In a shocking charge made a month after the security agencies gunned down 40 suspected Maoists in two separate anti-Naxal operations in Gadchiroli district of eastern Maharashtra, the affected villagers of Gattepalli have alleged that of the persons killed in the two encounters, eight were “innocent” youths who were not Maoists as was being claimed by the security agencies.
In a signed memorandum submitted to Gadchiroli district collector on Monday, the Gattepalli villagers said that the eight “innocent” youngsters killed in the anti-naxal operation comprised eight girls and five boys, all aged between 15 and 25 years.
The villagers demanded that the anti-naxal wing of the Gadchiroli police —C-60 commandos as they are known – be held responsible for the killing of eight “innocent” youths, action be taken against them and families of the slain youths be given Rs 1 crore each as compensation. The villagers demanded a judicial inquiry into the death of eight “innocent” youths who were killed in the anti-naxal encounters.
The villagers identified the eight “innocent” youths as: Irappa Wate Madavi (23), Mangesh Atram Atram (25), Mangesh Chandu Madavi (17), Buji Kadavi Usandi (17), Nurse Pendu Madavi (18), Raso Pocha Madavi (23), Roso Chakku Madavi (15) and Anita Devu Gawade (18).
The villagers said that eight slain youngsters were among a group of people that had gone to a marriage of one Soma Renu Madavi in the neighbour Kasanur village. While two of them — Gonglu Muka Gawde and Tulsi Chaitu Gawde — came back to the village on April 22, eight other youngsters — who were to have returned on April 23 — did not return at all.
“After the eight youngsters failed to return, we went to Kasanur village and enquired about their whereabouts of these youngsters. We did not find any of them there. Subsequently on April 24, we lodged a missing complaint with the local police about the disappearance of these youngsters,” the memorandum stated.
According to the memorandum, the local police took the families to various morgues where the bodies of the slain 40 “Maoists” had been for identification by their families.
The villagers said from among the killed “Maoists”, they identified one female body – Buji Karve Usandi, since the slain person had worn the cloths when she went for the wedding.
As many as 33 villagers —who have signed the memorandum — charged that the police did not allow them to look at all bodies of the slain “Maoists” , when they approached the law enforcers to ascertain the identifies of bodies kept at the district government hospital’s morgue.
However, on April 27, the authorities obtained the DNA samples of the parents of the missing youngsters who had lodged a complaint with the police. “The DNA reports have not come so far,” the villagers said. “We feel our innocent youths have been killed in the anti-naxal encounters carried in the forests of Gadchiroli district on April 22. They had all left together for the wedding in Kasnasur and even Buji Karve Usandi (whose body was identified in a morgue) was travelling with them,” the villagers stated in their memorandum.