Maoists Feared in India

Nabarangpur district skirts the Chhattisgarh and Jhakhand states, both stronghold of the Maoists.

The outlawed ultras blew up a police station in Kundai village and a school building last week.

They pasted pamphlets and posters saying their senior leader Azad was gunned down by security forces in a fake encounter.

And they would avenge his killing by undertaking more of such attacks.

The district administration has increased patrolling and combing operations in the area, to catch the perpetrators and foil their design.

[Prafulla Chandra Barik, Superintendent of Police]:
"In the border areas, patrolling has been intensified. Area patrolling, combing operation and area vigilance is going on. So people have nothing to fear."

But rural folk are living in fear. They have appealed to the government to provide adequate security.

[Purna Chandra Mahapatra, Local Resident]:
"The Naxals Maoists destroyed the police station and school building. People have got scared after the incident. It seems that police is doing nothing to protect the common man. The government must look after this and keep the police ready to tackle such incidents and provide protection to common people."

The Maoists began their armed struggle in the cause of rural laborers in Naxalbari town, West Bengal during 1967.

They have spread into rural pockets in 20 of 28 Indian states. The movement has upset business prospects in mining industries.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has described the Maoists as the country’s biggest internal security threat.

Tags: MaoistIndiaChhattisgarhNarayanpur