Villagers confront naxalites

By Our Staff Reporter

NIZAMABAD, NOV. 25. For the second time in a week, naxalites of the banned People's War Group in Adilabad district faced embarrassing moments when residents of Dahegaon village under Bazarhathnoor police station limits not only prevented them from whisking away a villager but also flatly refused to offer them food.

Instead, the naxals were asked to leave the village and reminded that Narsapur-type treatment would be meted out to them, if they continued to harass the villagers. Narsapur village of Icchoda mandal of Adilabad district shot into fame this week after the locals chased away the naxalites and snatched their weapons.

A similar incident occurred last night in Dahegaon village when 21 armed naxalites of Boath and Talamadugu local guerrilla squad led by their commanders - Srikant and Madhavakka - came in search of one Mangali Bhumanna, a former militant. The naxalites after reaching the house of Bhumanna asked him to accompany them to the village outskirts as they had to discuss some issue

The villagers, who were just about to settle down for the night, saw some commotion and came out to see armed naxalites in uniform trying to whisk away Bhumanna. Within no time over 150 villagers gathered near the house of Bhumanna and began questioning the naxals as to why they were taking away the former naxalite. The naxals told the villagers that Bhumanna, of late, had started avoiding them and had turned a police informant.

The villagers immediately confronted the naxals and challenged them to take away all of them. Heated argument ensued for over 40 minutes. The naxals, taken aback at the hostile attitude of the villagers, threatened that they would see how the locals entered the village. To this the locals replied saying that the forests were not the property of the naxals alone, even they had every right to go into the forests. They dared the naxals to harm them when they came into the forests. Realising the tense situation, the naxals tried to settle the issue and asked the locals to offer them food to which they flatly refused. The naxals without uttering any word, went away. The Adilabad Additional SP (Operations), Mr. Ananta Sharma, confirmed the incident. Talking to The Hindu on the telephone from Adilabad, Mr. Sharma said the naxals in Adilabad were facing tough time in getting shelter as well as food.

The locals had formed a village defence committee after this week's incident. In the meantime, the PWG issued a statement in Adilabad stating that they would take revenge for the humiliation being heaped on the naxals by the villagers with the help of the police.

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