RAIPUR: Amidst the intensified operations by the security forces which have pushed the Maoists on the back foot in Chhattisgarh’s violent-ridden areas, the extremists have once again carried out a cowardly act by executing a 55-year-old civilian in Bijapur district, suggest reports.
The victim has been identified as Kanhaiya Tati, a resident of Poshadpalli village under the Bhopalpattnam police station limits of Bijapur districts, who was abducted and subsequently hacked to death by Maoists.
According to the preliminary information, the extremists have executed the elderly man on alleged charges of espionage activities, a charge often labelled by the Maoists against civilians, who dared to defy the outfit’s decrees.
The deceased body was later found at a school near the village along with a handwritten note, in which the responsibility of the murder was claimed by the Pamed Area Committee. The ghastly act has once again underscored the awful state of civilians residing under the shadow of red terrorism, leaving them in a state of shock and panic.
Notably the incident marks 51st such killing carried out by the extremists in the current year, signifying the relentless campaign of the Maoists against the innocent civilian population residing in remote regions of Bastar, a hotbed of the Maoist insurgency since long.
Maoist killed in encounter in Sukma
In a related development, Security Forces have neutralised a Maoist in an encounter in Pamalur forest area under Bhejji police station limits of Sukma district on October 7. The operation was launched following inputs of Maoist’s presence in the area after which a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG), Bastar Fighters and Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), an elite unit of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) was dispatched towards the location.
The personnel were tasked with combing the Burklanka, Dabbakonta Pamalur and other adjoining areas to trace out the movement of Maoist cadres of Konta and Kistaram Area Committees. However, the team during the operation came under heavy firing from Maoists near the Pamulur forests to which the joint team retaliated bravely, resulting in neutralisation of one of the male Maoist cadre.
The deceased was later identified as Lokesh, a member of the Kistaram Area Committee. The development took place days after security forces in a massive offensive gunned down as many as 31 Maoists in the Thulthuli area of Abujhmaad in Narayanpur, marking the most successful strike against the Maoist outfit since its emergence in its current form.
The mega operation which lasted for around 48 hours was launched in close coordination of personnel of DRG and Special Task Force, who covered a distance of around 30km in unfavorable terrain to deal a massive blow to the battalion no 06 of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), an armed unit of the Maoist group.
The encounter resulted in heavy losses for the outlaws as many of their prominent commanders including Niti alias Urmila, Nandu Mandavi, Raju Salaam, all carrying significant rewards were killed during the fierce exchange of fire that lasted for around 8-9 hours.
It must be noted here that security forces have amped up counter-insurgency operations in the state of Chhattisgarh, eliminating 194 Maoists cadres in various campaigns launched since January this year.
Commending the efforts of the security forces and the incumbent state government, the Union Home Minister Amit Shah after chairing a review meeting of the Maoist affected states on October 7, informed that a total of 801 Maoists have been arrested and 742 have surrendered in the state since January this year. The Home Minister had earlier announced that the Union Government is committed to eradicate the menace of red terror by March 2026.
