Raipur: The People's War Group (PWG), which had earlier given a poll boycott call, have planted a large number of land mines in several villages under Kanker and Bastar Lok Sabha seats in Chhattisgarh to force the tribals from the area to flee and to hamper the poll process.

PWG has forced 134 villagers, including women and the sarpanch of Garpa village of Bastar district to leave the village after they assisted the district administration in constructing a helipad, top intelligence sources said today (Apr 17, 2004).

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"Since the helipad was constructed to carry poll parties and security personnel for poll duty, the naxalites held a meeting in the village and asked the villagers to leave the place for not abiding by their order of staying away from any poll related activities," the sources said.

Naxalites have also forced villagers from Sonpur, Kohkameta, Kundla, Okabeda in Bastar district and also from Sendra, Bedre, Basaguda, Pujarikanker, Jagargunda, Bheji and Golapalli areas of Dantewada district to flee their respective places, the sources said.

"The situation is so bad that at some places all villagers have walked upto Narayanpur town seeking shelter from naxalites along with their infants and pregnant wives," the sources said.

PWG naxals have also planted landmines on the roads and other places, including school buildings, to target polling parties and security personnel on poll duty.