Booby traps planted by Maoists posing threat to adivasis’ lives in Kothagudem: Police

The Maoist leaders, who claim to fight for the tribals, have taken the border areas under their control and made the forest area like a fort.

Kothagudem: Booby traps that were being planted by CPI (Maoist) party in the forests on Telangana-Chhattisgarh borders have been posing threat to the lives of adivasis, said the district police.

Adivasis and their cattle as well as pets were either getting killed or getting injured severely due to booby traps. It might be recalled that a dalit Y Yesu died when he stepped on a landmine planted by Maoists on Karregutta hillock of Kongala forests in Venkatapuram mandal of Mulugu district on June 3.

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Similarly, two adivasi women suffered grievous injuries on their legs when they stepped on booby traps at a border village Bhimavaram while two cows and two pet dogs of adivasis died at Pusuguppa in Cherla mandal.

Following complaints from adivasis about the danger posed to their lives by booby traps in the Pusuguppa area, police inspected the area and found 70 booby traps and cleared them. Police have removed as many as 4, 396 iron spikes planted in the ground, informed Additional SP (Operations) T Sai Manohar and Bhadrachalam ASP Paritosh Pankaj.

Innocent adivasi people living in the border areas were living life in perpetual distress due to the atrocities of Maoists. As the IEDs and booby traps planted by Maoists could cause harm to lives, tribals should be alert when they go into forests, they said.

The Maoist leaders, who claim to fight for the tribals, have taken the border areas under their control and made the forest area like a fort. In order to prevent the tribal people from moving in the areas controlled by Maoists, booby traps and IEDs were being planted. The Maoist party must take responsibility for the damage done to the tribal people.