For the poor tribals in the restive Bastar region, the 'saviours' are not safe.
The Naxalites who once claimed to be the protectors of poor people are now brutally killing the civilians. On the part of security personnel, a small lapse is landing the poor people in trouble. Monday's stunning incident in Dantewada that killed 35 civilians and policemen when Naxalites blew up a passenger bus stands witness to how the 'saviours' of poor tribals are turning into slaughterers.
The Special Police Officers (SPOs) and policemen intercepted the bus that was going to Sukma from Dantewada near Bhusaras and forcefully boarded, sources quoting the injured said.
Since the jawans were exhausted because of the search operation, they boarded the vehicle. Sources said 31 people including 16 security personnel and 15 civilians died when Naxalites blew up the passenger bus in which they were travelling near Chingawaram.
The incident had unleashed a reign of terror among the villagers. The Naxalites would now claim that the civilian casualty was by mistake as the security personnel were their target. While police officials assert that the Naxalites had acted in the most inhuman way by killing the innocent villagers for not helping them.
The Naxalites would surely claim that civilians were not the target, but they cannot escape the brutality of killing of innocent people as they were aware that most of the passengers were not security personnel, state police spokesperson and inspector general of police R K Vij told Business Standard.
The police official asked how the rebels would defend the beheading of poor tribals after charging them of working as police informers. The rebels are left with no ideology and they are now targeting the poor people for whom they claim to have raised the guns, Vij added.