350 killed in year-long anti-naxal drive, govt claims succes

Jagdalpur, June 3 (UNI) 'Salwa Judum', the anti-naxal campaign involving the tribals of Chhattisgarh actively supported by the state government and the political class, has completed a year in the tribal dominated Bastar region.

With the government claiming the campaign a grand success, celebrations to mark the first anniversary are scheduled tomorrow at Karkeli village in Dantewada district.

State Chief Minister Dr Raman Singh, Home Minister Ramvichar Netam and prominent tribal Congress leader Mahendra Karma will grace the anniversary function. Over 200 meetings were held so far to mobilise people to attend the anniversary rally, police sources said.

On the other hand, CPI(Maoist) naxalites had given a call urging the people to boycott the function.

One year from June 4, 2005 had seen a drastic change in the socio-economic scenario in sparsely populated Dantewada district, the nerve centre of the anti-naxal campaign. People deserted more than 600 villages and took shelter in government-run 27 relief camps, which were also attacked by the ultras in retaliation.

Besides the district police, special armed force, CRPF and Nagaland Armed Police personnel had been deployed in the anti-naxal campaign.

Hostilities between the naxals and the government increased with the government-supported 'Salwa Judum' activists opening a new front against the ultras and more than 3000 local tribal youths being recruited as Special Police Officers to assist the security forcees in jungle clearance and local intelligence gathering.

Of more than 350 deaths reported in one year, 72 were police personnel, 50 special police officers and 30 naxalites. Police claimed that 225 Sangham members, who are naxalite sympathisers, had been arrested and several hundred surrendered during the Salwa Judum rallies in villages.

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