Maoists in Sukma kill one villager, others return home

The villagers who were taken away by the Maoists late on Friday night from Sukma village are returning home with the body of a tribal Sadaram, police said on Saturday.

According to the police Maoists killed him because he had not followed the Maoist diktat of not participating in government projects.

“He was killed in a Jan Adalat by the Maoists. Maoists had taken these people for a Jan Adalat. Others are returning home,” said RK Vij ADG (Naxal Ops).

Earlier, the Chhattisgarh government and the police had contradicted each other over the status of “villagers held hostage” by the Maoists ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to neighbouring Dantewada on Saturday.

While, Chief Minister Raman Singh said “around 200-250 men have been taken hostage” and “five people have gone to ensure their release”, state home minister Ramsewak Paikra noted “the abducted villagers were BJP members and were coming for the Prime Minister’s rally.”Local Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma said over 1,000 armed Maoists have taken residents of five villagers hostage on Friday night.

Local Congress MLA Kawasi Lakhma said over 1,000 armed Maoists have taken residents of five villagers hostage on Friday night.

The state police, however, maintained that the villagers, who were involved in construction work, were forcibly taken away by the Maoists as they did not want them to work on a government project.

Sukma SP D Sravan said: “The Maoists asked them not to undertake such works. They have taken them, their relatives and some other villagers away.”

He stressed that “such situations are usual here. Naxals often take such villagers for indoctrination and release soon.” MHA had also asked for the details about the situation, as Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that “efforts were on to rescue the villagers”.

Source:: Indian Express