*Mod Edit: Graphic/Bloody/Dead Picture*
Injured jawans of Special Task Force being provided medical help after an encounter with Maoists in Pedmal forest in Chhattisgarh's Sukma district on Saturday. (File | PTI)
New Delhi: An audio message purportedly from the Maoists who ambushed and killed 25 CRPF personnel in Bastar region of Chhattisgarh on April 24 claimed the attack was in retaliation to Operation Green Hunt launched by the government against Naxals.
In the 16-minute audio clip, a spokesperson of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) identifying himself as Vikalp spoke in Hindi and hailed the attack by the outfit’s military arm People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA).
The outfit said its “fight” was not with the paramilitary personnel, but warned central forces against standing in the way of “revolution”. He also appealed to them and to the police personnel to leave the forces, which he said were targeting activists and journalists.
“In 2016, the government killed nine of our people in Chhattisgarh and 21 in Odisha. The ambush is a reaction to these killings and sexual violence against our women,” Vikalp is heard saying in the clip.
He also alleged that the state police had gang-raped tribal women and killed villagers in “fake” encounters.
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The veracity of the purported audio and the claims made by the CPI (Maoist) could not be confirmed. There is also a 5-minute video clip doing the rounds in social media purportedly capturing the live encounter.
Highlights of the audio
-Chintagufa incidents (Maoist attacks) are a befitting reply against the actions taken by the fascist forces to curb revolutionary mass movement and Operation Green Hunt.
-The present ambush (at Burkapal on 24 April) is a continuation of the 11 March attack to protect our revolution.
-We don’t subscribe to violence per se, and are not against the jawans of the para-military forces. But we stand by those who are being exploited by the government that represents imperialist forces, MNCs, large corporate and capitalists. We’re compelled to take action against them.
-It is at the behest of the fascist government that the para-military forces have been killing our cadre. They have taken photos of our ‘martyred’ women comrades who got killed during an encounter, made obscene videos out of them and released them on the internet and mobile phones.
-Roads and rail tracks are being laid in this region to loot the minerals and natural resources belonging to tribal by the government agencies.
-We appeal to the policemen, CRPF jawans and junior officers to stop serving the exploiters, foreign MNCs, corporate houses, capitalists, big contractors, businessmen and big traders, goons, mafias and Brahmanical Hindutva Fascists — who are anti-poor, against the tribal, backward castes, Dalits and women.
-Don’t lose your lives protecting these people. Personally, these jawans are not our enemies, but as they are a part of the oppressive government machinery, which is an impediment to the path of our party and the PLGA’s revolution, they are being attacked. Instead of targeting innocent and exploited people, we appeal you to give up your government job and target the exploiters.