India: Massacre by the old State
Featured image: statement by the Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangtha from India, with 27 names of the murdered in Kanker. Source: Yeni Demokrasi
Recently Indian mainstream media has reported on a massacre committed by the old Indian State, which supposedly killed 29 alleged Maoists in Kanker, Bastar area, Chhattisgarh. According to these information, 29 Maoist guerrillas from the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), lead by the Communist Party of India (Maoist) [CPI (Maoist)], were killed.
The Krantikari Adivasi Mahila Sangthan (KAMS – Revolutionary Adivasi Women’s Organization) has confirmed 27 of the names of the murdered, has stated that they will provide further information and it has denied some of the lies by the old State regarding some of the supposed casualties. Among these killed Maoists claimed by the old Indian State was Lalita, leading member of the Division Committee of the CPI (Maoist), but her name was not included in the names given by the KAMS. The names have been published by Yeni Demokrasi. Among them can be seen the name of a PLGA’s commander, Shankar Rao.
As Yeni Demokrasi reports, the old Indian State has already lied in other occasions regarding the information on alleged encounters against Maoists, and as we can see, in this occasion has lied again regarding the names and allegedly killed Maoists. From its side, the CPI (Maoist) has not directly confirmed any information. It is usual that the old State lies regarding the alleged encounters it conducts against the Maoist guerrillas, and in fact, it has carried out numerous massacres in which they have murdered in cold blood numerous poor peasants, and afterwards the authorities stated that they were Maoists who were killed in armed clashes. Over the last months, the Indian government lead by Modi’s BJP, has intensified its reactionary offensive against the Indian people and it is desperate to show a big success in the struggle against the Maoists because the upcoming elections.
Hence, after this operation the government claims that it has eliminated 79 Maoists from the beginning of the year, only in Chhattisgarh. However, CPI (Maoist) has denounced in numerous occasions that these casualties mostly come from massacres committed against the people by the repressive forces, and murders in cold blood that have nothing to do with armed clashes. These murders are well-known as fake encounters. There was one at the beginning of March, another one at the end of March and a recent one at the beginning of April. Indian associations as FACAM and CASR have denounced these murders and other crimes against the people regularly.
