Maoists condemn Akshay, Saina for helping CRPF kin
RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh’s Maoists have lashed out at Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar and badminton star Saina Nehwal for giving financial help to the families of 12 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) jawans they killed in an ambush in the state on March 11.
A Maoist leaflet on Sunday said the popular actor and the Olympics medallist should not support forces that loot the poor.
Akshay donated ₹9 lakh each to the families of the slain Central Reserve Police Force personnel while Nehwal donated ₹6 lakh.
The leaflet from Communist Party of India (Marxist) Bastar south sub-zonal bureau said they strongly condemned Akshay and Nehwal’s gesture.
The Maoists appealed to celebrities to support their krantikari andolan (revolutionary movement) and the poor, and also speak against human rights violations and police atrocities.
The rebels also condemned cow vigilantes and said they were killing Muslims and Dalits under the pretext of preventing cow slaughter.
Chhattisgarh’s special director general (anti-Maoist operations), DM Awasthi, said the leaflet “reflects their mentality” and everyone should denounce such a mentality. “Everyone appreciates what the two celebrities did for the martyrs and it is a nationalist approach.”
Maoists have killed more than 3,000 civilians and security personnel across the country. Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and West Bengal are among some of the states that are most affected by Leftwing extremism.