Maoists claim cops harassing Dr. Prakash Amte, other top activists

Dr Prakash Amte Dr Abhay Bang and Dr Rani BangRecently seized Maoist literature has claimed that three of the statersquos top civil society activists ndash Doctors Prakash Amte Abhay Bang and his wife Rani ndash are being harassed by the security forces Dr Amte a Magsaysay winner and son of legendary activist Baba Amte has spent over four decades working in improving education and healthcare in Gadchiroli Abhay and Rani Bang have worked towards improving healthcare in the region for the past 30 yearsDr Prakash Amte and his grandson playing with a leopard at his animal rescue centreAll three denied they were facing any harassment at the hands of the security forces and said they had no idea why the Maoists would make the claimSecurity forces across the country are known to harass and incarcerate social activists by labelling them Maoist sympathisers Most recently activists Soni Suri and Lingaram Kodopi are battling the Chhattisgarh government and police excesses in Bastar A few years ago activist and paediatrician Binayak Sen was charged with sedition and convicted by a local court Closer home activist Arun Ferreira was acquitted of several charges of being a Maoist operative after spending five years in jailThe 15page CPI Maoist booklet appears to have been issued by the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committeersquos Propaganda Bureau as part of a nationwide lsquoProtest Weekrsquo between October 5 and 11 called by the partyrsquos central leadershipIt was seized during a gunbattle last week in the Bhamragad forest areas Dr Abhinav Deshmukh Superintendent of Police Gadchiroli said ldquoWe have seized the temporary shelters inside the deep forests where the Maoists lived and have also seized utensils and other belongings Also hundreds of pages of handwritten communications between their cadres and officebearers in Gondi language have been seizedrdquoAsked specifically about the propaganda material naming the three as being victimised by the police the SP denied finding any such content in the police raidHowever a senior Gadchiroli police officer who has seen the document said ldquoThe material seized was to be printed in a booklet form and distributed among Maoist groups We are analysing the contents and names featured in itrdquoAnother senior officer had a different take He said the doctors are often visited by personnel and senior officers in Gadchiroli either for treatment or as courtesy visits ldquoThe Maoists may be keen to stop the visits and therefore are portraying the doctors as victims of harassmentrdquo said the second officerAdditional Director General of Police special operations Bipin Bihari told midday that he is aware of the names mentioned in the literature seized by security agencies and that the police were studying the sameAsked if any of the three ever approached the police seeking assistance Bihari said ldquoWe have not received any complaint on their behalf nor have they approached us We will carry out a proper inquiry into the same and do the needfulrdquoDr Amte was shocked to learn the mention of his name in the propaganda materialldquoFor 42 years I have been serving people here and have treated all sorts of patients including policemen I have never told anyone that I was being harassed So I wonder why the Maoists have used my name I treat people when they come to me for ailment and I keep myself out of controversyrdquoDr Abhay Bang told midday that he too was surprised that the Maoists would mention himldquoTo be honest I am an advisor to both the state and central government and during our practice for last two decades my wife and I have never confronted any Maoists nor have the police hindered our workrdquoAnother activist close to Dr Bang told midday that this could be an attempt by the Maoists to gain public sympathy This is not the first time that Dr Bang has found himself in the crosshairsHe had faced the wrath of the state and police during the late 1980s when he fought to restrict the sale of alcohol in tribal areas ldquoThe police later admitted their mistake and gave him a clean chit And the fact remains that Dr Bang is a Gandhian who is respected all over the state and countryrdquo