BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh government faced tough questions from the opposition on Tuesday, as the Congress MLAs raised the issue of the March 9 killing of a tribal man in an alleged encounter between the state police and armed Maoist cadres – on the sixth day of Vidhan Sabha’s ongoing budget session.
While accusing the state police of gunning down the 38-year-old Baiga tribal man Hiran Partha in a fake encounter in the core area of the Kanha National Park in Mandla district, the Congress legislators demanded Rs 1 crore and a government job for the dependents of the slain tribal.
The tribal MLAs of the opposition party, including leader of opposition Umang Singhar, former home ministers Bala Bachchan and Omkar Markam, besides third-time MLA Narayan Singh Patta and first-time MLA Vikrant Bhuria, also demanded a transparent probe into the March 9 killing by a retired High Court judge. Bhuria added that MLAs too should be on that probe panel.
This was the second day in succession that the Congress MLAs raised the issue in the House and outside.
Bhuria, while alleging that the state police had killed the Baiga tribe man in the encounter to achieve its target in anti-Maoists operations, added that innocent tribals are being branded as Maoists and then eliminated.
“The police first claimed that the deceased tribal was a Maoist, but later changed the stand by branding him a Maoist sympathiser. This has put the operations of the police under cloud,” Bhuria said while raising the issue through the calling attention motion.
Responding to the attacking opposition MLAs, minister of state Narendra Shivaji Patel said “The police never said that the slain man was a Maoist or their sympathizer. A standing order of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) makes the magisterial enquiry of every encounter mandatory. In accordance with it, a magisterial probe, which was instituted on March 12, will cover 11 points, including some of those aspects raised by the opposition legislators today.”
“While the issue of whether he (Hiran Partha) was a Maoist cadre or not needs to be probed, the state’s CM, while showing sensitivity has sanctioned Rs 10 lakh to the deceased tribal’s family. Allow the investigation report to come, if the findings reveal that the deceased man wasn’t even a Maoist sympathizer or supporter, then one adult member of the family will be given a government job and if required Rs One crore will also be given to the family,” the minister added.
Reacting to the minister’s statements, the leader of opposition Umang Singhar (who is the fourth time tribal MLA and ex-minister) said, “The CM released Rs 10 lakh for the family and now the minister is saying it still needs to be probed whether he (Hiran Partha) was a Maoist or their supporter. The minister needs to tell us whether the Rs 10 lakh has been given to the family of Maoist or an innocent tribal.”
Some members, including the lone Bhartiya Adivasi Party (BAP) MLA Kamleshwar Dodiyar questioned when an assistant sub inspector of police recently killed in an attack by mob in Mauganj district recently can be given Rs One crore as a martyr, then why can’t similar sum be sanctioned to the family of a tribal. “The cost of a cop’s life is Rs One Crore, while the cost of an innocent tribal’s life is just Rs 10 lakh,” he questioned.
Unsatisfied by the minister’s reply, the Congress MLAs trouped into the well of the House and later walked out.