Wives of fake encounter victims seek Guv help

Wives of five persons who lost their lives in the alleged Bhaliaguda fake encounter in November 14 last year on Saturday appealed to the Governor for a judicial inquiry by a sitting Judge of the Odisha High Court to unearth the truth.

They also urged the Governor to direct the State administration to book the responsible security personnel under Section 302 of the IPC and ensure sanction of Rs 10 lakh as compensation to each deceased’s family.

Notably, five persons like Ayub Pradra of Bujuli Village, Syamson Majhi of Bhinguruiguda, Ghasiram Bagsingh of Mardipanka village under Brahmanigam police Station, Sanatan Mallik of Gaheju village and lakshmikanta Nayak of the Tikabali area were killed in an alleged fake encounter by the police at Bhaliaguda forest, the bordering area of Kandhamal and Gajapati districts.

“We all belong to poor Adivasi and Dalit families from various places of Kandhamal. The deceased persons were known to be socially active persons, had been working for the rights of fellow villagers on issues of forest rights, NREGA, RTI and were never involved in any underground activities. But they were killed brutally in the name of Maoists,” said the memorandum which was submitted to the Governor.

Earlier to this, the family members of the deceased persons attended a national level convention on State Repression on Democratic Peoples’ Movements here. The convention was organised by Campaign against Fabricated Cases and lok Shakti Abhiyan.