Tribal associations use flex boards to appeal to Maoists to shun violence, in East Godavari agency I Express
RAJAMAHENDRAVARAM: A high alert has been sounded along the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) and Chhattisgarh border in the wake of an encounter of a member of Charla Sabari dalam in Telangana Bhadradri Kottagudem district. It is about 50 km from the Chintur sub-division. All police stations in the border districts of East and West Godavari, Vishakapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam have been put on high alert, while special police forces have intensified combing in these districts as a precautionary measure against possible Maoist attacks.
The Maoist Martyrs’ Week celebrations, which began on July 28, will conclude on August 3. Assistant Superintendent of police ( A S P ) G Krishnakanth told TNIE said all police stations in the division are on high alert and the forces are ready to retaliate to any attack. Sources said that chances of the ultras entering the Chintur sub-division from Telangana and Chhattisgarh cannot be ruled out. Security personnel are conducting regular checks on all vehicles moving towards the Agency area.
Meanwhile, around 12 tribal boys and girls between 12 and 16 were kidnapped and recruited into Maoist dalams during the past one year. Most children, including a girl in recent days, have escaped from the clutches of the naxals. The ASP said these young recruits are called bal dastas. (child soldiers). After recruitment into a dalam, the teenagers are used as carriers and informers. But recently there has been a shift in their duties.
They are not only used to carry luggage and do physical labour in the forest area, but also used as human shields by the Maoists during a police encounter. The local tribals, whose children were taken away by the naxalites, do not file police complaints, fearing for their life. Of late, the tribals in the border areas of East Godavari district are coming forward to erect banners and flex boards in the entire Agency area appealing to Maoists to shun violence and join the mainstream.
