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Attack revenge for Salwa Judum, Operation Green Hunt: Maoists -Ashutosh Bhardwaj
-The Indian Express

 

Maoists say target was Karma, demand pullout of forces

Raipur: Claiming responsibility for Saturday's attack on the Congress convoy in Bastar which claimed 24 lives, the CPI (Maoist) said on Tuesday that the killing of senior party leaders was the "necessary revenge against the UPA's fascist Operation Green Hunt, which is being run in connivance with several state governments".

"The primary aim behind this attack was to kill Mahendra Karma and other reactionary Congress leaders. During the two-hour long gunbattle between guerrillas of CPI (Maoist) and security forces, some innocent people and low-level Congress workers were killed. They were not our enemies but they lost their lives. We express regret over their death and offer our condolence to the bereaved families," said a four-page statement sent to BBC, signed by Gudsa Usendi, spokesperson of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee.

"Salwa Judum has become a bane for people living in Bastar region. A lot of atrocities were carried out against innocent men and women in the name of this movement... Karma himself led some of the movements of Salwa Judum in villages... Through this attack, we have taken revenge on behalf of people who were made to suffer in the name of Salwa Judum," it said.

Claiming that "Karma, who has been called a tribal leader, is from a feudal family of Manjhi caste and his family has been traditional oppressors of the tribals," the CPI (Maoist) said that his death "has created a festive atmosphere in Bastar".

Stating that PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel, who was among those killed in the attack, was at the "forefront of atrocities on people" when he was the state home minister, the Maoists said "CRPF forces entered Chhattisgarh during his tenure".

The statement further described former union minister V C Shukla, who was injured in the attack, as the "enemy of the people". "He held several important union ministries, including home, and actively worked as a loyal representative of imperialists, capitalists and landlords," it said.

The statement, however, was silent on the killing of Patel's son Dinesh, whose involvement with the Congress was mostly limited to organising his father's campaigns. The youth was first taken hostage, his hands tied, separated from the group and killed. Besides bullet injuries, he had deep axe marks and other injuries on his head.

While the CRPF entered Chhattisgarh in April 2003, the Congress lost the elections in November that year and Patel played no role in the operations carried out by the central force in the state. In fact, Patel was among the few state leaders who had expressed concern over encounter killings.

After the Sarkeguda encounter last year, he visited the spot and met the victims' relatives. And after the recent Ehadsameta killings, he led an agitation against the BJP government and demanded that a criminal case be lodged against the guilty policemen. "Patel was not known to have taken any offensive posture against Maoists," said ADG (Intelligence) Mukesh Gupta.

Referring to the Ehadsameta killings, the Maoists asked why nobody raised any questions about "democratic values" at that time. "Do these people have a moral right to talk about democracy? CPI (Maoist) appeals to all people to immediately call off Operation Green Hunt and take back all security forces deployed there. Army should not be deployed in Bastar region in the name of training. All leaders languishing in jails should be immediately released. Strict legislations like the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Chhattisgarh Special People Security Act should be repealed. All MoUs with corporates to exploit natural resources should also be cancelled," said the statement.

Cong snubs Shinde

Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde came under criticism from his own party for extending his visit to the US. "No tour could be important at this juncture," said Congress spokesperson Bhaktacharan Das.