Maoists give ‘martyrs’ week’ call in Madhya Pradesh’s Balaghat, police personnel step up security

Balaghat, located in the south eastern region of Madhya Pradesh, is one of the three Naxal-affected districts in the State with Mandla and Dindori being the other two.

July 30, 2022 11:38 am | Updated 11:38 am IST - Balaghat (Madhya Pradesh)

Naxals have put up banners in Balaghat district of Madhya Pradesh, giving a call to observe 'Shaheed Saptah' or 'martyrs' week', which prompted the police to step up security in the area, an official said on July 30.

Balaghat, located in the south eastern region of Madhya Pradesh, is one of the three Naxal-affected districts in the State with Mandla and Dindori being the other two.

"Naxals put up banners and left pamphlets on Friday in Sonewani area under Roopjhar police station limits, in which they gave a call to observe 'Shaheed Saptah' from July 28 to August 3," Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Aditya Prakash Mishra said. Police are investigating how these banners reached the area, he said.

"However, there is no information about the presence of Naxals in this area. Intensive patrolling is being carried out to monitor the situation and security has been increased," Mr. Mishra added.

In the banners and posters, the Naxals have given a call to hold condolence meetings and construct memorials in memory of the slain Maoists.

Martyrs' week is observed by the banned CPI (Maoist) during this period every year, in memory of their leader Charu Majumdar, who died on July 27, 1972 in West Bengal.

In June this year, three Naxals, including a member of the divisional committee of ultras, collectively carrying a reward of over ₹57 lakh on their heads in three States, were killed in an encounter with security forces in Balaghat district.

One of them was divisional committee member Nagesh aka Raju Tulavi (40), who was carrying a collective reward of ₹29 lakh in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.