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According to police sources, Manku Padda, a resident of Binagunda village in Narayanpur, had aided Maoist cadres on several occasions and wanted to surrender before the police.
Hours after helping the police locate the body of a man murdered last August for hoisting the national flag, a 55-year-old man allegedly died by suicide fearing reprisals in Chhattisgarh’s Narayanpur district – the second such case in two months.
According to police sources, Manku Padda, a resident of Binagunda village in Narayanpur, had aided Maoist cadres on several occasions and wanted to surrender before the police. He helped the police locate and exhume the body of Manesh Nareti, who was allegedly killed in August for unfurling the national flag on the outskirts of Binagunda village.
Soon after, Padda began to fear reprisals and consumed bird poison, sources said. His family alerted the police, and he was rushed to hospital but died during treatment on Tuesday night.
Police said Binagunda village has long been considered a Maoist base camp under the North Bastar Division’s Partapur area committee, with over two dozen Maoists still active in the area.
In August, the insurgents abducted Nareti and two others for unfurling the national flag in Binagunda village. Nareti was summarily tried and executed in what Maoists call the Jan Adalat — or People’s court — while the other two captives were assaulted. Nareti’s body was buried at an undisclosed location.
This is the second such case of suicide in two months. On December 6, a 48-year-old tribal Madvi Bhima, who helped the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) find hidden explosives in a Maoist-affected area in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, killed himself fearing reprisals.
This comes at a time when the central government’s deadline to end the insurgency looms.
Jayprakash S Naidu is a Principal Correspondent for The Indian Express, currently serving as the state correspondent for Chhattisgarh. With an extensive career in frontline journalism, he reports on the political, security, and humanitarian landscape of Central India. Expertise and Experience Specialized Conflict Reporting: Jayprakash is a leading voice on the Maoist/Naxalite conflict in the Bastar region. His reporting provides a critical, ground-level view of: Internal Security: Tracking high-stakes encounters, surrender programs for senior Maoist leaders, and the establishment of security camps in formerly inaccessible "heartland" villages. Tribal Rights & Displacement: Investigative reporting on the identity and land struggles of thousands of displaced tribals fleeing conflict zones for neighboring states. Governance & Bureaucratic Analysis: He consistently monitors the evolution of Chhattisgarh as it marks 25 years of statehood, covering: Electoral Politics: Analyzing the shift in power between the BJP and Congress and the impact of regional tribal movements. Public Policy: Reporting on landmark infrastructure projects (e.g., mobile connectivity in remote zones) and judicial interventions, such as High Court rulings on civil and family law. Diverse Investigative Background: Prior to his current focus on Chhattisgarh, Jayprakash held reported from Maharashtra, where he specialized in: Crisis & Disaster Management: Notable for his extensive coverage of the Cyclone Tauktae barge tragedy (P-305) and the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on frontline personnel. Legal & Human Rights: Investigative pieces for platforms like Article-14, focusing on police accountability and custodial deaths across India. Environmental & Social Justice: Authoritative reporting on the Hasdeo Aranya forest protests and the approval of major tiger reserves, highlighting the tension between industrial mining and environmental preservation. ... Read More
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