Kothagudem: District SP Rohith Raju in a statement on Sunday criticised that the leaders of the banned CPI Maoist party were committing atrocities in a desperate bid to assert their presence. He said that they were terrorising innocent tribal people in agency areas. They were harming the tribals by planting explosives in the places where they regularly roam to earn their living.

Three days ago, Kunjam Pandey of Rampur village under Ussur police station limits, Bijapur district, Chhattisgarh, was returning from Utlapalli forest area, along with his sister. She was seriously injured when a landmine planted by the banned CPI Maoists blew up. Pandey lost his right leg. On receipt of information, the Charla police took him to the Bhadrachalam Area Hospital and shifted his sister for medical treatment. The SP strongly condemned the incident. He said the Maoists were resorting to such terror tactics in belief that they would not survive if the agency area developed. The SP pointed out that while the police department was working towards providing facilities like education, medical care and transport to the people of the agency area, the Maoists were indulging in anti-development activities.