'Jan adalat': New game plan of Naxals

Raipur, Sep 4: After a brief lull, Chhattisgarh is witnessing an upsurge in Maoist-organised 'Jan Adalat' (people's court or Kangaroo court) where persons suspected to be loyal to the state are murdered in full public view.

Experts view the increasing trend of 'Jan Adalat' as an act of Naxals to terrorise the people, as they are frustrated with security forces making inroads in their bastion and befriending locals. The Naxals held 13 jan adalats till July this year in different parts of the Bastar region, while the number was four last year, as per police statistics.

Atleast 25 civilians have been killed in Naxal-related incidents this year in the state and most of them were executed in a jan adalat, according to police.

"People should not be under an illusion that Naxals are entirely driven by concern for the innocent tribals and that by killing villagers at Jan Adalat they are doing a noble job," Professor Girish Kant Pandey, Head of Department of Defence Studies in Government Science College here, told PTI.

The extremists, miffed at their squeezing base and losing support among locals, are frustrated and afraid of the entry of security forces in Sukma and Narayanpur districts, which were once their 'safe havens', he said.

They kill villagers branding them as police informers at Kangaroo court just to keep the population in awe of their power, Pandey said. The worst Naxal-hit Sukma district witnessed the highest six Jan Adalats, while there were three such courts each organised by the rebels in Narayanpur and Bastar districts.

A jan adalat was also held in Kanker district this year, according to police figures. A senior police official described the jan adalat as nothing but a "brutal act to terrorise the villagers".

"Maoist hold people's court to spread terror so that villagers do not even dream of being loyal to the government and obey their orders," the official said. More incidents of people's court were reported this year which clearly shows how they are using violence as a tool to threaten the people to garner their support, he added.

PTI