Massacres in Chhattisgarh, India

Featured image: repressive forces in the place of the attack in Bijapur. Source: ANI.

The old Indian State and the reactionary media in the country have spread news of new massacres of alleged “Maoists” in Chhattisgarh. The information is currently uncertain and limited, but it is said that clashes have occurred between Maoist guerrillas and repressive forces, within the framework of the infamous Operation Kagaar which has the goal of dispossession, looting, and the death of peasants, with a particular focus on Bastar.

In these new repressive operations, up to 30 people are reported to have been murdered. Reactionary media claim that a confrontation took place in the districts of Bijapur and Kanker. In the first district, it is alleged that 26 Maoists were murdered, surrounded by a force of 1,500 soldiers and paramilitaries. Between the districts of Kanker and Narayanpur, another group of 700 soldiers and paramilitaries killed four alleged Maoists. In the past year, the old State has announced that it has murdered 219 Maoists in Chhattisgarh, and this year another 113 are said to have been murdered. However, numerous organizations, activists, and democratic and progressive media report that many of those murdered are actually peasants, activists, and civilians executed or indiscriminately attacked by the old State.

Democratic rights organizations including the Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) and the Forum Against Corporatization and Militarization (FACAM), as well as many journalists and progressive and democratic media, denounce that fake encounters are common: those who are murdered are dressed in guerrilla clothing, and the old Indian State displays “seized weapons,” portraying these massacres as if they were great victories in combat. For this reason, the figures provided by the old State in this operation and in others conducted previously should be taken with great caution.

It is also common that when there have been real combats, the forces of the old Indian State hide their casualties and claim that in confrontations involving dozens of guerrillas and soldiers, the old Indian State suffers no casualties or only a few injuries or sporadic fatalities.

For all these reasons, as we have said, the information is currently limited, so we will continue to report on these events as we clarify the facts and have reliable sources to access.