According to police sources, Manesh, a resident of Binagunda village under Chhotebethiya police station limits, was abducted late Monday night by armed cadres of the CPI (Maoist) Partappur Area Committee.
Photo: SNS
A 24-year-old tribal youth, Manesh Nureti, was brutally killed by Maoists in Kanker district of Chhattisgarh after he dared to hoist the national flag on Independence Day at a site regarded by the insurgents as their “martyrs’ memorial.”
According to police sources, Manesh, a resident of Binagunda village under Chhotebethiya police station limits, was abducted late Monday night by armed cadres of the CPI (Maoist) Partappur Area Committee. He was taken before a jan adalat (kangaroo court) and accused of being a police informer. Following this, Manesh was executed in front of terrified locals. His body was later recovered by the relatives, with Maoist posters and banners left nearby in which the rebels openly claimed responsibility.
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Local journalists suggest Manesh had been at the forefront of Independence Day celebrations in his village. On August 15, he hoisted the Tricolour at the Maoist memorial, an act that defied long-standing insurgent restrictions. The move, which was photographed and circulated in local media, angered the rebels and is believed to have directly led to his killing.
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Local journalists noted, “Manesh disappeared soon after the photographs of the flag hoisting went viral. His death is a chilling message from Maoists to other villagers not to resist their influence.”
Confirming the incident, Kanker Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elesela said, “He wanted his community to progress and reject violence. For decades, Naxals prevented villagers from hoisting the Tricolour at such villages. His courage to defy them cost him his life.”
However, Elesela told The Statesman that due to continuous rainfall and the challenging terrain, security forces have not yet been able to reach the incident site. “The body of the youth has not been recovered yet, and police have also not been able to establish contact with the victim’s family so far,” the SP added.
The incident has triggered outrage across the region and comes at a time when Maoist influence in Bastar is steadily weakening. In recent months, security forces have killed more than 150 insurgents in major encounters across Sukma, Dantewada, Narayanpur, Kanker and Bijapur. Officials believe this retaliatory killing highlights the Maoists’ desperation to maintain relevance in shrinking strongholds.
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