By IANS,
New Delhi: The Chhattisgarh government has told the Supreme Court that due to administrative exigencies and lack of infrastructure it was housing security forces involved in anti-Maoist operations in 31 schools, ashrams (residential schools) and hostels.
The government said it has made alternate arrangements to ensure that the presence of troopers in these premises did not affect the education of children.
The state government said this in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court Wednesday evening.
It filed the affidavit on the direction of the apex court bench of Justice B. Sudershan Reddy and Justice S.S. Nijjar.
The affidavit sought to link the lack of infrastructure to the Maoist strategy of destroying infrastructure.
The affidavit said that Maoists have destroyed 110 school buildings, 74 panchayat buildings and three hospitals in the tribal areas.
The apex court was informed that cases of violence by activists of the Salwa Judum, an anti-Maoist civil militia in the state, were at various stages of investigations.
Refuting the charges of petitioner Nandini Sundar that her interaction with local people was hampered as she was surrounded by security forces during her visit to tribal areas of Chhattisgarh, the government said security was provided to her over apprehensions over the law and order situation.
Denying charge of another petitioner, Kartam Joga, that he was beaten up by the Salwa Judum activists and police, the affidavit said he was operated for hernia and it was not related to any kind of physical assault.
The affidavit said that Kartam Joga was one of the accused involved in the killing of 76 troopers April 6 in Dantewada district.
The state government said that the plea seeking the disbanding of Salwa Judum had become infructuous as even petitioner Nandini Sunder had purportedly said in the petition that the movement did not exist.