Maoists killed a man branded as a police informer at Binagunda in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district for hoisting the national flag at a Maoist memorial in his village on Independence Day, police said.
The victim, Manesh Nuruti, was dragged out of his house and brought before villagers, who were gathered for a so-called “jan adalat” (people’s court). Another person was beaten at the gathering.
Police said the Maoists punished Nuruti for raising patriotic slogans and hoisting the tricolour at the memorial on August 15.
The Paratapur Area Committee of Maoists put up banners in the region, claiming responsibility for the execution. They accused police of deploying tribals as covert operatives and threatened people, including Pankhajur police station in-charge Lakshan Kevat, sarpanch Ramji Dhurva, and District Reserve Guard members.
Inspector general (Bastar Range) Sunderraj P said Nuereti was a resident of Binagunda village. “A short video has also surfaced in which Manish Nuereti is purportedly seen participating in Independence Day celebrations on 15th August. Further information is being collected, and appropriate action will be taken after due verification of facts and details.”
The proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist) or CPI (Maoist) has suffered heavy losses in intensified operations against Left-wing insurgents as the government has set a target of eliminating Maoism by next year.
{{/usCountry}}The proscribed Communist Party of India (Maoist) or CPI (Maoist) has suffered heavy losses in intensified operations against Left-wing insurgents as the government has set a target of eliminating Maoism by next year.
{{/usCountry}}A June 23 Maoist Central Committee document acknowledged the killing of 357 Maoists over the last year. Maoist chief Nambala Kesava Rao alias Basvaraju was killed on May 20 in Chhattisgarh. Basvaraju’s killing inside a dense forest marked the most significant success against the Left-wing insurgency in years.
Basvaraju, the general secretary of the Maoists and the backbone of the insurgency in central India, was accused of masterminding attacks, including an ambush that left 76 security personnel dead in 2010.
The Maoist movement began in India in 1967 in West Bengal’s Naxalbari village. It spread to what is now Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra. Maoism has been described as the biggest threat to India’s internal security. It has suffered setbacks, but retained the capacity to launch attacks.