Note

‘Shourya Chakra’
S M Rao

There was a news item on the 15th August, 2012 issue of a Telugu daily Andhra Jyoti stating "Shourya Chakras" to the heroes of Kishenji's encounter. That on November 24th, 2011 near Salboni in West Midnapore Dist, in West Bengal, Kishenji, the Maoist top leader was camping along with his associates. As the intelligence agency confirmed the information the Cobra contingent in the security forces i.e., CRPF and other combined forces encircled the area for combing. As and when, they scented his presence, there was a battle and firing from both sides and in that Kishenji was killed along with other four activists. This was the police version of the incident. Officers who led the attack from the front ‘heroically’ and eliminated the Maoist leader Kishenji with his associates—two CRPF Assistant Commandants—were selected for this year's 'Shourya Chakra' awards on the eve of the Independence Day. They belonged to the Kobra Group of  Battalion 207—Vinod P Joseph and Nagendra Singh. Previously, these awards were presented only to army people but recently, these were extended to the CRPF also. Even it is learnt that photos of these officers were published in Bengali dailies.

The above narration was published in the Telugu daily Andhra Jyoti. In reading these lines a memory is reflected in this writer's mind of a high ranking Army Officer, killing his own jawans, dressing them as Pakistani forces on the border and claiming gallantary awards and promotions some years back.

Here the moot question is whether Kishenji was killed in the so-called encounter. If so what happened to other four bodies of his associates? Only a badly mutiliated, fractured, and legs burnt with several wounds on the whole body by a sharp weapon such as knife or bayonet, left hand's index finger cut by one fourth, lower jaw missing as if fired by revolver putting the nozzle in the mouth, back side of the head skull blown up, some portion of the brain missing, right eye gouged out, throat slit open, lying on a place without any thick bushes and trees and all that told another story of henious crime being committed by the brave police of this country and getting bravery awards. Several civil liberties organisations and Democratic Rights institutions formed a fact finding committee that made enquiries of the place where the body was thrown face downwards, and after questioning the people in the hamlets in the proximity, came with the conclusion that it was a sheer cold blooded murder after immense inhuman torture.

Before Kishenji, Nalla Adireddi, Mahesh and Murali, all were arrested and subjected to horrible tortures before being killed duing Chandra Babu Naidu's regime in AP. That when talks between CPl(ML-PWG) later on Maoist, failed in 2004, then various killings in a chain–Rajamouli and his wife, Shakhamuri Appa Rao, Patel Sudhakar Reddi, Madhav, Cherukuri Rajakumar @ Azad and last Kishenji but not the least, the chain would go on...

Previously, they used to follow some other methods to kill captured naxalites. They used to be tied to trees, blindfolded, and fired upon. Later on, they changed the tactics. But the killing spree was going on for more than 40 years or so. Today they have MOSSAD's strategy of eliminating with democratic sanctions in the so-called largest democracy with impunity and shamelessness.

Frontier
Vol. 45, No. 11, Sep 23 -29 2012

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