Kanker (Chhattisgarh): Naxalites on Friday set fire to multiple vehicles engaged in road construction work near Marapi village in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district. The insurgents even recorded the arson and uploaded the video on social media, and left a banner threatening the road contractor.
A total of five vehicles were burnt, including one JCB, two mixer machines, and two trucks. Superintendent of Police Shalabh Sinha confirmed the incident. The arson took place on Friday evening in between Kalamuche and Marapi, where road construction was going on under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), Sinha said. Another police official said the video of arson was uploaded on social media by the Naxalites.
The incident marks the return of Naxalite activity in the area after nearly 10 years and has created panic in the nearby villages.
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The area in question lies 20 km away from Kanker town, and 170 km away from state capital Raipur. Marapi and Kalamuche have no direct route connecting them, with residents relying on either an unpaved, rocky terrain for 30 km or a paved commute through a forested, hilly area for an extra 10 km. The insurgent action has halted what otherwise was a long-pending demand as villagers had brought up the issue of lack of roads and had appealed to the Chief Minister as well as MLAs and MPs in the past.
