The West Sub-Zonal Bureau (Gadchiroli) of Dandakaranya Special Zone of the CPI (Maoist) urged democrats, rights activists, well-wishers of tribal people, and tribal organisations to condemn the ‘brutal murders’ by police officers who opened fire in Kakur-Tekametta forest of Narayanpur district, Chhattisgarh, bordering Maharashtra, on April 30 during a combing operation,
In a press release dated May 4, the spokesperson of the West Sub-Zonal Bureau, Dandakaranya, Srinivas stated, “The sequence of events unfolded as follows: the police had surrounded the area from all sides by the time the people of Kakur and Mangeveda arrived to celebrate their traditional festival. Suddenly, the police opened fire, resulting in the deaths of four tribal farmers: Kovasi Pandu and Tekametta (his wife, Soni), Mainu Korcha of Mangeveda, Lalsu Kovachi and Tekametta (his wife, Susheela), and Ramulu Naroti of Mangeveda (his wife, Neela). Our party vehemently condemns the brutal murder of these farmers.”
“Additionally, six revolutionaries became martyrs in police firing at various locations in the vast forest: Joganna (Cheemala Narasayya of Vadakapalli, Peddapalli district, Telangana), a Regional Committee member Vinay (Bellampalli, Adilabad, Telangana), a Platoon Party Committee Member Malesh (Mallepad, Bijapur district), a Company Party Committee Member Sarita, Party Members (Vetya, Kodduru, Narayanpur district), Sindhu (Musramguda, Etapalli tehsil, Gadchiroli district); and Chilaka (Komatpalli, Bijapur district). The party also urged to condemn the police’s alleged brutal massacre and ‘Operation Kagaar,” the statement added.
It further said that 60-year-old Joganna attempted to break the police cordon and flee but succumbed to exhaustion due to the scorching heat, and the police apprehended him alive. By that time, Joganna had passed his AK-47 Rifle to his comrades. Despite being unarmed, he was brutally killed by the police, alleged Srinivas.
