Maoists kill villager in ‘jan adalat’, issue fresh threats not to spy for Bastar police

RAIPUR: A 30-year-old villager was killed by Maoists after being accused of working as police informer during a ‘jan adalat’ in Kanker district of Bastar division. Maoists summoned villagers to ‘jan adalat’ on Monday night and had assaulted another villager but set him free after warning. Maoists have put up a banner on road nearby freshly threatening people not to spy for police or local political representatives.According to police, members of the CPI (Maoist) Partapur area committee held a ‘people’s court’ on at Binagunda village in Chhotebethiya region. During the gathering, they accused 30-year-old tribal villager Manesh Nureti of passing information to security forces and killed him in front of locals.Binaginda is the same region where 29 Maoists were killed in a fierce encounter with security forces in April last year.Police said that after the killing Maoists had also put up banners on the Sripur–Indrapur road warning of death penalty to villagers if they support police.The banners named several individuals, including panchayat sarpanch and locals alleging that they were working in collaboration with police. Maoists also named prominent cops and DRG personnel of recruiting villagers as covert operatives.Police have launched a combing operation in the affected area. Security officials said Maoists are attempting to regain ground by targeting villagers suspected of assisting security forces.