Naxals strike again; Jr footballer abducted in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, Mar 30: With the Italian hostage crisis in Orissa still continuing, red terror is back to show its ugly face once again when a national junior football player was abducted by suspected Naxals from his school in Orcha in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district. The area is a Maoist stronghold. He was abducted on Thursday.

Palku Ram Mandav is a Class 10 student and was reportedly abducted at gunpoint along with his classmate Lalu Tarasi. He was kidnapped on his way to the summer sports coaching in his school on Mar 27. The coach who was present in the premises did not help the children.

The Naxals released the friend, Lalu on Thursday but did not release Palku accusing him of spying for the police.

Narayanpur district sub-divisional officer of police (SDOP) Deb Narayan Patel has been quoted as saying, "The coach has reported Palku’s abduction to the local police on Thursday. The student, who was let off by the Maoists, told the police that both of them were grilled by ultras after their abduction to ascertain if they have any link with the police. However, the Naxals released him, holding Palku hostage."

The National Student Union of India (NSUI) has sprung into action and has urged the Naxals to release Palku. They have also requested to release him unharmed. Palku is also a member of national junior football team. Amit Bhadra, Narayanpur district NSUI unit president commented, "We have issued an ultimatum to the ultras to release Palku within three weeks."

OneIndia News