While intensifying efforts to arrest the purported Maoists who had allegedly pasted posters or written on walls appealing to the people to eliminate the booze traders, Almora SP Dilip Singh Kunwar on Tuesday announced bounty of Rs 50,000 on the head of each of the two Maoists identified as Keem Singh Bora, resident of Someshwar and Devendra Chamyal, resident of Almora who have been on the run for the past many years. Police had already registered a case under sections 121,121a, 124, 24a, 120b and 153b of IPC against Bora and Chamyal in Nanakmattta police station based in Udham Singh Nagar.
The police brass is worried over an emotional link between the people engaged in stir demanding liquor ban in the hills and the Maoist insurgents over the emotive issue. Kumaon deputy inspector general Ajay Rautela said that the insurgents could not have been able to have scribbled warning on the boundary walls of the government buildings against the booze traders without active assistance of the common people. “At least, we are not ruling out the possibility of the people tacitly supporting the Maoists. We are vigilant. Besides, the local intelligence unit is working to identify the persons involved in it. However, we have not been able yet to arrest any of the accused,” he added.
Concurring with the police view of the existence of a link between the Maoists and the common people of the areas on the sensitive matter, observers opine that the ultra left insurgents had stepped into the scene against the booze trade at the right time to strike roots in the collective psyche.
“With the stirs against the booze trade gaining intensity, the Maoists who are mainly operating underground sought to show empathy with the popular cause by exhorting the people to step up their fight against the boozing menace. We are convinced that the Maoists have succeeded in their strategy with the people supporting them on the matter,” an observer said.
Notably, the purported Maoists having allegiance to the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) had exhorted the common people to step up their movement against the sale of booze in the district and also asked them to torch the booze vends operating in the region and even to eliminate the traders engaged in the sale.
Such provocative posters had been found at lod, Someshwar, Petshal, Binta at Kama near Bagwalipokhar and other places under Dwarahat and Bausiyachhana blocks of Almora district and parts of Bageshwar district.