Condemning the killing of 27 Maoists, including Nambala Keshav Rao, alias Basavaraju, general secretary of the banned CPI (Maoist), in an encounter carried out as part of Operation Kagar in Narayanpur of Chhattisgarh, the Left parties have described the operation as “illegal” and demanded a judicial inquiry into the incident.
In a joint statement on Friday, V. Srinivasa Rao of the CPI(M), K. Ramakrishna of the CPI, P. Prasad of the CPI(ML) New Democracy, Katam Nagabhushanam of MCPI(U), B. Bangar Rao of CPI(ML) Liberation, B.S. Amarnath of SUCI(C), P.V. Sundara Ramaraju of Forward Bloc, and Janaki Ramulu of Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSU) said that the police firings resulted in a ‘massacre’ in which adivasis were also killed.
The leaders of the Left parties demand that “Operation Kagar” be immediately withdrawn and that the bodies of the deceased be handed over to their families.
Alleging that the police had thwarted a protest attempt by people’s organisations in Palasa of Srikakulam district, creating unrest in the villages. Hence, the Left parties appeal to the State government not to impose restrictions on the democratic right to protest, they said.
“The public announcements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah claiming this gruesome massacre as a great achievement of their government are objectionable. At a time when the Maoists were expressing a willingness to hold peace talks, the central government intensified the violence. We appeal to the people to condemn this violent and oppressive policy, they said.
“There is a dire need to build a democratic movement against the repression that is destabilising the lives of Adivasis and endangering their very survival. The Central government is using the Maoist threat as a pretext to hand over forest areas rich in mineral resources to large corporations.
“The Left parties declare support for the democratic movement that is rising against Operation Kagar,” they added.
Published – May 24, 2025 05:15 am IST
