Kandhamal: Five innocent tribals including a two-year-old were killed in the crossfire between Naxals and security forces last week in Odisha's Kandhamal district. With eye witnesses claiming that the tribals were shot at by the security forces, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has ordered a probe.
Sunita Diggal, who was injured in the exchange of fire between the security forces and Naxals, believes that her son died in the firing by CRPF personnel
"I took my baby in my arms and rushed out. When I laid him on the bed, I found that he is no more. He had a bullet wound. The firing was from the CRPF side," Sunita claimed.
"Our auto rickshaw got stuck in the mud as it was raining and when we were pushing the auto, we were fired at by the CRPF without any reason. They should be severely punished. I lost my son because of them," another tribal Lutu Diggal said.
Odisha Police and CRPF claim they received information about the presence of a Naxals group near Gumutmaha village on Friday night. They then planned an operation to ambush the rebels. But a group of Maoists were hiding at a hilltop and had prior information of the security forces' plan.
Before the securitymen could attack, the firing from the other side began and innocent civilians were caught in the crossfire, officials claim.
"The securitymen has no reason to kill any innocent villagers. There was no way we could stop the auto rickshaw from entering that place," Amitabh Thakur, IG of Southern Range, said.
But politics over the issue has already begun. Both the major opposition parties - the BJP and the Congress - had observed a bandh against the deaths on Monday.
"With mounting pressure, Odisha CM has now ordered an SIT probe," Congress leader Srikant Jena said.
The government may have been promising action, but the villagers are not satisfied. For them it's a cold-blooded murder and they have demanded immediate action against the guilty.
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