Author: HT Correspondent
Publication: The Hindustan Times
Date: January 6, 2003
North Bastar has finally mustered
up the courage to take on Naxals. In a show of courage, villagers of North
Bastar organised two rallies last week and pledged support to the district
administration in its fight against Naxalites. About 1,500 villagers, including
women, attended the rally at Koelibeda village in Kanker district on Saturday.
The speakers said all developmental
work in their villages had come to a standstill due to Naxal violence,
and that they had to face constant threats and harassment. Moreover, drought
situation in the region had further aggravated their problem.
Earlier on Thursday, people from
41 villages gathered at the Koelibeda market. One representative from each
village addressed the meeting, and called upon people to fight the Naxal
menace.
The villagers urged the administration
to restart developmental work. They ensured their cooperation in providing
security to every work site. The villagers also asked panchayats to support
their cause. In the past, many panchayat functionaries had resigned their
posts under the Naxal threat.
In a related incident, residents
of Sargikore village caught a Naxal activist, Sube Singh, on Thursday,
and handed him over to the police.
North Bastar is a den of Naxal activities.
On December 31, at a public meeting, the Naxals had warned the people to
cooperate with their Koelibeda dalam leader Prabhakaran.