Condemn the Fake Encounter of Com.
Kuppu Devaraj, Central Committee Member, CPI (M), Incharge WGSGZ and
Com. Ajitha, State Committee Member in Nilambur Forest, Kerala
Demand re post mortem of the dead bodies of the deceased.
Demand judicial inquiry by a Supreme Court Sitting or Retired Judge
Homage to the Martyr Comrades.
Release Com. Soman and Adivasis if any in illegal police custody.
Release MN Ravuni (78), the veteran Revolutionary Mass Leader.
Appeal to the people and democratic organization and individuals to raise their voice in solidarity
Com. Kuppu Devraj (60) @ Yogesh, Central
Committee Member and Incharge of CPI (Maoist) Western Ghats Special
Guerilla Zone (WGSGZ), comprising the Tri junction of Kerala, Karnataka
and Tamilnadu and Com. Ajitha (45) a State Committee Member of WGSGZ are
killed in a fake encounter in the early morning hours of 23rd November,
2016 Thursday in Nilambur Forest of Mallapuram district, Kerala.
Earlier to that the Kerala police
involved in ʹThunderbolt Operationʹ meant to physically eradicate the
Adivasis and Maoists in the Western Ghats for the vested interests of
Multi-national companies and comprador companies in the country,
cordoned the forest area for eighteen hours and did not allow movement
of the people including the media persons into the forest. The incharge
police officer for the Thunderbolt Operation says that the police did
not allow the media persons only to caution them that there will be land
mines planted by the Maoists surrounding their camp.
The fact is that these two comrades who
were suffering with ill health and unarmed taking shelter in the Adivasi
habitation were caught and killed in cold blood and the dead bodies
were brought and thrown there. Later, the people in surrounding areas
told the media persons that they have not heard any fire exchange sounds
in preceding night. Even the police did not claim any injury on any
police personal engaged in encounter. Where as in government medical
college hospital, Kozikode 19 bullets were found in Devarajʹs body and 7
in Ajithaʹs body.
There are unconfirmed contradictory
reports that Com. Soman, local CPI Maiost leader from Vynad is injured
and is in police custody which the police are denying and saying that 11
CPI Maoist Guerillas have escaped and combing operations are being
conducted in full swing.
The dead bodies of Kuppu Devraj and
Ajitha are shifted to Government Medical College hospital, Kozikode
(Calicut) and police claim that the post mortem is conducted and bodies
will be preserved in the mortuary till Monday, 28th November, 2016. That
means no NHRC guide lines and the recent Supreme Court Judgment
regarding the encounter killings is followed. The photos of the dead
bodies were not published in two National newspapers, except that of
Devraj along with the press release of police. The families are not
informed. The dead bodies were not shown to the mother, brother and
sister of Devraj and Unlce of Ajitha who reached to Kozikode on the 25th
November. Instead the police lathi charged and arrested twenty members
of human rights organization (Janakeeya Manushyavakasha Prasthanam) and
Porattam and threatened the relatives of deceased to leave the place. As
the protesters number increased police were forced to release the JMP
activists but shifted Com. M.N. Ravunuri, Veteran revolutionary mass
leader of Porattam and Vice President of Committee for Release of
Political Prisoners (CRPP) to another police station.
Com. M.N. Ravunuri is 78 and one of the
senior members of undivided Communist party of India in Madras Province
in 1950s and a public votary of Naxalbari path.
Ammini, the old aged mother of Kuppu
Devarajan, Babu his brother and sisters who are waiting for the last
four days in precincts GMC Hospital, Kozikode are demanding for
repostmortem and CRPP JMP advocates also are supporting the demand and
filled a petiotion in sessions court of Kozikode which will be heard on
29th of November, Tuesday. The court ordered the preservation of dead
bodies in mortuary of GMC Hospital, Kozikode till the petition is
disposed.
The Kerala State Human Rights Commission asked the state police chief to probe the matter and submit a report within two weeks.
SHRC member K. Mohan Kumar said that the
mystery surrounding the incident should be unraveled. The order came on
the basis of a complaint by an activist P.K. Raju who stated that the
police has not been able to furnish a credible explanation on the
killings even two days after the encounter.
The Crime Branch of State probe is
ordered by the State Police Chief cannot clear the doubts of fake
encounter since it involves the ʹOperation Thunderboltʹ and anti-maoist
program of three states, i.e. Kerala, Karnataka and Tamilnadu and the
Central government, to serve the vested interest of mining and private
industries of MNCʹs and big bourgeois. We demand a judicial enquiry by
the sitting or retired judge of Supreme Court in to this fake encounter.
The Chief Minister office issued a note
that the Chief Minister Pinaraya Vijayan has ordered a magisterial
inquiry into the encounter and asked the sub collector to conduct the
inquiry.
The Chief Minister has also referred the
case registered in connection with the ʹencounter killingʹ to the Crime
Branch for further probe. Mani, the minister for electricity in Kerala
state govt. was suggesting that since Maoists are not communists as they
indulge in mindless violence and extortion they deserve encounter
killings and tried to guard himself, skipping that since magisterial
inquiry is ordered he will not comment on ʹEncounterʹ.
It contrasts with the contemporary
scenario in Chattisgarh where the State Secretary of CPI (M) is
implicated in a murder case along with Professors Nandini Sunder and
Archana Prasad from Delhi. There the allegation is Maoists killed an
Adivasi ofcourse a police stooge. Here the CPI (M) Govt. is continuing
the Thunderbolt, part of Greenhunt Operation, Mission 2016, the War on
People, the erst while Congress and present Modiʹs Hinduthva government
pogrom, with shoot at sight orders in Western Ghats. In dealing with
Adivasis, Dalits and Muslims the policies of political parties in
government are one and same is proved once again in Nilambur encounter.
In Western Ghats it is second major
encounter after Com. Saketh Rajan in 2005 and may be second major
encounter in Kerala after Com. Vergheese encounter in 1969.
Vijaya Kumar Ex CRPF Chief and security
advisor on the Maoist movement to Govt. of India claimed in Chennai that
it is great achievement to the state and big bolt to CPI Maoist. It
seems his direction and Q branch of TN state role cannot be ruled out in
this Thunderbolt operation. This will be the second direct involvement
of Vijay Kumar after Kishanjiʹs encounter killing in Jangalmahal,
Bengal.
This is perhaps the first major encounter
in Kerala under CPI (M) government. Thatʹs why even the left front
partner CPI is condemning it as fake encounter and demanding judicial
enquiry.
The CPI State secretary Kanam Rajendran
and state leaders are critical of police action and had made it clear
that the CPI did not approve of Kerala being turned into a land where
Maoists are hunted down.
The leader of opposition, home minister
in Congress government Ramesh Chennithala came out against magisterial
and Crime Branch enquiries terming them grossly inadequate to bring out
the truth.
ʹThe Crime Branch inquiry would be
particularly futile as the killing had been carried out by another wing
of State Police. Only a fair inquiry would convince the people about the
veracity or the police claims. Therefore, there must be an inquiry by a
sitting or retired judge of the High Courtʹ Mr. Chennathala said.
Though this statement reflects the
changing of colours and positions of parliamentary parties while in and
out of power, it should go on record for as posterity of history
demands.
Com. Kuppu Devraj is born in Krishnagiri
of Tamilnadu but his revolutionary political activity is all through in
Karnataka, till he took the responsibility of Western Ghats special
guerilla zone. Devaraj is an engineering graduate with an intellectual
of high caliber and is well versed in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu
and English.
He was a performing artist and cultural
activist and served as an executive member of All India League for
Revolutionary Culture (AILRC) in the later year of 1980s. After one term
he has gone under ground and became the Secretary of CPI (ML) PW,
Karnataka and rose to the Central Committee, CPI Maoist after the merger
of MCCI in 2004. He is senior to Martyrs Com. Saketh Rajan and junior
to Cherukuri Raja Kumar in Karnataka party during last four decades.
Com. Ajitha daughter of Parandhaman, who
served in Indian Railways as an officer, since retired, and deceased,
joined the Revolutionary mass movement in 1980s organized the women
liberation movement and also fought for democratic rights as an advocate
in Chennai. Later she went under ground and has become part of Western
Ghats Maoist revolutionary struggle.
Inspite of her failing eye sight and
deteriouling health Ajitha withstood the ordeal of an under ground life
in the midst of Adivasis and Dalits. Kuppu Devaraj and Ajitha were born
into Dalit families and imbibed Revolutionary class consciousness to
serve the exploited toiling broad masses of this country.
RDF pays homage to tow comrades Kuppa
Devaraj and Ajitha and demands for repost mortem of dead bodies and
judicial inquiry into the encounter and punish the officials involved in
this operation. RDF appeals to the Democratics and people to stand in
solidarity.
Varavara Rao
President
Revolutionary Democratice Front (RDF)
Hyderabad
29th November, 2016
