Raipur Activist and researcher Bela Bhatia lodged a complaint with local police on Sunday against the hooligans who threatened her on last Monday.
She claimed the accused tried to forcefully evict her from her house. The police have started the investigation into the matter. Bhatia in her complaint cited that the majority of offenders were from local the “Agni group”, which was“supported by police”.
Parpa police confirmed that they received the complaint, but said they hadn’t lodged an FIR.
Bela also mentioned that the attackers were the same people who had earlier taken out a demonstration— ‘Lalkar Rally’— against human right defenders .
In her four-page written complaint, Bhatia alleged that “there is strong nexus between the police and Agni”. She also mentioned that posters were circulated in the village branding her as “middleman” of Naxals. “They were trying to defame me and paint me as a Naxal agent,” Bhatia said.
The activist complained that she had been to police station several times to lodge a case against the vigilante group members but her efforts were in vain.
Meanwhile, Anand Mohan Mishra, founder of AGNI, told HT, “We have no role in the attack. We are against Naxalism and people who support Naxalism.”
Bhatia had been residing in a rented house at Parpa village since December 2015.
On Monday, a group of criminals threatened to set her house ablaze if she did not vacate it. The activist later called the collector for help who sent police to control the crowd.
The activist, who has been working for tribal rights for over a decade, had faced similar intimidation in 2015 when she had raised the issue of rape of tribal women by security personnel.
Source: HindustanTimes