Police go all out to the jungles in search of Maoists, following villagers of Jamti and Katia villages under Bishunpur block of Gumla, were demanded one child from each of the household for inducting them into their cadres.
The CPI (Maoists) also threatened them that grazing of cattle and minor forest produce in the jungles will be banned for the villagers if they fail to fulfill their demands.
“This is not confirmed whether such incident has taken place or not. SP Gumla has been camping in the area for the last two days to verify whether such demands have actually been made or not,” said Ranchi Range DIG RK Dhan. “let the team come back first, then only anything could be said in this regard,” added the DIG. Dhan, however, said that the incident reported earlier in the area was true and more than 50 per cent of the children have been recovered and handed over to their parents.
According to reports, Naxal commander Nakul Yadav, holding a meeting in the village on Sunday, threatened the villagers that they will not be allowed to graze their cattle in the jungles and also will not be allowed to fetch firewood if they fail to provide one child from each of the household. “The villagers have been asked to hand over the children within 15 days or they will have to face serious consequences,” said a local.
Taking a serious note of the newspaper reports, intensive search operation has been launched in the area in search of Yadav while SP Gumla Bhimsen Tuti himself has been camping inside the jungles to take stock of the actual situation. The SP, however, could not be contacted as his mobile phone was switched off.
Earlier also, the CPI (Maoists) had forcefully taken away at least 35 children from Gumla and lohardaga following which the Jharkhand High Court, taking a strong note of newspaper reports had taken suo-motto cognizance in May last year and issued notices to Union and State Governments along with various other departments of the State Government.
Children, according to the police, are taken away by Naxal outfits to induct them into their cadres who are generally used as couriers or as human shields in case they are intercepted by the security forces during the anti-Naxal operations.
The police, in July 2014, had accepted that the Maoists had taken away as many as 35 children from their villages and killed at least 40 people who opposed to hand over their children to them.
Earlier in September 2013 also, the issue was highlighted after a group of eleven children were forcefully taken away by the CPI (Maoists) to train them in planting bombs. later, all of them were freed by them after the death of a child was leaked in the media.
The Maoists had also abducted 11 children on September 2013 from Bandhua village under Herhanj police station in latehar after they failed to pay a fine of `5000 imposed by the rebels on each household of the village alleging them of cutting trees of the adjoining forest area for preparing filed for cultivation.