Maoists Torch Passenger Bus in Dantewada of Chhattisgarh  

Raipur: A passenger bus was set fire by armed Maoists in the Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday morning. Around a dozen naxalites forced the passengers of the bus to get out and then the leftist vagrants burnt down the public transport vehicle.

According to sources, there were 21 passengers in the bus when the Maoists intercepted it at Ghotia turn between Malewahi police station and Bodli. The passengers had to walk to the Malewahi police station from where they were sent to their respective destinations. Security forces rushed to the spot and a combing operation was started to nab the culprits.

This bus service targeted by the Maoists was started around a month back to connect Bastar’s Dantewada directly with Narayanpur, bypassing Jagdalpur and Kondagaon. This bus service saved time and money of the commoners living in the area.

The Maoists are usually opposed to developmental works in remote areas of Bastar. Maoists are alleged to have targeted this passenger bus as it provided easy communication to the people of remote pockets of the region. Earlier, people had to travel 200km to reach Narayanpur from Dantewada via Jagdalpur and Kondagaon. But this bus service was connecting them directly to Narayanpur via Barsur Palli, saving their time, effort and money.