Sringeri: A week after Maoists stormed the house of one Ramachandra Bhat at Naravi in Dakhsina Kannada district and set ablaze his bike and a car, the red brigade was on the spree of terrorising forest department when four Maoists stormed the Tanikodu forest checkpost in Sringeri Taluk and vandalised it during the wee hours on Monday.
The checkpost situated on NH 13, about 20 kms from Sringeri, keeps a watch on every vehicle moving on NH 13 between Sringeri and SK Border. Three forest department personnel were on duty when the incident took place. It was 2.15 am on Monday when a group of four Maoists stormed the check post from the forest behind.
“The four Maoists included three women. Few more are suspected to be guarding them from inside the forest. It is suspected that there were about 10-12 Naxals in the group,” IGP (Western Range) Pratap Reddy who visited the spot told Deccan Chronicle. The Maoists fired about three rounds in the air. They damaged a portion of the roof of the checkpost and asked all the three forest department personnel to come out of the building.
According to sources, the Maoists who entered the building destroyed the CCTV set installed there and also burnt the records. They also broke the glass on the table, windowpane and broke the plastic chairs kept outside. The Maoists put up a banner condemning the evacuation of forest dweÂllers from Kudremukh natiÂonal Park and also pasted a few posters against ANF atrocities.
The Naxals told the forest personnel that the forest department was indulged in eviction of the innocent tribals and forest dwellers people from the forest and was harassing them. “The Maoists were armed. Though they damaged the check post they did not assault anybody,” Reddy added.
Sources said that of the four Maoists, one has been identified as Srimathi. It may be remembered that this is the second time the same check post has been targeted by the Maoists. Around 2.30 am on Nov 6, 2005 Maoists had attacked Tanikodu check post. Then the check post was damaged with explosives. Even then the Maoists had called the four personnel outside the check post and did not harm them.
