Police to verify reports of villagers killed by rebels

Raipur, Apr 18 (UNI) Chhattisgarh Police is checking the veracity of reports that Maoists killed about 15 to 20 people in Panchala and Paliguida villages in Pamed police station limits of naxalism- affected Bijapur district.

''There were unconfirmed reports. We are trying to verify those through different channels,'' Additional Director-General of Police A M Navaney told UNI.

Inspector-General of Police (Anti-Naxal Operations) Girdhari Nayak also said that efforts were being made to verify the reports.

However, the Bijapur District Police refused to either confirm or deny the reports saying that immediate verification was difficult as the area was the worst insurgency-affected with virtually inaccessible terrain.

Meanwhile, a UNI report from Jagdalpur said that police and other security personnel were on their toes since early today following unconfirmed reports that Communist Party of India (Maoist) cadres organised a 'Jan Adalat' at the villages and killed 15 to 20 people accusing them of being ''police informers''.

The villages are close to the Andhra Pradesh border.

Security personnel in Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh were adopting a ''very cautious'' approach to these reports as they did not rule out the possibility of ultras and their sympathisers spreading rumours so that they could unleash an attack on forces when they rushed to the area.

Police added that mediapersons from neighbouring Khammam district of Andhra Pradesh were also trying to reach these villages located in dense forests.

UNI XC-JJ AC PY RK1836