further dent their already weakening grip on the masses.
