Maharashtra villagers raise banner of revolt against Maoists

Nagpur, Dec 13 (IANS) For a change, scores of tribal inhabitants of the remote Kangadi village in Gadchiroli have raised a banner of revolt against Maoists active in the region, an official said here on Friday.Displaying unusual courage and solidarity, groups of tribal villagers on Friday marched on the outskirts of the hamlet, yanked off several banners put up by Maoist groups and then made a bonfire of them.They also raised slogans of 'Naxalites murdabad, Democracy Zindabad' as the banners with threats and allurements scrawled on them were reduced to ashes, said a police spokeswoman.Gadchiroli Superintendent of Police lauded the boldness of the villagers for rejecting the misleading propaganda of the Maoist groups and reposing their faith in the country's democratic system.The police said that through such banners, the Maoists made false promises of giving water, forests and lands to the poor villagers in an attempt to lure them away from the democratic social mainstream.But instead of fulfilling the claims, the Maoists resort to killing the tribal brethren, chopping off trees, block roads and indulge in other forms of harassment, whereby the terrified village-folk are deprived of even basic amenities and essential supplies.Gadchiroli is among the worst Maoist-affected districts in the country with regular encounters between the security forces and the rebels thriving in the thick forests of the region.The biggest such encounter in recent times resulted in at least 42 Maoists getting killed on April 23, 2018 by the security forces.
--IANS qn/pgh/