Naxal banners warn against development projects in Gadchiroli after IED blast

Various banners put up by Naxals were found at several places in Gadchiroli after an IED blast triggered by separatists targetted police convoy killing 15 policemen and 1 driver while they were en-route from Kurkheda Police Station in Gadchiroli to PS Burada in north Gadchiroli. Naxals reportedly believe that these are being built for the benefit of rich people.

A police official said the North Gadchiroli divisional committee of the Maoists put up banners at various locations in the area. "The banners said that the development work in this area is not for the locals, but for the benefit of a handful of rich people. They warned contractors to stop construction of roads and bridges in the area," the official said.

In some other banners, they remembered 37 Maoists, who were killed in an encounter with police at Kasansur in Gadchiroli district last year.

In the banners, the Naxals also urged people to "destroy the dream of creating a Hindu Rashtra in the name of new India", the official said. "Police have removed all the banners put up in the area by the Maoists," he said.

Early on Wednesday, a group of Maoists had torched at least 27 vehicles of a road contractor company at Dadapur in the district. A few hours later, 15 security personnel and a civilian, were killed in an IED blast triggered by Naxals in Kurkheda area in the district.

A private vehicle carrying the 15 policemen, who were part of Quick Reaction Team (QRT) and the driver, was en-route from Kurkheda Police Station in Gadchiroli to PS Burada in north Gadchiroli when it was ambushed on its way at around 12:30 pm. In the wake of the incident, searching and combing operation is going on in Kurkheda forest area in Gadchiroli.

Director General of Police Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, who is in Gadchiroli, visited Kurkheda with other police officials.