In Bijapur, the protest is gaining momentum. Tribal rights activists plan to visit Pidiya village, around 40km from Bijapur and 470km south of Raipur, on a fact-finding mission and Maoists have issued a statement alleging that innocent villagers were killed in police action.Protesters from Pidiya village in Bijapur’s Gangaloor region, where the alleged encounter occurred, began arriving at the district headquarters on Saturday.

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