In the run up to the 50th anniversary of the ‘Naxalbari armed uprising’, Maoists have intensified a poster campaign against ‘Operation Green Hunt’ which they describe as a “fascist offensive” against people in Dandakaranya forest region.
Posters purportedly written by Maoists have surfaced at the busy Ambedkar Centre in Bhadrachalam, the tribal heartland of Telangana, in the small hours of Friday, sources said.
The incident caused a flutter in the temple town considered the gateway to the Dandakaranya forest belt mainly spread in the restive Bastar region of the adjoining Chhattisgarh State.
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In the posters written in red ink, the Sabari-Charla Area Committee of the CPI (Maoist) urged people to fight against “sand and mining mafia” to protect the interests of Adivasis in the Agency areas.
The committee has demanded that the Land Transfer Regulation (1 of 70–LTR) Act should be implemented in tribal areas and pattas for ‘podu lands’ be distributed among tribal people.
The incident comes close on the heels of the release of a letter purportedly by the rebels in the name of Khammam and Bhadradri-Kothagudem district committee of the CPI (Maoist) urging people to observe 50th anniversary celebrations of the ‘Naxalbari movement’ from May 23 to 29 this year.
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The repeated attempts by Maoists to regain their foothold in their previous strongholds in the areas along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border were foiled by the Bhadrachalam sub-division police in coordination with their counterparts in Chhattisgarh in the past few years.
In November 2015, Maoists created ripples by abducting six ruling TRS leaders in Bhadrachalam Agency demanding a halt to combing operations and “fake encounters” in Agency areas. The ultras released all the six leaders after keeping them in their captivity for over 48 hours following fervent appeals made by the family members of the abducted politicians. Subsequently, the rebels tried to recruit new cadre and expand their network with little success. Bhadrachalam sub-division police have laid renewed focus on cutting cash flow sources of the rebels after demonetisation.
In November last, the Charla police claimed to have thwarted an alleged bid by the ultras to exchange demonetised currency through their sympathisers with the arrest of two local traders and seizure of scrapped currency notes worth ₹70,000.
The Charla police on Tuesday arrested two employees of a beedi factory and seized ₹20 lakh from their possession while they were allegedly heading towards Chhattisgarh in a mini-truck to deliver the consignment of cash to the rebels in the neighbouring State.