Corona fear has gripped the Maoist heartland of Chhattisgarh as battalion commander and dreaded Maoist Hidma removed a fellow Naxal leader and sent her on forced leave in Bijapur district of Bastar. Fearing that Sumitra might be suffering from Covid-19, Hidma ousted her from her role of leading Battalion 1 and abandoned her at a quarantine facility. She was found in the Modakpal area of Bijapur and her samples have been sent for testing at a lab.
She was part of Battalion 1 which is led by Hidma, who is one of the most dreaded Maoist leaders in the Bastar region and is accused of having conducted several operations against the security forces including the attack on Congress leaders in Jeeram Valley and even the attack on CRPF battalion in Tadmetla area. Sumitra has been a part of the same group for the last 10 years. Based on specific inputs a team of DRG was sent to Modakpal to arrest the woman Maoist leader but sent to quarantine centre in place of Jail.
Bastar IG Sunder Raj P. informed the media, “We have sent her to quarantine centre and samples are being sent for testing. Meanwhile we have also appealed to the locals in the area to be vigilant. If anyone is found to be having symptoms of Corona they can provide the information to the local police station or the nearest camp. We will facilitate all possible help to them along with medical treatment.”
The ouster of the woman Naxal follows a recent attempt by the Maoists in the area to spread awareness about coronavirus. The Maoists had recently distributed pamphlets among the villagers across Bastar exhorting them to not to allow outsiders in the area and even maintain distance from the police force. The police are planning an intensive interrogation as she is suspected of being part of several deadly attacks on security forces.