Former IAS officer B.D. Sharma, who had mediated with the Chhattisgarh government on behalf of the Naxals to get Sukma district collector Alex Paul Menon freed from Maoist custody earlier this month, on Sunday ventured into Abujhmad, a rebel stronghold in Narayanpur district in Bastar region. The former Bastar district collector reportedly planned to meet some leaders of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DSZC) of outlawed CPI (Maoist) during his stay in Abujhmad. Dr Sharma was leading a seven-member team, including some foreign scribes.
“Dr Sharma declined security during his visit to Abujhmad. He also refused to be accompanied by any guide. He preferred to enter Abujhmad tapping his own sources”, a senior Narayanpur district police officer said.
Earlier before leaving for Bastar, Dr B.D. Sharma had made a courtesy call to state governor Shekhar Dutt here on Thursday apparently to request him to strictly enforce of provisions of the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution for land acquisition for any project in the tribal areas of the state.
“I am planning to visit some tribal pockets in Bastar to probe if there is any violation in the implementation of the 5th Schedule of Constitution for land acquisitions for various projects”, he had told reporters here before proceeding to Narayanpur district.
Sources close to him said he was most likely to interact with some Naxal leaders in Abujhmad to ascertain their views on the functioning of the recently constituted panel headed by retired bureaucrat Nirmala Buch to review cases of all under-trial and convicted Naxal prisoners in Chhattisgarh to secure their immediate release.
Sources said Dr Sharma was likely to carry the Naxal leaders’ reaction on the issue to the panel.