Naxals set ablaze vehicles, machines at road construction site in Chhattisgarh; contractor feared killed

Raipur: Naxals, on Monday, set fire to four vehicles and machines engaged in road construction work in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district, a police official said. The contractor was feared to have been abducted and killed, but there was no official confirmation yet, he said. The incident took place on Monday morning between Tumnar and Koitpal villages, where the road construction work was going on under the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojna, Deputy Inspector General of Police (south Bastar range) Sundarraj P told PTI, a news agency. [caption id=“attachment_3403636” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. Reuters[/caption] According to preliminary information, a group of armed Naxals stormed the construction site, located around seven kilometre from Bijapur town and about 450 km from the state capital, and threatened the labourers to stop the work, he said.  The ultras then set ablaze four vehicles and machines before fleeing the spot, he said. The deputy IG also said that according to information reaching him, Naxals also kidnapped and killed the contractor, but it was yet to be confirmed. Security forces were sent to the spot and more details were awaited, he added. Last week on 14 March, Naxals had burnt seven vehicles and machines engaged in road construction between Bijapur and Gangaloor in the district. A day before that, on 13 March, nine personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were killed in an IED blast, when Maoists blew up their mine-protected vehicle (MPV) in Sukma district. On 18 February, the rebels had set fire to several vehicles involved in road construction work between Bhejji and Elarmadgu in Sukma district and killed an employee of the construction contractor. Naxals have frequently tried to disrupt road construction works in the Bastar division, which consists of seven districts, by launching attacks on security forces and damaging the roads, and vehicles and machines used in the work, a senior police official had earlier said. The ultras feel that the developmental works in the region and construction of roads will uproot them from the area, he had said.