Naxals torch post in Kanha reserve

◗ The Maoists torched a forest post in the core area of the national park late on Friday

Bhopal: In a worrying development, Maoists have made their presence felt in MP’s Kanha Tiger Reserve by torching a forest post in the core area of the park on Friday. This is the second attack on the forest establishment in a span of 20 days.

In a worrying development, Maoists have made their presence felt in the famed Kanha Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh by torching a forest post in the core area of the national park late on Friday.

This was the second attack on the forest establishment in the Kanha National Park in a span of 20 days.

According to the police, around 50 armed rebels stormed the Latabar Dadar forest post under the reserve forest and set it on fire late Friday night, causing panic among the local forest officials.

On February 12, another forest post in the area was torched by Maoists.

Police sources said Vistar Dalam of CPI ( Maoist), active in the area, was responsible for vandalism in the reserve forest.

“We have noticed Naxal movement in the tiger reserve for the past several months. Combing operations have been launched to flush out ultras from the national park,” a senior police officer posted in the Balaghat range told this newspaper.

According the latest economic survey report, placed in the ongoing Budget Session of the MP Assembly, five out of 51 districts in the state — Mandla, Balaghat, Dindori, Umeria and Singrauli — have been affected by Maoist menace.