A tribal from Murewada village in Etapalli taluka has alleged that charges levelled by Gadchiroli Police against his brother are false and his elder brother is not linked to Maoists.
Sukla Narote (27), who is studying in Pune, told PTI here that his brother and another youth from the same village were forced by Maoists to go to Ballarpur and bring a person to Etapalli.
His brother declined initially, but was compelled by the Maoists, he said, adding that when they were at Aheri bus stand while returning to Etapalli, police arrested them.
"It is true that he had gone to fetch a man from Ballarpur, but he is not attached to Maoists or their activities. In remote villages like ours, this is a routine practice and people have no option but to obey Maoists' orders," Narote, who had gone to meet his brother Pandu at the Aheri police station, said.
"Our people are caught between the police and Maoists. It was because of this that Pandu had tried to commit suicide few years back by consuming poison, but was saved after treatment at the general hospital here," he said.
The other person arrested in the same case is also not associated with Maoists, he claimed.
"We have not engaged any lawyer so far due to financial constraints and my brother is languishing in police custody. I had gone to meet the SP and tell him the truth, but was told that he had gone out. The government should release my brother," he said.
Pandu Narote and two others - Mahesh Tirki of the same village and Hem Mishra, a JNU student were arrested by the police at Aheri bus stand on August 22 for "roaming under suspicious condition".
An offence under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) has been registered against them and they have been remanded to police custody.
