New Delhi, Sep 19 (PTI) A group of Naxal violence victims from Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district gathered staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here on Thursday to demand justice and peace for their region.
Under the banner of ‘Bastar Shanti Samiti’, the group began their demonstration at Kartavya Path, making their way to Jantar Mantar by noon.
Manguram Kawade, the coordinator of the Bastar Shanti Samiti, said, “We have been suffering from Naxalite violence for decades. Our villages have been ravaged, and our region has been stifled from development.
“We demand that the voice of Bastar be heard and that our people be freed from this relentless violence,” Kawade said.
The protesters, including many of whom have suffered devastating losses, walked on the streets to make their voices heard.
Gudduram Lekam (18), who lost his leg to a Naxal-planted landmine in March said that he was returning home after picking chilies from the fields when he stepped on a landmine in the forest. The bomb exploded and he lost his leg in the incident.
“I don’t want anyone else to suffer the same fate, so it is important to eliminate Naxalism from our region. This is why we have come to protest here today,” Lekam pleaded.
The protesters carried banners and placards bearing slogans like ‘I am Silent Bastar, but Today I Speak’.
Another protester, Mamta Sori (35), a mother of three, shared her tragic experience and said she had suffered a backbone fracture from a bomb blast in 2015.
“Women in our village are not safe, they cannot even step outside our homes alone, and girls from our area have no access to proper education,” Sori said.
According to Kawade, these protestors plan to use various platforms in Delhi to raise awareness, so that people in metropolitan cities and across other major states can understand their plight and hear their voices. PTI SHB NB
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