New Delhi
21st March , 2013
I am deeply concerned by the reports of cold blooded mayhem, murder and rape by the security forces in the killing fields of Bastar . One such report is about a fake encounter in village Kanchaal of Pamed area in Bijapur district where two innocent tribal women were shot dead due to indiscriminate firing by the joint forces of Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh on 9th March 2013. One of the dead women has been identified as Kunjam Deve of 55 years with four children. She was fetching water from a nearby stream. A third woman who got injured is being treated in a hospital in Bhadrachalam Andhra Pradesh. The others injured due to police firing include Madvi Kuchud, Kartam Guddi,Markam Deva , Madvi Kunjam Kiske, Kartam Bheeme, Madvi Hidme, Madvi Bandi. Some of the captured women were subjected to gang rape by the security personel . Some tribals including two women of Godor Parlaam have gone missing. Five women of village Tundem of Usoor Block of Pamed area in the Andhra Pradesh Chhattisgarh border have also been gangraped and subjected to physical torture by Andhra Pradesh police. These women had gone to Tundem village to condole the death of some relations.
Similar reports of cold blooded killing of two innocent tribal have come from Dantewada district of Chhattisgarh. These tribals were hunting some wild animals with their bows and arrows. They were caught hold of by the police, blind folded, hands tied from behind and shot dead in cold blood.
While all these are recent happenings, the security forces are emboldened by the fact that the Supreme Court appointed CBI enquiry on 5thJuly 2011 to investigate the burning down of three villages of Tadmetla, Thimmapuram and Morepally and killings of four adivasis between 11-16 March 2011 is yet to start its work effectively . The same CBI team has been entrusted with the task of investigating murderous assault on me and my colleagues at Dornapal barrier in Sukma District of Chhattisgarh has till date come a cropper.
I demand a thorough probe by a high powered investigating agency with security provided by NSG. An all party team of Parliamentarians should also visit the Bastar area and come up with solutions to this spiral of violence and counter violence.
