Pathalgadhi movement: Gujarat ATS arrests three in Tapi for 'waging war against nation'

Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrests three persons including a woman from Tapi near Surat for allegedly propagating the "Pathalgadhi movement" and booked them for "conspiracy, waging war against nation, sedition and promoting enmity between two groups, according to DH sources.

The arrested persons have been identified as Babita Kachhap, Somu and Birsa Oreya, all originally from Jharkhand. ATS officials say they have seized laptops and literature on banned CPI (Maoist) from suspects' possession.

Pathalgadhi is a movement that demands self-rule by local gram panchayats by declaring villages as sovereign territory and restricting outsiders' encroachment. The movement started from Jharkhand's Khunti district, the birthplace of tribal icon Birsa Munda.