Naxalites burn records in Gram Panchayat office in Gadchiroli

Nagpur, Apr 10 (UNI) Suspected naxalites today burnt papers and furniture in a Gram Panchayat (GP) office and exchanged fire with the police in two separate incidents in Gadchiroli district in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

Gadchiroli district Superintendent of Police (SP) Shirish Jain said a group of about 15 armed naxalites broke into the GP office in village Chokhewada in Etapalli tehsil of this district in the wee hours and set some old records and furniture on fire, before fleeing from the spot.

Earlier, a group of suspected naxalites opened fire on a police patrol party in the jungles near village Pandharsada in Dhanora tehsil of this district, Mr Jain said.

The police returned fire, and the exchange continued for about 30 minutes. Finding the police gaining the upper hand, the insurgents fled from the spot. The police later seized a rifle, a walkie-talkie, a compass, explosives, wires, a first-aid box and a pair of footwear from the spot, the SP said adding that there were no casualties among the police.

Mr Jain said the police also opened fire at a group of about ten armed naxalites in the jungles near village Sambalpur, also in Dhanora tehsil, late last evening. The police suspect that one naxalite was injured in the attack, he said. The police later recovered two rifles from the spot.

Meanwhile, the call for a bandh to protest the alleged atrocities by the police against tribals evoked little response in Gadchiroli district today. Suspected naxalites blocked traffic on some roads in Etapalli and Bhamragadh tehsils of the district. Services of Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) to remote areas of the district remained suspended as a precautionary measure, Mr Jain added.

UNI