Chhattisgarh Encounter: Maoist Front Reveals Identities of 27 Slain Insurgents 2 Days After Clash

During the encounter near Kalper village, under the jurisdiction of Chhotebethiya police station, security forces neutralised 29 Naxalites, including 15 women.

IG of Police in Bastar Range, Sundarraj Pattilingam, and others check the weapons and other items recovered after security personnel gunned down 29 Naxalites in an encounter in Kanker district, Wednesday, April 17, 2024.

Source : PTI

A front organisation linked to the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) issued a statement on Thursday disclosing the identities of 27 out of 29 insurgents who were killed in a clash with security forces in Kanker, Chhattisgarh, on April 16.

A senior police official remarked that the Naxalites appeared to be in chaos, suggesting that the release of the statement by the front organisation was an attempt to bolster the morale of local cadres, who may feel abandoned by their leaders.

During the encounter near Kalper village, under the jurisdiction of Chhotebethiya police station, security forces neutralised 29 Naxalites, including 15 women. Three security personnel also sustained injuries in the encounter.

The one-page statement, disseminated on social media and attributed to Ramko Hichami, spokesperson of the Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangthan, an allied group of the outlawed outfit, claimed that certain circulated names of the deceased were erroneous, prompting the release of accurate information.

Statement List Names Of 27 Known Cadres

The statement listed the names of 27 ultras who were killed, but it also stated that the identities of two cadres were unknown.

While the statement lists Shankar, identified as a "divisional committee" member of the CPI(Maoist) and a resident of Warangal, among the fatalities, it makes no mention of Lalita, also a "divisional committee" member. Following the clash, law enforcement authorities had asserted that both Shankar Rao and Lalita were among the casualties.

Responding to the Maoist statement, Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P remarked that it indicated a lack of support from senior leaders for lower-level cadres.

"Earlier it has been observed the CPI Maoist central committee /regional bureau level formations used to give such press releases on each and every issue. In Kalper encounter, the Maoist leadership couldn't even organise themselves to issue a press note. They have deceived and deserted the local cadres," he said.

The IG stated that KAMS was forced to release a press release solely to preserve the ultras' already severely damaged morale. "The local cadre must now realise the real and cruel face of the top leadership of the Maoists, which has been exploiting and abusing them for decades. It is high time local cadre shun violence and join the mainstream," Sundarraj reiterated.

Police have so far identified nine of 29 killed Naxalites.