Maoists use WhatsApp to lure Maratha youth into joining Naxalite movement

A police investigation into the matter is underway, and the letter, purportedly signed by CPI(M) secretary Milind Telumbde aka 'Sahyadri', is believed to be genuine.

Maoists have now taken to WhatsApp in a bid to communicate with Maratha youths and recruit them to the Naxalite movement. The letter from the insurgent group, which has been circulating on the messaging app, has raised the hackles of the Maharashtra government, with home minister Dilip Walse Patil condemning the digital communique as an instrument to cause unrest in society. A police investigation into the matter is underway, and initial findings have revealed that the letter from the Maoists surfaced in Kamalapur village, which is about 73 km from Gadchiroli town. A local journalist received the missive on WhatsApp and it was a genuine letter signed by "Sahyadri" aka Milind Telumbde, the secretary of CPI(M), said Sandip Patil, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of police, Nagpur Range. The officer stated that the structure of the letter is similar to a number of letters seized during the probe into the Yalgaar Parishad case. The language used in the letter appears to be written by a person who is well read and eloquent in Marathi literature. The letter says join the Badal movement in order to resolve long pending issues of reservations.