Maoists allege air strike by security forces in Chhattisgarh; Police deny claims

A statement purportedly issued by Maoists was circulated on social media on Wednesday night following an encounter between security forces and Maoists on Wednesday morning

The Maoists in a statement have alleged that security personnel had carried out aerial strikes on villages in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma and Bijapur districts on Wednesday. The purported statement was circulated on social media on Wednesday night following an encounter between security forces and Maoists on Wednesday morning.

The Chhattisgarh police refuted the allegations and said that it was an attempt of Maoists to mislead locals. (Representative Image)

The Chhattisgarh police refuted the allegations and said that it was an attempt of Maoists to mislead locals.

On Wednesday, the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) in a statement said that a team of CoBRA commandos was descending from a helicopter in jungles along the border of Sukma and Bijapur districts when the Maoists fired on them and an encounter took place.

The statement further said that no security personnel was injured in the encounter. The Maoists were quick to release a statement on Wednesday night.

The statement issued in the name of Ganga, secretary of South Bastar Division Committee of Maoists, accused the security forces conducted airstrikes in several villages of South Bastar on Wednesday.

It claimed that Madkanguda, Mettaguda,Bottetong, Sakiler, Madpadulade, Kannemarka, Pottemangum, Bottalanka,Rasapalli, and Errapad villages and forest hills of South Bastar were targeted by drones and helicopters in the border areas of Pamed, Kistaram, Telangana and Chhattisgarh.

Recently Union home minister Amit Shah had claimed that Maoists will be uprooted before 2024 parliamentary polls and police and administrative officials have been following their instructions and working in the same direction, the banned outfit said.

“There is an atmosphere of fear and people are not able to go to their farmlands in the farming season due to aerial shelling,” the statement claimed.

On the other hand, the Bastar police issued a statement on Thursday saying that the claims of the Maoists are baseless.

“A press release issued in the name of CPI Maoist South Bastar Division has come to our notice. We are verifying the authenticity of the press release as well as the facts mentioned in it,” inspector general of police (Bastar range) Sundarraj P said in a statement.

Prima facie it appears to be one among a series of such attempts by Maoists to mislead the native population and cover up their losing ground and shaken morale of the cadres, he said.

“State police and the security forces deployed in Bastar are committed towards bringing an end to the nefarious intent and act of the banned CPI Maoist outfit. At the same time there is no compromise in our policy of keeping the wellbeing and safety of our people as the epicenter of our plan and action,” the IG’s statement added.