VIJAYAWADA: A fact-finding team comprising the Human Rights Forum (HRF) and the Ganatantrik Adhikar Suraksha Sanghatan (GASS) on Saturday, alleged that at least four tribals were killed in the encounter where 31 persons were killed in the forests of Malkangiri district in Odisha on October 24. The committee termed the encounter unilateral firing by the police and expressed concern over the missing of around 14 other tribals.
The four-member team of HRF and GASS, had visited the encounter spot on Friday and interacted with the tribals in the surrounding areas including residents of Gusumapadar and Ramaguda which were close to the place of encounter.
The team rubbished the claims of the police officials in both Andhra Pradesh and Orissa that the deaths were due to exchange of fire and asserted that the Maoists were taken totally by surprise during the unilateral firing by the police.
According to the fact-finding team, the Maoists had set up their camp a day before the firing and visited Ramaguda on the night of October 23 asking that four youth come to the camp the next day for a meeting. “What is noteworthy is all of them were civilians and not armed Maoist cadre.
Many of them may have been in the camp because the Maoists were involved in recruiting people as militia members from several villages,” HRF general secretary and rights activist VS Krishna said.