Gadchiroli: In a terrifying incident, an elderly villager was abducted and killed by Maoists in insurgency-hit Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra. The body of the deceased villager was recovered on the morning of March 30, hours after he was abducted by the cadres of the outlawed group.
The incident has taken place in Juvi village of Bhamragad block of Gadchiroli sending shockwaves into the region. As per the details, four Maoist cadres abducted the said villager on the intervening night of Saturday.
He was taken to a nearby forest area, where the extremist strangled him to death subsequently. The deceased has been identified as 60-year-old Pusu Pungati, a farmer by profession.
It is worth recalling that the extremists in another incident had executed a 45-year-old man in February this year. The deceased Sukhram Madavi was a resident of Kiyer village of the Bhamragad Tehsil. The extremists strangled him to death, alleging him to be an informer of the police.
This comes amidst the security forces intensifying counter-insurgency campaign in the district, adjoining the foothills of Abujhmad region of Bastar, a hotbed of insurgency since long. It is being assumed that the tightening grip of the forces in the area have compelled the Maoists to turn their guns on the civilians.
The police and the security forces in recent time have opened up three security camps in Nelgunda and two other locations. In totality six security camps have been opened up in the areas adjoining the Chhattisgarh border in the past two years.
Opening of security camps along continuous operations in the forested zones has yielded positive results lately, with many of the Maoist cadres leaving the path of violence and joining mainstream.
Further, the state government has also paced up development projects in the areas hit by insurgency with construction of roads and installation of mobile towers to improve connectivity.
Over 40 such mobile towers were erected in the affected areas of the district, enabling the residents to access government benefits, with the latest one coming up in Midadapalli village recently.
