The Hindu : National : Naxals besiege village as Gill takes charge

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 19, 2006

National

National

Naxals besiege village as Gill takes charge

K.P.S. Gill takes over as State's security adviser

Jagdalpur/Raipur: Armed naxalites besieged Usur village in Dantewada district of the tribal Bastar region of Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, posing a challenge to the former Director-General of Punjab Police, K.P.S. Gill, who took over as security adviser to the State Government earlier in the day.

More than 2500 armed rebels besieged the village of about 3000 people near the Andhra Pradesh border since Tuesday morning in retaliation for the tribals' support to the ongoing anti-naxalite "Salwa Judum" campaign. The Maoists, who called a "Chhattisgarh bandh" for Tuesday, also beat up few "Salwa Judum" supporters in the region. The bandh evoked a partial response in the South Bastar area, police said.

The CPI (Maoist)'s call for the bandh was in protest against the Government's alleged failure to solve people's problems and the "fake encounter killings" of naxalite zonal commander Sagar, alias Gupa Korwas, and his wife Kiran in Sarguja district.

Mr. Gill, who arrived here on Tuesday morning to take up his new assignment, went into an emergency meeting with Chief Minister Raman Singh and senior officials.

As the naxalites outnumbered security forces in the region, a State police headquarters spokesman said the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Chhattisgarh Special Armed Force (CGSAF) were being sent to the village from the Amapalli area. However, security personnel have been asked to avoid roads and cover the area on foot.

— UNI

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