Why officials waded through water to hoist the Tricolour in Bastar

On India’s 70th Republic Day on Saturday, authorities of a village in Chhattisgarh’s Maoist-affected Bastar found a unique way of honouring a slain village head while sending a message to the Red brigade.

The Police and District Administration officials waded through water to hoist the Tricolour on the banks of river Indravati in memory of a village head who was killed six months ago by Maoist for demanding that a bridge be constructed across the River.

“We came early morning to hoist the flag here. To convey the message that the people and the police will rule the forests, not Naxals,” a senior police official said.

The Police and District Administration officials waded through water to hoist the Tricolour on the banks of river Indravati. (ANI Photo/Twitter)

Bastar is one of the Maoist-affected regions of Chhattisgarh, where the rebels are known to issue diktats. They oppose any kind of development in the area and are known to burn schools, damage roads and bridges to check the movement of security forces.

Other areas of Maoist influence in the state are Kanker, Sukma, Bijapur, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kondagaon and Rajnandgaon. The areas witnessed several attacks in the run up to the assembly elections held in November.

First Published: Jan 26, 2019 15:33 IST