The Communist Party of India (CPI) has condemned the Indian Government for neutralising a top Naxal terrorist. The CPI has labelled the anti-terrorism operation as an “extrajudicial action carried out under the guise of counterinsurgency operations.” The CPI is a major ally of the Indian National Congress.
The party said in a statement, “CPI strongly condemns the cold-blooded killing of a senior Maoist leader along with several Adivasis in Chhattisgarh. It is yet another instance of extrajudicial action carried out under the guise of counterinsurgency operations.” There is no evidence to suggest that anyone other than Naxal terrorists have been killed during the operation.
“The repeated use of lethal force instead of lawful arrest raises serious concerns about the State’s commitment to democratic norms and the rule of law. If the authorities had credible intelligence about the whereabouts of the leader, why was a legal arrest not pursued? Why was due process—guaranteed by the Constitution—so blatantly ignored,” the CPI added in its statement.
The statement further says, “These killings not only point to a dangerous pattern of State violence but also expose the ongoing marginalisation of Adivasi communities in the region. Time and again, these communities are caught in the crossfire of a conflict they did not initiate, and are treated as collateral in operations marked by impunity.”
The CPI also demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the “injustice” and called upon “democratic and progressive forces” to raise their voices against it.
Earlier today, Indian Security Forces eliminated dreaded Maoist leader Nambala Keshav Rao aka Basavaraju. He was the top Maoist leader and had taken over the leadership position of the terrorist outfit in 2018. Home Minister Amit Shah called it a “landmark achievement in the battle to eliminate Naxalism.” In addition to Basavaraju, 27 other Maoists were neutralised during the operation.
Politics over anti-Naxal Terrorism Operation
The Indian Government has been operating on an overdrive to eliminate Maoists along the Telangana-Chhattisgarh Border as part of Operation Kagar. The Operation was called off on May 11.
The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has been active in deterring the Indian Government from taking Operation Kagar to its logical conclusion. BRS MLC Kavitha had urged the Central Government to resolve the matter through dialogues. Former Telangana CM K Chandrashekar Rao, too, had accused the Indian Govt of attempting to eliminate Adivasis under the guise of neutralising Maoists.
Incumbent Telangana CM Revanth Reddy from the Indian National Congress (INC) had met with a ‘Peace Dialogue Committee’ which demanded the Central Government to hold talks with Maoists. Reddy had informed them that he will broach the matter with the Central Government after speaking to INC’s top leadership.
