Chhattisgarh Polls: Ex-Woman Naxal Commander-Turned-Cop Votes For 1st Time

On Tuesday, voting was held in 20 constituencies during the first phase of the state assembly polls.

Raipur:

Voters standing in a queue outside a polling station in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur constituency waited patiently for their turn and when a woman police constable walked out after exercising her franchise, they didn't take note as there was no apparent reason to do so.

For constable Sumitra Sahu, 34, this was the first occasion in her life, which took a turn for the better in December 2018, to participate in the poll process as a voter.

Before December five years ago, Ms Sahu donned brownish-green fatigue and carried a gun as an active commander of the Aamdai Area Committee of Maoists in Narayanpur.

On Tuesday, voting was held in 20 constituencies during the first phase of the state assembly polls amid Naxalite violence, officials said.

"I joined the police force in January 2019. I am happy that for the first time, I have exercised my franchise on Tuesday," she told PTI.

During elections- dubbed the festival of democracy-Naxalites in LWE-affected areas often threaten people against participating in the voting process but thanks to the efforts taken by the police and poll officials, voting can be held. This was evident on Tuesday when a provisional turnout of around 71 per cent was recorded in the first phase of the state assembly elections for 20 constituencies.

A resident of Kadenar village in Narayanpur district, Ms Sahu joined Naxalism in 2004 as a member of Chetna Natya Mandli- a cultural wing of outlawed CPI (Maoists). She was recruited by then East Bastar Division secretary Urmila, a dreaded Maoist leader.

During elections, including parliamentary, assembly and panchayat she was also tasked to spread propaganda of the boycott call given by Naxalites, Ms Sahu said.

After her 6-7 colleagues were killed in encounters with police and a police camp set up in her village Kadenar, she quit Naxalism in December 2018 and joined the police force in 2019. She initially served as a 'gopniya sainik (secret trooper) and was later elevated as a constable, Ms Sahu added.

On Tuesday, residents of 126 villages in the Bastar division rejoiced as polling stations were set up for the first time in their villages since Independence in seven Left Wing Extremist (LWE) affected districts, a statement issued by the poll authority said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Adblock test (Why?)

from NDTV News- Special https://ift.tt/xGhyzgs https://ift.tt/CJWsDaM
via IFTTT

Comments

US Defense Chief Austin To Make 'Full Recovery' From Cancer: Doctors

Austin, a 70-year-old career soldier, initially underwent minor surgery to treat cancer on December 22. Washington: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is likely to make a "full recovery" from prostate cancer and his prognosis is "excellent," two doctors said after he was seen at Walter Reed hospital for a follow-up appointment. Austin controversially kept US President Joe Biden in the dark about the cancer diagnosis for weeks, and did not inform either the commander-in-chief or Congress until days after he was hospitalized on January 1 for complications from his treatment. "Secretary Austin was seen today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a scheduled post-prostatectomy surveillance appointment," the doctors said in a statement released by the Pentagon. "He continues to recover well and is expected to make a full recovery. Secretary Austin's prostate cancer was treated early and effectively, and his prognosis is excellent,...

North Korea Says It Tested New Strategic Cruise Missile

North Korea test-fired a new generation of strategic cruise missile on Wednesday. (Representational) Seoul: North Korea fired several cruise missiles towards the Yellow Sea on Wednesday, Seoul's military said, the latest in a series of tension-raising moves by the nuclear-armed state. Hours later, North Korea appeared to confirm the firing, saying it had carried out its first test of a new generation of strategic cruise missiles it is developing, the Pulhwasal-3-31. Pyongyang has accelerated weapons testing in the new year, including tests of what it called an "underwater nuclear weapon system" and a solid-fuelled hypersonic ballistic missile. "Our military detected several cruise missiles launched by North Korea towards the Yellow Sea at around 7:00 am today," the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. Unlike their ballistic counterparts, the testing of cruise missiles is not banned under current UN sanctions against Pyongyang. Cruise...

US "Deplores" Israeli Attack On UN Training Center In Gaza

More than 25,000 people have been killed in Gaza since war began against Hamas. Washington: The United States was concerned by an Israeli attack on a U.N. training center sheltering displaced people in Gaza's Khan Younis on Wednesday, Deputy State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said, repeating Washington's calls for protection of civilians, humanitarian workers and aid facilities. "We deplore today's attack on the U.N.'s Khan Younis training center," Patel told a news briefing, calling it "incredibly concerning." The Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza said that nine Palestinians were killed and 75 were injured when two tank rounds hit the building that was sheltering around 800 people in the southern Gaza Strip. "Civilians must be protected, and the protected nature of UN facilities must be respected, and humanitarian workers must be protected so that they can continue providing civilians with the life-saving humanitarian assistance...

டெக் மந்த்ரா

Search This Blog