In a first, Maoist cadres kill leader over difference of opinion in Chhattisgarh's Bastar

RAIPUR: The CPI (Maoist) is facing a new challenge in the conflict zone of Bastar in quelling dissent, even as the outlawed organisation struggles to motivate its cadres to reach out to the masses.

In a significant development, a senior Maoist leader in charge of Gangaloor Area Committee (Bijapur) and a Divisional Committee Member Modiyam Vijja, 39, was killed by his own cadres in the strife-torn Bijapur district in south Chhattisgarh owing to an apparent difference of opinion on some issues.

Based on local intelligence inputs, the Bastar police said the recent spike in civilian killings by the rebels could be the most plausible reason that led the cadres to shoot Vijja dead. The deceased was carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh on his head.

“According to our information, Vijja was the Maoist leader behind most of the civilian killings and organising of rallies of villagers in Bijapur. We are now getting reliable inputs over the dissent surfacing among cadres over unleashing of violence against the innocent tribals. Now such terror tactics no longer seems to be helping the Maoists but are resulting in discontent among the cadre as witnessed between Vijja and his own comrades. We are also trying to find out if there is any other angle to this incident,” said Sunderraj P, Bastar range inspector general of police.

He claimed that this is the first incident of a Maoist cadre killing another over dissent on some specific issue. “Such an incident is unusually conspicuous since the Maoists in the past usually punish their own cadres only on various disciplinary grounds but never owing to any strong disagreement of opinion on any subject,” the IG added. The Bastar police are now waiting to see how senior Maoist leaders react to this incident.

The Maoist Brigade remains most active in the virtual war zone of Bastar, south Chhattisgarh, waging battle against the state for over three decades.