Raipur
A tragic incident unfolded as a Company Commander of the Chhattisgarh Armed Force (CAF) met his untimely demise at the hands of Maoists while on a routine trip to the local market to purchase vegetables. The grim event occurred merely 100 meters from the Jaigur camp under the jurisdiction of the Kuteru police station, according to authorities.
Inspector Tijau Ram Bhuvarya, accompanied by Head Constable Shyam Bihari and fellow staff members, ventured to the vegetable shop around 9:30 am on Sunday. However, their mundane task was abruptly interrupted when two Maoists launched a sudden and deadly attack on the company commander with an axe, swiftly disappearing from the scene thereafter.
Despite the efforts of the head constable and others present to raise the alarm, Bhuvarya succumbed to his injuries before help could arrive. A native of Bargaon village in Durgkondal tehsil of Kanker district, Bhuvarya’s tragic end sent shockwaves through the community.
Accoridng to the SP, it is the the Maoist’s tactic of targeting public places, such as weekly markets, as a common modus operandi. He explained how these assailants strike swiftly, vanishing within moments of executing their attack, making apprehension difficult.
Following the incident, police forces, CAF, and the District Reserve Guard (DRG) launched a combing operation in the surrounding areas to apprehend the perpetrators. The escalation in Maoist attacks in the tribal Bastar region in recent months coincided with heightened security measures by government forces, including proactive actions such as area domination and search operations in forested areas.
In response to the deteriorating situation, Chhattisgarh’s Deputy Chief Minister, Vijay Sharma, who oversees the home portfolio, expressed the government’s willingness to engage in dialogue with the Maoists, even proposing virtual means of communication. However, the CPI (Maoist) Dandakarnya Special Zonal Committee outlined specific preconditions necessary to create a conducive atmosphere for such talks.
These conditions included the cessation of killings of tribals in fake encounters and cross-firings, the confinement of all forces to barracks and camps for six months, the halting of the establishment of new camps, and the release of all “political prisoners.” Such demands underscored the deep-rooted complexities underlying the conflict between state forces and Maoist insurgents in the region.
