In the last of the series of stories from the Naxal-affected Gadchiroli district, The Asian Age brings to light two incidents from Dhanora Taluka, in which primary school children were killed after a stray hand grenade was thrown into the school compound and that of a helpless youth, whose father was killed by Naxals, after they suspected him to be a police informer.
On October 8, 2010, at around 11 am, Madhuri Nandurkar, superintendent of the Government Ashram School in Savargaon village, a kilometre away from Chattisgarh border, heard loud thuds in the school compound. She rushed out, but before she could realise what was wrong, three children from the school were found lying dead in front of her.
“We were later told that there was an encounter between the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) and the Naxals and a stray hand grenade of the Naxals, fell into our compound,” Ms Nandurkar said.
Mangluram Marapi (60), a cook in the school’s hostel, too died in the incident. “We had to arrange for private vehicles to take the injured.
The number of students have now dropped as parents fear to send them to school,” she said.
In another gory incident, Hemant Shimpi (45), a farmer living with his family in Yerkad village in Dhanora Taluka was picked up by the Naxals from his home on the night of October 2, 2009. The Naxals killed him by slitting his throat in the chowk. “Over 150 Naxals gheraoed the village and shouted slogans against my father. The neighbours too did not come out to help my mother. When I returned in the morning, my father’s body was lying in the chowk. The police did not come either as they feared an ambush,” said Shimpi’s son Milind.
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On Thursday, Nayan Jyoti, a CRPF trooper who hailed from Assam,
succumbed to his injuries in a private hospital in Gadchiroli. His body will be flown to his native place after the post-mortem is conducted. A group of Naxalites triggered a landmine blast killing 12 CRPF personnel of the 192nd battalion on March 27. The police has also arrested five persons — Birju alias Naresh Zuri (24) from Bhapda, Dhanora, Nanaji Chamru Pada (33), Bhapda, Commander Dashrat Hidu Halani (23), Rahul Rama Atla (25) and Ranjeet Vaidya (32), all three from Pestula village. The five are alleged to be part of Chatgaon area committee of the Naxals.