Story of Communist Terrorism - Chapter 7

In the last chapter charges over an urban Naxal were dismissed due to insufficient evidence.

Story of Communist Terrorism - Chapter 1

Story of Communist Terrorism - Chapter 2

Story of Communist Terrorism - Chapter 3

Story of Communist Terrorism - Chapter 4

Story of Communist Terrorism - Chapter 5

Story of Communist Terrorism - Chapter 6

Vikram and Bhoomi reach the spot where villagers were protesting for bodies of the Naxal. They are greeted by Rajan Sahai, a tribal rights activist who runs an NGO and has won many awards.

According to Sahai, the villagers are protesting because they believe evidence of torture will be covered by Police during post-mortem. Then the local MLA, Rajesh Kashyap who is also the brother-in-law of Purshottam, arrives and Sahai and Kashyap bicker.

Kashyap offers a solution of video recording the post-mortem and sharing the findings, which is accepted. A stone is hurled at Kashyap and Bhoomi takes the hit of it.

The protest then disperses. Back in the station, Keshav informs Vikram that Mangtu is dead and Bhoomi is suffering from a concussion. Vikram also comes to know Devika’s father has died of a heart attack.

To help Devika overcome her grief, Anjali, a house helper and two bodyguards stay at Devika’s for some time. Vikram, Anjali, and Devika have evening coffee regularly.

One day Devika informs Vikram she has found some important information which will be published on her next day’s article. The next day Devika’s body is seen hanging from a lamppost; her face is badly bruised and contorted, a sign in offensive language hanging from her neck.

To investigate Devika’s death, the SP ordered a thorough search of her house as stuff seemed to have relocated and her phone and laptop were also missing. Anjali discloses Devika found something amongst her father’s papers which she was going to look into further.

One of Devika’s chats revealed that she was going to meet Shravan Kumar Mathur, a senior IAS who handles PWD in Raipur city for a sensitive matter. Vikram plans on meeting Mathur for the case.

The officers also conclude that Devika’s devices were taken by Maoists and the professionals were involved in Devika’s killing. At dawn, Keshav calls Vikram to inform him that Purshottam Sethi has been shot.

Last year, in 2022, Basant Jhadi, the brother of a local journalist, was abducted and then killed on suspicion of being a police informer in the Bijapur district of the state of Chhattisgarh.

He was declared an informer by the Maoists after a session in their ‘Jan Adalat.’ Jan Adalat is a Maoist public beheading of people believed to be loyal to the State & Police Forces.

In another incident in 2022, Rohit Biswal, a reporter in the local Odia newspaper, Dharitri, was killed by an Improvised Explosive Device planted by the Naxals.

Biswal was photographing authoritative posters put up by Maoist rebels; the posters consisted of demands to residents to boycott upcoming local elections.

According to the Police reports, the bomb was planted by Maoists to target the police, but Biswal had reached the location before the police.

The Police also stated that sometimes Maoists plant IEDs near such posters to not let authorities take them down. The Police take the posters down after the place gets inspected by the bomb squads.

In a case of 2018, a video journalist of the Indian public broadcaster Doordarshan, Achyutananda Sahu, and two policemen were killed in an attack by Maoists in Chhattisgarh’s Dantewada district.

A media team of Doordarshan along with a group of Police were on their way to a village for the inauguration of a polling booth set up after 20 years.

Later the Police released a statement saying the attack was for the security forces and the media persons were not the target of the attack but it was unfortunate that they were caught in the crossfire.

In 2013, Sai Reddy, a local journalist reporting from the Bastar district of Chhattisgarh was attacked and left to die by the Maoists. In 2008, Reddy was arrested and jailed by the Police under the charges of having links with Maoists.

However, around the same time, he was suspected by the Maoists of being a police informer. His home in Bijapur was blown up by Maoists under this suspicion. Reddy continued his profession till his very end.

In the same year, that is 2013, Nemichand Jain, another local journalist from the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh was stabbed to death by the Maoists of the region.

According to the Police Reports, pamphlets were found around the body which claimed that Jain was spying for police and was also provoking local youths against Maoist which led to his killing.

In the next chapter, Vikram investigates Sethi’s assassination case and another murder takes place.