At least 25 villagers were injured, eight of them seriously, after being allegedly beaten by Naxals for seeking development in their area in Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh, police said on Sunday.
The incident took place on Friday night in Parcheli village under Katekalyan police station limits.
A police team rushed there on Sunday after being alerted about the incident, Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Abhishek Pallava told PTI.
The SP said he and district collector recently visited the area during which some people from Parcheli had demanded construction of roads, setting up of an Anganwadi (government-run women and child care centre) and other development works in their village.
The officials had assured the villagers to consider their demands, he said.
When Naxals came to know the villagers sought help from the administration for development works in the area, around 10-15 armed ultras convened a meeting on Friday night in Parcheli, located around 440 km from Raipur, and brutally hit the villagers, including women and children, with sticks, he said.
A police team along with an ambulance reached there on Sunday morning and shifted 25 injured villagers to a nearby community health centre. Eight of them, including a woman, who received severe injuries were referred to the district hospital for further treatment, Pallava said.
The other 17 injured villagers were discharged after being given primary treatment, he said.
"Such a mass beating of villagers by Naxals has become frequent in the region and it is due to the frustration of Naxals after some of their accomplices surrendered to police while some were arrested," he said.
A case has been registered and search is underway for Naxals involved in beating the villagers, he added.
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