Two days after six Maoists were killed in an alleged encounter in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh, the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) on Friday claimed there was no gunfight and the victims were caught and killed in a “fake” encounter, a claim denied by the police force.
The Maoists also called for a “bandh” in Bijapur and Sukma on April 3 against the incident.
“On March 27, 2024, in the village of Chipurmati, Bijapur district, our two party activists along with six villagers were subjected to a heinous massacre which was claimed as an encounter,” a statement issued by the South Bastar divisional committee of CPI (Maoist) said. “We demand justice for the innocent villagers who were mercilessly killed… We demand the unconditional release of the innocent villagers who were detained.”
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Bastar range, Sunderaj P rejected the allegations as “old tactics” of Maoists.
“It is the typical modus operandi of Maoists to level allegations against the security forces to puncture the credibility of security forces. Maoists conveniently forget that they are responsible for brutal killings of hundreds and hundreds of innocent civilians,” the IGP said. “Just to distract the attention from their inhumane behaviour, they issue these kind of statements. All concerned understand the reality that the Maoists are facing their extinction.”
The Maoists further claimed that no armed groups were present during the said encounter and the claim by security forces of seizing a large quantity of weapons, explosives, and daily use items was a “blatant lie”.
{{/usCountry}}The Maoists further claimed that no armed groups were present during the said encounter and the claim by security forces of seizing a large quantity of weapons, explosives, and daily use items was a “blatant lie”.
{{/usCountry}}“Our party activists, Gangi Para and Punem Nagesh, along with another member, were attending meetings in the area to address community issues. Acting on information provided by police informants, they were ambushed and apprehended while they were asleep around 4 am on the day of the encounter and later killed,” the statement alleged, claiming the other three people killed in the incident were villagers.
Meanwhile, a photograph purportedly taken on the same day shows a person with his hands tied up and surrounded by security forces. The person in the purported photograph, which was widely circulated on social media and authenticity of which HT could not independently verify, resembles one of the suspected Maoists who was killed in the said encounter.
When asked about the photograph, the Bastar IGP said, “I will gather information regarding authenticity and facts about it from the concerned units.”