Aftermath of Bastar encounter: Silence in air, bullet marks on trees where 29 Maoists were killed

 

A ground fell in the hills adjacent to Siddur and Kalpa villages in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district and 29 Maoists were killed by the police in the encounter. Bullet marks were found on trees in the area on Wednesday, 4,444 hours after the state's largest rally ended. There are also blood stains on the ground, which is covered with a thick carpet of fallen bamboo leaves.

Local groups of mostly women could be seen outside in nearby villages, but they refused to talk about what they saw at Tuesday's meeting.

Lingaram, a resident of Akameta village in the district, claimed that his cousin Sukku, a Maoist worker, was killed in the clash.

Speaking to reporters in Kalpa village, he said that he was not aware of the incident until Wednesday.

Lingaram said Suku joined the CPI (Maoist) illegally in his childhood and remained in the Maoist movement despite his family's efforts to persuade him to resign.

He added that the family has not yet contacted the police to retrieve Sukku's body.

The way to visit places is usually dirt roads or forests, many places are excavated. Maoist posters were urging locals to stop protesting the Lok Sabha elections and a memorial commemorating the slain Maoists can be seen nearby.

To reach this region, which is considered the stronghold of the Maoist North Bastar Divisional Committee, it is necessary to cross the Kotri river, which dries up in the summer months.

An official said that the local government has been trying to build a bridge over the river for a long time, but it has not been successful due to opposition from local residents.

The meeting place is at the tri-tip of Kanker and Narayanpur and Gadchiroli district in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, more than 15 km from Becharghat.

A resident of Aaytu said he heard gunshots from a hill near Kalpa village on Tuesday afternoon. However, he will not make a statement.

When we climbed the hill covered with thick bamboo, blood stains and bullets were visible in many parts of the trees. Empty syringes, soda bottles and long-lasting equipment were used by security personnel to transport injured colleagues lying in dry wells.

Around 200 personnel of the Defense Regional Police (DRG) and Border Security Force (BSF) launched a counter-insurgency operation from various areas on the night of April 15 and converged on Mehra's village, officials said.

At Kairipadar they crossed the Kotri River and then passed through a few villages and around a hill where they thought some former Maoists were.

Police said that the attack took place around 12.30 on Tuesday and lasted about 4 hours.

Later, the bodies of 29 Maoists, including 15 women, were found. Three security guards were also injured in the violent gunfight.

This is the largest number of Maoists involved in a single battle in the history of the country's fight against left-wing extremism.

As many as 79 Maoists have been killed in Bastar district since the beginning of 2024.