Chhattisgarh reports surge in maoist violence
Raipur | Correspondent: The Chhattisgarh Assembly witnessed intense debates when Home Minister Vijay Sharma reported a surge in maoist violence within the state over the past seven months.
In response to a question from the leader of opposition Charandas Mahant, Sharma disclosed that there has been a total of 273 incidents of maoist violence from December 2023 to June 2024 averaging three incidents every two days. Among these, 92 were encounters between security forces and Maoists.
The violence has resulted in 19 security personnel killed and 88 injured. Additionally, 137 Maoists and 34 civilians have lost their lives in these incidents. Sharma also noted that 790 suspected Maoists are currently in jail, with 25 convicted and 765 awaiting trial.
Mahant raised concerns about whether tribals were being wrongly labeled as Maoists, citing the use of traditional Bharmar guns. He questioned whether the Home Minister had ever seen such guns in use. In response, Sharma referenced an encounter on May 10 in Pidia, Bastar, where 12 suspected Maoists were killed, pointing out that they were previously charged under the Congress regime.
The discussion became more intense when Sukma MLA Kawasi Lakhma accused the security forces of conducting a fake encounter, claiming that the victims were tribals picking tendu leaves. This led to Congress MLAs protesting and chanting slogans against the government. The uproar continued until Speaker Raman Singh ended the Question Hour.
