Bijapur: Madhukar Rao, who rebelled against Naxalites under Salwa Judum campaign, died on Tuesday after suffering a heart attack, sources said. An official said that Rao complained of chest pain on Tuesday morning at his residence in Kutru village of Bijapur. He was brought to Warangal in Telangana for proper treatment.
However, he breathed his last during treatment at around 6 pm on Tuesday evening, the official said. As per sources, Rao's funeral will be held in Kutru on Wednesday. The relatives have left Warangal in Telangana for Kutru in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh. Mudhukar Rao was on the hit list of the Naxalites because of his Salwa Judum campaign.
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Several attempts were made by the Naxalites to attack Rao in the past. Madhukar Rao, a resident of Kutru, was a teacher by profession. In the year 2005-2006, he had resigned from the post of teacher and joined Salwa Judum campaign against Naxalites from Ambeli in Kutru. Madhukar Rao was running the Panchsheel Ashram in Kutru.
The Salwa Judum leader used to live in Kutru under tight security, while he used to provide education to orphans. Salwa Judum is a regional tribal language Gondi word, which means "caravan of peace". Congress leader Mahendra Karma, who was killed in a Maoist attack in Sukma in 2013, is considered the father of Salwa Judum.
Mahendra Karma started Salwa Judum in 2005 when Naxalite attacks were on the rise in Chhattisgarh. The objective of Salwa Judum was to ensure the participation of common people in fighting Naxalites or Maoists. Mahendra Karma and Madhukar Rao played a proactive role in the campaign.
