The Chhattisgarh police has denied the Maoists’ allegations that the security forces were involved in the torching of 16 houses in Rayagudem village on the border of Sukma and Dantewada district last week and claimed that it was the Maoists who burnt down the tribal’s houses in Rayagudem.
The Communist Party of India (Maoist) had claimed in a press release issued last week that the security forces, during their three-day long operation between May 13 to May 15 on Sukma-Bijapur border, had “looted and torched” 16 houses in Rayagudem.
When asked about the Maoists’ allegations, Sukma district Superintendent of Police Mr.Abhishekh Meena said, “It was actually done by the Maoists. On the morning of May 14, the security forces had an encounter with the Maoists and senior Maoist leader Paparao was injured. The police parties evacuated the injured jawans and moved to the next village. Rayagudem village was empty when around 40 to 50 Maoists came and burnt the tribal’s houses. These burnt houses also include the houses of police jawans. We have already registered a FIR in this case.”
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The SP also claimed that Rayagudem falls in the “hardcore Maoist” area.
“We have information that the Maoist battalion is present in that area right now and they have locked down the area so no one can go there now. They had themselves burnt the houses,” Mr.Meena told The Hindu.
The Maoists had also alleged that the security forces had opened an indiscriminate fire on the villages in this area during its three-day long operation.
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The security forces had claimed to have killed over 15 Maoists during the same encounter, however, the Maoist press release did not mention about the casualties on their part.