The outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) has accused Chhattisgarh government and Bastar police of trying to hatch a “conspiracy” to establish Maoists’ links with Islamic extremists and Pakistan's the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI).
"The government and police are trying to propagate that the Maoists are in contact with Muslim militants and the ISI. As a part of this conspiracy, the police killed an unknown Muslim youth in Harrekoded village of Bastar on September 19 and declared him a Maoist," alleged Gudsa Usendi, the spokesperson of the Dand Karanya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) of the CPI (Maoist), in a statement sent to senior journalists based in Bastar.
The spokesperson of the banned outfit appealed to all Muslims, minority social organisations, human rights bodies and the media to make an independent inquiry into the September 19 Harrekoded encounter.
“We wish that the facts come out in open and the unknown Muslim person is identified. On our behalf, we state that the deceased person is neither from the area of the (Maoist) movement, nor our associate,” said Gudsa Usendi adding that the CPI (Maoist) was also conducting an inquiry into the incident.
Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Kamlochan Kashyap had claimed that one of the two persons killed in Harrekoded encounter was a Muslim.
But Bastar police have not been able to establish the identity of the deceased person.
"We are yet to establish the deceased’s identity and whereabouts. We have sent the deceased’s photos to all intelligence agencies," the Inspector General (IG) of Police, Bastar range Mr.SRP Kalluri told The Hindu .
The IG, however, refused to react to the allegations levelled by the DKSZC spokesperson.
