RAIPUR: Maoists have abducted seven people in the restive Sukma district, a week ahead of the insurgents’ ‘martyrs’ week’.
A group of villagers who went into the forest to rescue them is also missing. While police were looking for the missing seven, a former Maoist was savagely stabbed and hacked to death around 65km away, in neighbouring Bijapur district, on Tuesday. The seven are from Kunded village in Jagargunda region, a Maoist hotbed about 500km from Raipur. They went missing on Saturday, but their families didn’t inform the cops. Even on Tuesday, when police teams set out to look for them, none of their kin had filed any complaint.
Villagers are terrified of Maoists, more so in such circumstances, and instead of informing the police many try to negotiate their kins’ release. Sometimes it works, often it doesn’t. It was only on Monday that word reached police about the missing villagers. But when they reached out to the families, some of them reluctantly said the youths had gone to attend a wedding or to work elsewhere.Police haven’t ruled out the possibility that Maoists led them away as recruits. Meanwhile, in Bijapur, former Maoist Raju Venjam, who had never surrendered formally, was tilling his land in Paddeda village when a group of rebels dragged him away and murdered him. Maoists of Gangaloor area committee have claimed responsibility.
A group of villagers who went into the forest to rescue them is also missing. While police were looking for the missing seven, a former Maoist was savagely stabbed and hacked to death around 65km away, in neighbouring Bijapur district, on Tuesday. The seven are from Kunded village in Jagargunda region, a Maoist hotbed about 500km from Raipur. They went missing on Saturday, but their families didn’t inform the cops. Even on Tuesday, when police teams set out to look for them, none of their kin had filed any complaint.
Villagers are terrified of Maoists, more so in such circumstances, and instead of informing the police many try to negotiate their kins’ release. Sometimes it works, often it doesn’t. It was only on Monday that word reached police about the missing villagers. But when they reached out to the families, some of them reluctantly said the youths had gone to attend a wedding or to work elsewhere.Police haven’t ruled out the possibility that Maoists led them away as recruits. Meanwhile, in Bijapur, former Maoist Raju Venjam, who had never surrendered formally, was tilling his land in Paddeda village when a group of rebels dragged him away and murdered him. Maoists of Gangaloor area committee have claimed responsibility.
