Indian flag hoisted for first time in 8 Maoist-hit villages of Chhattisgarh

160 jawans and 120 civilians were killed by Maoists in and around these villages in over two decades.

The village children were taught the importance of Independence Day and greeted with sweets and chocolates by the police. (Express photo)

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Battling Left-wing extremism for over two decades, the Chhattisgarh police along with Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) for the very first time hoisted the Indian national flag in eight Maoist-affected villages in Bastar region which saw a lot of bloodshed since the state was formed in 2000, officials said. Earlier, black and red flags belonging to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) used to be hoisted here.

After this year’s Republic Day on January 26, joined security forces from state and central government opened eight police camps in remote places across Kanker, Bijapur and Sukma districts among which southernmost Bijapur and Sukma districts are perceived as war zones. These eight remote villages are Silger Nala, Bedre, Tondamarka, and Dabbamarka in Sukma district, Chinnagelur, Timenar, and Hiroli in Bijapur and Manhakal in Kanker.

The village children were taught the importance of Independence Day and greeted with sweets and chocolates by the police. “In the last 23 years (after the creation of Chhattisgarh state) over 160 jawans and around 120 civilians have made supreme sacrifice fighting against the Left-wing extremism in and around these eight villages,” Sundarraj P, Inspector-General of Police for Bastar region, said.

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The officer said that despite the adverse situation, the villagers kept faith in the democratic values and spirit of freedom. “When the new security camps were established, they could for the first time experience the joy of celebrating a national festival in their locality by hoisting the Tricolor,” added Sunddaraj. The police said they achieved the feat because of the government’s Triveni (three-pronged) plan of Vishwas, Vikas and Suraksha (faith, development, and security). This year 20 security personnel and 15 civilians were killed by members of CPI (Maoists).

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