Days after the Kanker encounter, where security forces in a major development neutralised as many as 29 Maoists on Tuesday, April 16 the outlawed Communist Party of India Maoists (CPI Maoist) has now given a call for shutdown in three districts on April 25.
According to the details received, the Uttar (North) Sub-Zonal Bureau of CPI Maoist, in a press release on Thursday, April 18, gave a call for shutdown in Kanker along with two adjoining districts, Mohla Manpur and Narayanpur.
The Ultras in the press release while appealing to the masses for a shutdown informed that a total of 29 of their cadres have been killed in the operation launched by the Border Security Force (BSF) and District Reserve Guard (DRG) on Tuesday, April 16.
Further, the Maoist have informed that as many as 3 of their Area Committee Members (ACM) and a Division Committee Members (DVCM) Shankar Rao, were also killed in the encounter, while 11 members of the People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA), armed wing of the CPI Maoists, were also among those who were killed.
Allegation of only 12 killed in the gunfight
The Mao’s men in the press issue have further claimed that only 12 of their cadre were killed in the gunfight that broke out between the forces and the outlaw group on Tuesday’s afternoon and all the remaining cadres were killed shortly after they were captured injured or unarmed.
The ultras have alleged that initially the death toll of the encounter in the media was reported to be 12 only and it was confirmed subsequently, indicating rest of their cadres were killed later on the orders of Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai, Deputy CM, Vijay Sharma, IG Bastar, Sundarraj P and Superintendent of Police (SP), Kanker, AK Elsela.
The outlaws in the release, while threatening the BJP leadership and CM Sai for punishment in Jan Adalat (Kangaroo court of the Maoist) have further alleged that the appointment of a tribal CM in the State was part of a larger conspiracy.
Interestingly, the Maoists who do not align themselves with the democratic setup of the country have appealed to their sympathisers that they should fight for the judicial enquiry of the Kanker incident. Further the outlaws have also appealed to the media (left leaning) to visit the spot of the incident.
Kanker encounter
It is to be noted that as many as 29 Maoists, including 14 female operatives of the outlawed Communist Party of India Maoist (CPI Maoist), were gunned down in a fierce encounter that occurred between the forces and the Maoists under the Chotebethiya police station limits of Kanker district on Tuesday’s afternoon, April 16.
According to the details, the encounter occurred when a joint team of District Reserve Guard (DRG) and BSF were out on a search operation under Chotebethiya PS where a heavy exchange of fire broke out between the forces and the extremists in the forest area of Binagunda-Korgutta at around 2pm.
The forces, after the gunfight, recovered bodies of as many as 29 Maoist while also seizing a huge cache of sophisticated weaponry and ammunition. Those who were killed in the gunfight also included two top Maoist commander, each carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh. .
Congress leaders sparks row over encounter
It is to be noted that earlier Congress party spokesperson Supriya Shrinate had sparked a row on Wednesday, April 17, after she referred to the Maoists killed in the Kanker encounter as “martyrs”.
“I dont want to politicise the matter, I think it should be investigated thoroughly, and we sympathies with all those who martyred, along with the security personnel who have been injured in the attack, there is no question of politics in it,” remarked Shrinate.
Shrinate’s remarks came in the wake of a statement made by the former Chief Minister and senior leader of the Congress party, Bhupesh Baghel, who also stoked controversy after the Kanker encounter when he remarked that fake encounters takes place in the BJP regime. Though, hours after his controversial remarks, the Congress stalwart later, in a separate statement, praised the security personnel and termed the Kanker encounter as a big success for the forces.
The statements made by the former CM and Shrinate trigger sharp reactions from the leaders of the Bhartiya Janata party (BJP) who, while slamming the Congress party, reminded that it was Congress Prime Minister Manmohan Singh who had termed the Maoist as the biggest internal threat of the country.
Further, reacting to the comments made by Shrinate, the BJP unit of Chhattisgarh, in a post on X, said that “Those Naxals who stained the land of Chhattisgarh with the blood of innocent residents of the State have been termed as martyrs by Shrinate, its a mockery of the masses, police force, and democracy, you are not welcomed in this sacred land.”
