India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Three decades of violent naxal activities in this non descript Maharashtra district that borders Andhra Pradesh and Chhattisgarh has claimed 418 civilian lives till date, most of them being murdered by the outlaws. A total of 169 policemen, including 19 SRPF, 19 CRPF and 3 ITBP personnel have been killed by the ultras in different encounters, landmine blasts and ambushes, since the naxal movement began in the district in 1980s, police sources here informed. Hundreds of elected members have resigned from their posts and none is coming forward to contest polls, owing the omnipresent naxal threat. The ultras have eliminated people by allegedly branding them as police informers, or calling the incidents of landmine blasts and ambush as "mistaken identity", where they laid the trap for security personnel but instead the civilians got killed. Presently working on a strength of about five platoon dalams (each dalam consists of 20-25 members), two company dalams and 12 Local Operation Squads (LOS), the ultras have virtually shaken up the administration though the number of police and other security personnel deployed to curb their activities are manifold as compared to their numbers. While 30 per cent cadres of these dalams are from the adjoining Chhattisgarh state, 10 per cent from Andhra Pradesh and the rest are from Gadchiroli, majority of whom are tribals, police sources informed. During the last 31 years of the bloody movement, police killed as many as 105 naxal cadres and apprehended about 250 'dalam' members, sources said. Also, at least 2,640 of the ultras (belonging to Area Raksha Dal and Gram Raksha Dal) were taken into possession for interrogation and other investigation purposes. Some years ago, the state government started a surrender policy for the naxals in which about 365 of them came forward and laid down their arms. Besides, according to police records, 45-50 naxals, including about 30 hardcore ultras, are languishing in jails, while just about six have been convicted by courts in incidents like the Laheri police station attack in early 90s and murders at various places, police said.

Over 400 killed in three decades of Naxal violence in Gadchiroli