Ahmedabad: Three alleged Naxals from Jharkhand arrested in Gujarat were trying to instigate tribals in Tapi and Mahisagar districts to resort to violence against the government, a police official claimed on Saturday.
Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) arrested Saamu Oreya, Birsa Oreya and Babita Kachhap on Friday.
"The three were associated with Pathalgadi movement of tribals in Jharkhand," claimed ATS Deputy Superintendent of Police B H Chavda.
"We verified these facts and also the information from sources that they were inciting members of the Satipati sect in the tribal regions of these two districts of Gujarat to act against the state government by calling for a bandh (general strike)," he said.
"We carried out technical surveillance and found this to be true," said Chavda.
"The three were associated with the Pathalgadi movement started by tribals in Jharkhand in 2016, and we're trying to make Satipati sect followers to join the movement," he alleged.
"Booklets from the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) were recovered from their possession and probe was underway to check if more people were working in other tribal-dominated districts of Gujarat," Chavda said.
"They are basically from Jharkhand. They have 7-8 FIRs registered against them at various police stations in
Jharkhand. They were visiting Tapi and Mahisagar districts for the last six months and inciting Satipati followers to resort to violence," he said.
The ATS has arrested the trio under IPC sections 121 (A) (waging war against government) and 124 (A) (sedition).
Pathalgadi movement which began in Maoist-affected areas of Jharkhand in 2016 was marked by the erection of huge stone plaques outside villages and locals barring the entry of outsiders including government officials, declaring `self-rule'.
(PTI REPORT)
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