Kadaba: Naxal group suspected to have visited Bilinele on Thursday
ANF team begins combing of region
Kadaba: The local police and the Anti Naxal Force (ANF) combed the region for Naxals as rumours were adrift on Saturday that a group of people suspected to be Naxals had dinner and purchased grocery at a store in Cheru of Bilinele village on Thursday.
The group consisting of four to six people allegedly visited a local resident at around 7 pm and, after having dinner at the local's house, completed their purchase of grocery by 9 pm and left for their hideout.
The locals found it suspicious that the group members who paid a visit to Cheru on Thursday were armed and informed the government authorities of the incident. An inspection was conducted in the area by the local police as well as the Anti Naxal Force (ANF). The region surrounding the house that the suspected Naxals reportedly visited on Thursday as well as the nearby forest region was combed by the ANF team as Naxals are also suspected to have returned to their hideout in the forest after visiting Cheru.
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In a similar incident about 10 years ago, Naxals were sighted in the regions near Cheru and Manibanda leading to a round of combing by the ANF team and a suspected Naxal being killed in a shootout during the probe.
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Crossing river, trekking hill voters reach polling booths to cast vote in Surguja LS constituency
Balrampur/Chhattisgarh (PTI): Enthusiastic voters reached polling booths trekking steep hilly paths, crossing a river and even on a horse to cast their votes in remote areas of the tribal-dominated Balrampur district in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday, officials said.
Balrampur district falls under the Surguja Lok Sabha constituency which was among seven seats where polling was held in third and last phase of Lok Sabha elections in the state. The Surguja Lok Sabha recorded 74.59 per cent voting, as per the Turnout application.
Voters, belonging to Pahadi Korva, a particularly vulnerable tribal group, including Rajesh, Madan, Sukhu, Gopal and Nandlal, crossed a river to exercise their franchise at a polling booth in village panchayat Amera under the Samri assembly constituency, a government official said.
Similarly, electors, including Lakhan Nagesia, Sahu, Phulsai and Kalesh of Bachwar village under the Ramanujganj assembly constituency walked through hilly terrain for about two hours covering 8 kms to reach a polling booth and cast their vote, he said. A voter, Parimal Dey, reached a polling booth in Sagarpur village under the Ramanujganj assembly seat on a horse, the official said. Dey is a cattle rearer who owns 150 goats.
Two hyper sensitive polling booths -- Chunchuna and Pundag -- located in a Naxal-affected area of the district which shares border with Jharkhand, also recorded significant turnout, he said. The two booths are located in the Samri assembly constituency.
"Special security arrangements were put in place in this area to ensure peaceful voting. Voters of Chunchuna and Pudang ensured their participation in the great festival of democracy braving Naxalite threat," he said. The Chunchuna polling booth has 767 voters and it recorded 84.35 per cent turnout, while Pundag has 595 electors and it registered a turnout of 72.44 per cent till 5 pm, the official added.
