On the day when Prime Minister Narendra Modi was addressing a public rally in Dantewada district of South Chhattisgarh, Maoists killed one villager in neighbouring Sukma district for supporting construction of a bridge.
The Maoists had allegedly taken away hundreds of villagers into the forest in the early hours of Saturday from Merenga, Tikanpal, Tahakwada and Junpani villages of Sukma.
A police officer based in Bastar gave contradictory statements throughout the day creating confusion over the incident.
“The Maoists held a jan adalat [people’s court] in the Gaadem and Munga forest. Sadaaram, a villager of Marenga was killed but other villagers are returning with his body. The deceased was looking after the construction of a bridge near Marenga village,” Bastar range Inspector-General of Police S.R. Kalluri told The Hindu .
According to Mr. Kalluri, five to six people were “abducted” by the Maoists and 500 villagers went inside the forest to secure their release.
However, according to Sukma Additional Superintendent of Police Harish Rathod, the Maoists had “forcibly” taken hundreds of villagers inside the forest.
Mr. Rathod also informed that the villagers of Marenga, Tikanpal, Tahakwada and Junapan were taken away because of a dispute regarding a bridge near Marenga.
According to some local sources, all these villages were opposing the Maoists in the past few months. The villagers of Marenga wanted a bridge to be constructed near their place and even decided to help the district administration in the task. A suspected Maoist named Hidma was arrested last month by the police from this area and people of surrounding villages had launched a protest against his arrest, but villagers from these four villages did not take part in the protest.
