RAIPUR: Suspected Maoists have killed three villagers who were relatives of a surrendered commander of the banned outfit at Peddakorma village and abducted around a dozen local inhabitants in Bijapur, about 450 km south of Raipur.
The killings by Maoists are seemingly in retaliation for the huge loss of their cadres killed by security forces in the ongoing offensive operations in Bastar.
According to local sources, Maoist cadres led by local leader Vella stormed into the village and strangled the relatives of surrendered Naxal commander Dinesh Modium. The deceased victims--identified as Jhingu Modium, Soma Modium and Anil Madwi--were strangled by rope in the presence of other villagers.
A former Divisional Committee Member (DVCM), Dinesh Modium relinquished his position in the CPI (Maoist) organisation and surrendered to the police a few months ago in Bijapur.
"The information regarding the murder of three villagers and kidnapping of others by Maoists at Peddakorma village has been received. The police are verifying the details. It’s a cowardly act of Maoists who are attempting to create an environment of fear and terror in the region,” stated the Bastar police.
“Targeting innocents and killing them is unacceptable. We condemn such acts. Those abducted should be set free. It seems the lower naxal cadres are expressing their anger when the state is not properly responding to repeated proposals by Maoists of holding peace dialogue, but instead continuing with the planned operations,” said Bela Bhatia, human rights activist.
The police team will reach the spot at Peddakorma for further probe on Wednesday and send the bodies for post-mortem, officials said.
The red guerrillas are pushed on the back foot by security forces across the major areas of their influence, as they are 'eluding from their secured stronghold bases'.
The Maoist movement, once feared for its brutality, is now breathing its last, as peace and development take root across Bastar, asserted Sundarraj P, Bastar range IG.
Over 400 Maoists have been killed in separate encounters across the Bastar zone during the last 17 months