Maoists in Chhattisgrah jail call off hunger strike

Raipur, March 14 (IANS) A group of 35 Maoists who had been on a hunger strike in a Chhattisgarh jail since March 9 in protest against the shifting of some of their colleagues to another prison called off their protest Friday. Cadres of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), lodged at the central jail in Ambikapur, the headquarters of state’s Surguja district, went on hunger strike after authorities shifted 17 of their colleagues to the Bilaspur central jail last week.

Senior administrative and police officials Friday persuaded the protesting Maoists to end the hunger strike by promising to put up to the state government the issue of shifting their colleagues.

The hunger strike had created panic among jail authorities as five of the 35 protesting inmates had to be hospitalised.

About 60 Maoists are lodged in the central jail in Ambikapur.

Jail officials said they were forced to move the 17 rebels to Bilaspur since they were insisting on using mobile phones and demanding facilities that could not be provided.