The Naxalites, who have been using Madhya Pradesh territory as a safe haven in the recent past, are now on a different track and have started targeting development related projects in the state.
In a fresh offensive, the Naxalites attacked a road construction project under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna (Prime Minister’s Rural Road scheme) in the Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday night.
Balaghat inspector-general of police C.V. Muniraju told this newspaper that workers at a road construction site between Kodka and Adori were caught off-guard by Naxalites, who were carrying firearms, including SLRs on Wednesday night. The Naxalites ordered the workers to line up, took away their mobile phones, threatened them at gun-point and set on fire five vehicles, including 2 JCBs and one poclain machine. The incident took place around 9.30 pm at an isolated spot. The place lies on the periphery of the Naxalite-affected area bordering Chhattisgarh.
The Naxalites told the workers to take out the diesel and spray it on the vehicles. These were then set on fire. The Naxals left the spot leaving behind pamphlets threatening that all road construction activity should be stopped. The Balaghat IGP said that the Naxalites must have crossed over to Chhattisgarh and went on to inform that the matter was reported to the police on Thursday morning. The Naxals have been active in the Balaghat district for more than two decades. They were behind the murder of state minister for transport Likhiram Kavre in his native village in Balaghat district in December 1999.
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Key road in Bastar damaged
Rabindra Nath Choudhury
Raipur
June 4: Suspected Maoists have damaged a key road in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district to prevent security forces from entering the remote areas of Bastar region, the police said on Friday. The rebels have completely destroyed 1-km stretch of road on Bijapur-Gangloor highway by digging at dozen places, inspector general of police (IGP), Bastar region, Mr T.J. Longkumar said.
The 40 km-highway was built only last year at a cost of Rs 22 crores. The road provided connectivity to hundreds of tribal villages in the area.