Maoists in tribal areas in Chhattisgarh will now be also tried under the sections of Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989 also for their brutal acts of terror, the state government said Friday.
A decision to this effect was taken here at a meeting of the state-level vigilance and monitoring committee presided over by Chief Minister Raman Singh.
Raman Singh, who is heading the BJP government since December 2003 in the insurgency-ridden state, said, "If people of tribal sections are targeted in the violent acts of Maoists, then along with other relevant sections, the sections under SC/SC Atrocity Prevention Act will also be imposed on the Maoists or Naxalites."
He added that it will not only help the victims get justice, but also offer them entitlement to relief aid provisioned under this Act.
The chief minister further said that necessary directives and instructions in the context would be issued to all the police stations.
Those attending the meeting were also informed that the state government's proposal of establishing five more special courts in the state for redressal of cases under the SC/ST Atrocity Prevention Act had been approved.
The new special courts will be started in Janjgir-Champa, Jashpur, Koriya, Raigarh and Korba districts. After these courts are established, the state will have 11 special courts.
