Maoists torch road construction machines in Gadchiroli

The Maoists have been opposing road works in areas where they hold influence for years because it makes it easier for security personnel to move.

Maoists burnt down six vehicles engaged in road construction work and thrashed the labourers in Bhamragarh tehsil of Gadchiroli on Thursday.

Security forces in Maoist-affected areas of Gadchiroli on an area domination exercises (Representative Image) (HT File Photo/SAtish Bate)

Gadchiroli district superintendent of police Ankit Goyal said that a group of armed Maoists stormed the road work site near Visamundi village under Nargunda police assistance centre and stopped the ongoing work. They later torched the vehicles and beat up the labourers working there.

The Maoists have been opposing road works in areas where they hold influence for years because it makes it easier for security personnel to move.

In the past too, there have been incidents of Maoists burning down vehicles engaged in developmental works in the district. However, the frequency of such incidents has gone down and the latest incident has taken place after a long gap.

The Maoists, who have been active in the district since the 1980s, suffered a major setback when its top leader, Milind Teltumbde, central committee member of the CPI (Maoist) and head of the newly formed MMC (Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh confluence) zone, was killed in an encounter along with other 26 rebels in November last year.

Goyal said the recent incident is a desperate attempt by the extremists to mark their presence. Maoists also killed three villagers in separate incidents last month after branding them as police informers, he added.