Raipur, Jun 4 (PTI) As many as 594 cases against members of tribal communities in naxal-affected areas of Chhattisgarh have been withdrawn following the recommendation of a committee, an official said on Friday.

It brought relief to a total of 726 persons who were named in these cases, the public relations department official said.

After coming to power in December 2018, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel decided to review police cases against tribal people in insurgency-hit areas, particularly Bastar, so that innocent persons do not face harassment, he said.

A seven-member review committee headed by Justice (retd) A K Patnaik was constituted for this purpose in March 2019.

District officials and the police were also asked to examine cases related to naxal incidents against tribals, the official said.

The review was part of the state's three-pronged strategy of building `trust, development and security' to bring development to tribal areas and rid them of Left Wing Extremism, he said.

The Patnaik committee recommended withdrawal 627 cases, of which 594 cases were withdrawn from courts as of May 31 this year, giving relief to 726 persons, he said. Other cases are still pending in the court for withdrawal.

The police department too identified 365 cases against tribals for speedy trials. As many as 124 such cases were disposed of by courts and 218 accused persons were acquitted, the official said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)