CHHATTISGARH LOK SWATANTRYA SANGATHAN
(PEOPLE’S UNON FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES, CHHATTISGARH)
**
Dated 24.04.2017
PRESS STATEMENT
The Chhattisgarh PUCL severely condemns the ruthless ambush carried out by Maoists
at the Burkapal area under Police Station Chintagufa limits in district Sukma on 24th
April 2017, and expresses its deep grief at the killing of 25 jawans, mostly young
persons of poor families. According to initial reports, this attack, the most lethal of its
kind in five years, took place when around 90 jawans of the 74th Battalion were engaged
in a road opening operation. It appears that about 200 Naxalites dispersed in different
groups conducted the ambush and in the continuous firing that took place for about an
hour many of them might also have been killed. The Maoists decamped with all arms
and ammunitions of the 25 killed and 6 injured jawans, leaving no bodies behind. A
month ago another attack of the Maoists using locally made mortars, tiffin bombs and
arrows with explosives had killed 12 CRPF Personnel under PS Bhejji limits. There have
thus been more casualties in the first four months of this year than in the entire year for
the last four years.
This incident shows that the large numbers of surrenders and arrests (many of them
challenged by villagers) boasted by the Chhattisgarh police in the past few years have
not led to a significant decline in the military capacity of the Naxalites. A situation of
civil war still prevails in Bastar although the Government of India refuses to declare this
an “internal armed conflict” to avoid monitoring by the United Nations.
The PUCL apprehends that soon the security forces would “retaliate” by “search and
cordon operations” in the area which are only likely to hurt the soft target of ordinary
civilians. Consequent arrests, beatings and killings will only intensify the cycles of
violence and counter-violence.
PUCL reiterates its longstanding demands that de-escalation of violence requires the
restoration of faith of the local adivasi people in the State through the strict
implementation of pro-tribal laws like the PESA, Forest Rights Act; the better provision
of health, education and other welfare activities; a perception of getting justice and
dignity; the restoration of civil administration as opposed to administration by the
security forces in the interior areas; and addressing of popular demands as voiced by
Sarv Adivasi Samaj or other local tribal organizations, in other words a political
solution.
**
Dr. Lakhan Singh,
President
Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj,
General Secretary
Names of Martyrs - 25
1. Insp/GD Raghubir Singh
2. SI/GD K.K. Das
3. ASI/GD Sanjay Kumar
4. ASI/GD Rameswar Lal
5. ASI/GD Naresh Kumar
6. HC/RO Surender Kumar
7. HC/RO Banna Ram
8. HC/GD L.P. Singh
9. HC/GD Naresh Yadav
10. HC/GD Padmanabhan
11. CT/GD Saurabh Kumar
12. CT/GD Abhay Mishra
13. CT/GD Banmali Ram
14. CT/GD N.P. Sonkar
15. CT/GD K.K. Pandey
16. CT/GD Vinay Chandra Burman
17. CT/GD P. Alagupandi
18. CT/GD Abhay Kumar
19. CT/GD N. Senthil Kumar
20. CT/GD N. Thirumurgan
21. CT/GD Ranjit Kumar
22. CT/GD Ashish Singh
23. CT/GD Manoj Kumar
24. CT/GD Anup Karmakar
25. HC/GD Ram Mehar (at Raipur)
(PEOPLE’S UNON FOR CIVIL LIBERTIES, CHHATTISGARH)
**
Dated 24.04.2017
PRESS STATEMENT
The Chhattisgarh PUCL severely condemns the ruthless ambush carried out by Maoists
at the Burkapal area under Police Station Chintagufa limits in district Sukma on 24th
April 2017, and expresses its deep grief at the killing of 25 jawans, mostly young
persons of poor families. According to initial reports, this attack, the most lethal of its
kind in five years, took place when around 90 jawans of the 74th Battalion were engaged
in a road opening operation. It appears that about 200 Naxalites dispersed in different
groups conducted the ambush and in the continuous firing that took place for about an
hour many of them might also have been killed. The Maoists decamped with all arms
and ammunitions of the 25 killed and 6 injured jawans, leaving no bodies behind. A
month ago another attack of the Maoists using locally made mortars, tiffin bombs and
arrows with explosives had killed 12 CRPF Personnel under PS Bhejji limits. There have
thus been more casualties in the first four months of this year than in the entire year for
the last four years.
This incident shows that the large numbers of surrenders and arrests (many of them
challenged by villagers) boasted by the Chhattisgarh police in the past few years have
not led to a significant decline in the military capacity of the Naxalites. A situation of
civil war still prevails in Bastar although the Government of India refuses to declare this
an “internal armed conflict” to avoid monitoring by the United Nations.
The PUCL apprehends that soon the security forces would “retaliate” by “search and
cordon operations” in the area which are only likely to hurt the soft target of ordinary
civilians. Consequent arrests, beatings and killings will only intensify the cycles of
violence and counter-violence.
PUCL reiterates its longstanding demands that de-escalation of violence requires the
restoration of faith of the local adivasi people in the State through the strict
implementation of pro-tribal laws like the PESA, Forest Rights Act; the better provision
of health, education and other welfare activities; a perception of getting justice and
dignity; the restoration of civil administration as opposed to administration by the
security forces in the interior areas; and addressing of popular demands as voiced by
Sarv Adivasi Samaj or other local tribal organizations, in other words a political
solution.
**
Dr. Lakhan Singh,
President
Advocate Sudha Bharadwaj,
General Secretary
Names of Martyrs - 25
1. Insp/GD Raghubir Singh
2. SI/GD K.K. Das
3. ASI/GD Sanjay Kumar
4. ASI/GD Rameswar Lal
5. ASI/GD Naresh Kumar
6. HC/RO Surender Kumar
7. HC/RO Banna Ram
8. HC/GD L.P. Singh
9. HC/GD Naresh Yadav
10. HC/GD Padmanabhan
11. CT/GD Saurabh Kumar
12. CT/GD Abhay Mishra
13. CT/GD Banmali Ram
14. CT/GD N.P. Sonkar
15. CT/GD K.K. Pandey
16. CT/GD Vinay Chandra Burman
17. CT/GD P. Alagupandi
18. CT/GD Abhay Kumar
19. CT/GD N. Senthil Kumar
20. CT/GD N. Thirumurgan
21. CT/GD Ranjit Kumar
22. CT/GD Ashish Singh
23. CT/GD Manoj Kumar
24. CT/GD Anup Karmakar
25. HC/GD Ram Mehar (at Raipur)
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