Continuing their campaign against ‘police informers,’ suspected
Maoists killed two more people in Gadchiroli, taking the total number of
civilian murders in the past twelve days to 7.
“Two persons, Nirmal Goswami and Samru Kosmi, in their forties, were
shot dead by Naxals on the night intervening Friday and Saturday,
branding them to be police informers, near Markegaon village in Dhanora
tahsil,” Superintendent of Police, Shailesh Balkawade told media
“The Naxals had left a pamphlet saying the two were passing on
information to the police. That’s not true. They were not our informers.
We always accept when there is anyone who is really our informer since
we have to take care of his family under the government scheme, ”
Balkawade added.
The Superintendent of Police attributed the series of civilian
killings in Gadchiroli to “Naxal frustration due to their recent
failures.”
“Last year was the worst year for the Naxals, with 50 of them getting killed in our operations.
Also, last year was the first year in Gadchiroli’s Naxal history when
no policeman was killed. This has really frustrated them (Naxals) and
hence they are resorting to the killing of poor tribals,” he added.
The Naxals had gunned down three villagers from Kasnasur in Bhamragad
tehsil on January 21 holding them responsible for last years police
ambush of 40 Naxals. Later, they also killed two more people.
Incidentally,
Markegaon village had hit headlines in 2009, when 15 policemen were
killed in an ambush by Naxalites near the village. It was followed by
two more encounters that year in which 33 more policemen were ambushed
elsewhere in the district. The year was worst for the police which had
lost 52 of their men fighting with the Naxals.
