Maoist Banners With List Of Demands Surface At Weekly Bazaar In Odisha’s Balangir
Balangir: The Red menace reared its ugly head once again after three Maoist banners were spotted at a weekly bazaar site in Khaprakhol block of Odisha’s Balangir district today.
The pamphlets, purportedly written by the BBM division of the CPI (Maoist), were seen at the market pandal between Gunsar and Putkelchuan villages under Lathore police station and listed a host of demands and instructions for the villagers. It is suspected that the posters were put up on Sunday midnight. While the banners mentioned celebration of the CPI (M)’s 19th foundation day in Kugaon village, villagers were asked to lend support to the party and protect it from attacks by security forces. They were warned of dire consequences if they turned against the party.
If any villager turned out to be police informers, they would have to leave the village and face punishment in ‘praja courts’, the notes read. Among other things, the banners demanded that Maoists/Maoist supporters in jail be given the same status as political leaders and be released without any terms and conditions. The notice also called for release of all those jailed in Balangir, Sambalpur and Patnagarh prisons on charges of Maoist connections.
