Police push villagers into Naxal trap

Dugga, one of the four victims, lost one of his eyes while two others became partially blind due to splinters that struck their eyeballs. Khabi Abraham Kullu and Chitka Potavi, Lebdu Gota, who were treated in the rural hospital of Etapalli have been discharged.

The victims alleged that the police stopped them and asked them to remove the tree while themselves keeping off. ‘‘When one of the passersby gathered the courage to ask the police if it was their job to clear the road, he was slapped by a policeman,’’ said Ajit Kullur, Devaji Tarote and Maksi Kunjam, three of the seven injured.

Devaji said he was returning to his Kokibanda village when the police stopped him and asked him to lift the tree. ‘‘Who will say no to them? So, we started doing the job. And no sooner did we lift it than the bomb went off,’’ said Ajit, who was returning to his Edmagar village.

However, Gadchiroli SP Shirish Jain said that the civilians had themselves volunteered to do it. When pointed out that none of the policemen was injured giving rise to suspicion that they forced the civilians into the job by themselves keeping a safe distance, Jain said: ‘‘No, our men were also helping.’’ But he admitted that ‘‘such operations are to be carried out by the policemen entirely on their own to protect the civilians. ‘‘I have warned my men not to allow civilians to do it,’’ he said.

But, Additional Director General of Police (Anti-Naxalite Operations) Pankaj Gupta said: ‘‘It’s not that the police didn’t do anything. Our men prevented a bigger tragedy by detecting 10 kg gelatin and a live bomb and two hand grenades some 100 metres away. And they also carried out a combing operation. At the spot, the tribal volunteers themselves had started removing the tree when it happened.’’

–vivek.deshpande@expressindia.com