Maoists impose economic blockade in Jharkhand village
1 Sep 2008, 1851 Hrs

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Chak Village (Jharkhand), Sep 1 (ANI): Maoists have imposed an economic blockade in Chak village of Palamau District of Jharkhand as an act of opposition to the setting up of a police picket in the hamlet. Villagers, however, have welcomed the setting up of the police picket, and believe that it has been effective in curbing the activities of the rebels.

According to some villagers, the Maoists had put up posters across the village, ordering the people to shut their shops till the time the police picket is not removed from the village.

The village, with a population of around 8,000, is experiencing major hardships for the past 15 days.

"They (Maoists) had put up a poster saying the shops will remain closed till the police picket is removed from the village. We are facing a lot of problems because of that," said Ramesh Sah, a resident.

Maoists have reportedly also warned nearby villages against having any dealing with the people of Chak village.

With shops closed for so many days, life in the village has been adversely affected with locals finding it hard to even meet their essential requirements.

It is becoming difficult for medical authorities also to treat ailing villagers as there is a shortage of medicines.

R.K. Ranjan, a doctor, claimed that the supply of basic commodities has been badly hit.

The police is quite determined to maintain the picket in Chak village.

"We had urged the villagers earlier also to open their shops and continue their business as usual but under the threat they themselves are facing losses. The rebels should also understand the problems of the locals," said Nandu Prasad, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Palamau.

All the schools, banks, and other establishments in the village have been shut over the past 15 days and an uncertainty looms large over the village, with people having no idea of when the Maoists would lift the blockade.

Maoist rebels operate across a large swathe of India stretching from the east to some southern states, mostly in the countryside, and attack government officials and property.

They say they are fighting for the rights of millions of poor peasants and landless labourers. Thousands of people have been killed in the insurgency that began in the late 1960s. (ANI)