RAIPUR: Noted traditional medicine practitioner Hemchand Manjhi on Monday said he will return his Padma Shri award, after receiving threats from the outlawed Maoists in restive Narayanpur district, south Chhattisgarh. Manjhi(71), popularly referred as Vaidyaraj, also declared to discontinue his engagement as traditional medicine practitioner he carried on for nearly 50 years.
Maoists have nailed banners and dropped pamphlets threatening him, police said. The recovered pamphlets carried an image of Manjhi receiving the Padma Shri from President Droupadi Murmu in April. After constant Maoist threats and his nephew being killed in December by the left-wing extremists, Manjhi shifted to Narayanpur town, 40 km away from his village Chhote Dongar.
“Today (Monday) I got yet another threat from Maoists. Obviously, my family and I remain terror-stricken as the Naxalites have killed our relatives earlier. I have decided to return the Padma Shri award and stop the treatment I offer to people who visit me from various places”, he told this newspaper.
The Maoists alleged that Manjhi acted as a broker in the iron ore mining activities in the region and minted crores of rupees. “They are accusing me of having received a huge payoff in mining and commissioning of some projects. I am in no way associated with anything. They also questioned how I got the coveted award,” he added.
Manjhi, who offered herbal medicines as “persuasive” treatment for various cancers and other ailments, said that the government has allotted him a house in Narayanpur town but not given possession as it remains incomplete.
Despite repeated attempts, Narayanpur collector Bipin Manjhi couldn’t be reached.