Activists associated with several Left-leaning political parties and organisations here on Monday staged demonstration protesting against death of 30 members of CPI (M), a banned outfit, in alleged encounter with security forces in Odisha’s Malkangiri district bordering to Andhra Pradesh.
They termed deaths of CPI (Maoist) members as cold blooded murder alleging that no encounter had taken place.
The left parties like CPI (M-L)-New Democracy, CPI (M-L)-Red Star, CPI (M-L)-Liberation, CPI (M-L), Forward Block, Communist Party of India and different forums such as Campaign Against Fabricated Cases (CAFC), Odisha, Ganatantrik Adhikar Surakshya Samiti (CASS), Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF) and All India People's Forum (AIPF) demanded a high level judicial inquiry into the deaths.
On October 24, Greyhound Force of Andhra Pradesh and Special Operation Group of Odisha had claimed to have gunned down 30 members of CPI (Maoist) in an encounter in cut-off area – a tribal dominated region surrounded by water from three sides and dense forest from another side – in Malkangiri.
“The encounter is part of State’s larger design to suppress dissenting voices. Deaths of 30 persons were nothing, but cold blooded murder by security forces. We want a Supreme Court-monitored judicial inquiry into the incident,” said Narendra Mohanty, convenor of CAFC.
“Government appears to be considering activities of CPI (Maoist) as law and order situation. Hence, it is deploying Greyhound Force, paramilitary forces and police in tribal dominated region. Instead of addressing root causes – plunder of natural resources by corporate houses, displacement, regional imbalance and communal discord – through dialogues, force is being used to suppress voices,” said Mr. Mohanty.
They called upon intellectuals, students’ organisations, rights groups and political parties to constitute a citizen committee for an investigation into ‘encounter’ deaths stated to be biggest ever carried out in Odisha.
