After blowing up troopers, Maoists threaten state government

A day after carrying out a blast which killed 15 C-60 force troopers, Maoist groups in Gadchiroli district issued warnings to the state government against implementing its infrastructure schemes in the region, official sources said here on Thursday.

Banners painted with the threats came up overnight in several villages and their outskirts virtually ordering the government and its contractors not to build bridges and roads in these hilly forested areas.

The banners have been put up by the banned CPI (Maoist) through its local Divisional Vigilance Committees (DVC), asking government officials, contractors and private firms to desist from taking up vital infrastructure projects, sources said.

The posters proclaimed that the water, land, forests and underground wealth (mines) belong to the people and by building roads and bridges, these are sought to be handed over to a few industrialists for their profiteering.

The banners, in red and white colours, also accused top industrialists and their agents of doing "chamchagiri" of "Modi and Fadnavis" to get such projects for their "vikas" (development).

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra Police on Thursday released the names of the 15 commandos of the C-60 Quick Response Team who were killed in a Maoist blast near Dadarpur in Kurkhedia sub-district on Maharashtra Day on Wednesday.

The slain commandos were Sahudas Madavi, Puranshah Duga, Laxman Kodape, Amrut Bhadade - of the 2010 batch.

From the 2011 batch were Pramod Bhoir, Raju Gaikwad, Kishore Bobate, Santosh Chavan, Dayanand Shahare, Bhupesh Balode, Arif Shaikh, Agraman Rahate, Sarjerao Kharde.

Two other commandos were from the 2012 batch - Yogaji Halami and Nitin Pormare - and all had put in an average 10 years service with the police department.

The Maharashtra cabinet presided over by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis paid tributes to the 15 killed troopers and discussed the security situation arising out of the May 1 attack.

--IANS

qn/bc