A new diktat of the Maoists to bus and taxi operators, ordering them not to carry any security personnel or face consequences, has put the police in a tight spot with securitymen posted in the remote Naxal-infested tribal areas of Bastar finding it difficult to travel out of the region while proceeding on leave.

The rebels have been regularly searching vehicles plying on several routes in the remote Bijapur and Narayanpur districts to identify security personnel traveling to their hometowns in civilian dress.

Officials worry that these unarmed security personnel, who either travel alone or in small groups of two-three men, could become soft targets for the Naxalites. The situation is such that both bus operators as well as other passengers are scared when security personnel board the buses or taxis plying in the Naxalite areas of Bastar.

The impact of the Naxalite threat is more visible in Bijapur, Narayanpur and Dantewada districts, particularly on Bijapur-Konta, Narayanpur-Orchha and Bhanupratappur and Jagdalpur- Hyderabad routes.

“Bus and taxi operators are requesting us with folded hands not to board the vehicles, saying it would not only risk their lives but also that of other passengers. Many security personnel posted in the remote areas of Bijapur, Narayanpur and Dantewada districts are facing this problem. It’s taking more than two days to cover 100-150 km to reach Jagdalpur,” a police source said.

In one instance, sources said, security personnel had to alight from a bus at Narayanpur bus stand after its owner requested them not to travel. When they later boarded the same bus on the town outskirts, the driver and conductor refused to carry them and fled, leaving everyone stranded. In another incident, all other passengers refused to travel in a bus when security personnel boarded the vehicle.

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