Kandhamal: Although the police claimed that civilians were caught in the exchange of fire, survivors raised questions over the police’s version of events. Union minister Jual Oram today accused the Odisha government of shielding the culprits behind the killing of five villagers during an anti-Maoist operation in a forest in Kandhamal district.
“Our men are in touch with the local villagers”. Among the victims were two-year-old Jehad Digal, his father Lutu Digal, former naib sarpanch Kukula Digal, Bringuli Mallick, Pimari Mallick and Mediali Digal.
As a precautionary measure, elaborate security arrangements were made with deployment of adequate forces in order to prevent any untoward incident and maintain law and order, a senior police official said.
Terming the judicial probe ordered by the state government a “necessity” in view of the Supreme Court guidelines in the matter, he said, judicial probes in Odisha had become a joke because most of these never meet their logical end.BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma said the government has become aimless in its anti-Maoist operations.
In an endeavour to ensure a thorough and impartial probe into the incident, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has directed that an investigation of the case by an SIT of the State Human Rights Protection Cell be monitored and supervised by an officer of the rank of Additional Director General.
Meanwhile, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party have blamed Patnaik and his government for the incident.
Stating that innocent people were butchered by police, leader of opposition Narasingha Mishra said being in-charge of the home department, Naveen is answerable for the unacceptable state-sponsored massacre of its own people. “It’s a conspiracy of the (ruling) Biju Janata Dal to stifle the voice of the tribals”.
“Chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) Rameswar Oraon will visit the district tomorrow”. Odisha tribal welfare minister Lal Bihari Himirika said he didn’t “have any information” about the killings.