NEW DELHI: A fact-finding team of 21 rights groups alleged that joint forces comprising
CRPF and state police “killed 17 villagers in cold blood” at Sarkeguda on June 28.
“It was plain
slaughter that night near Sarkeguda,” said Asish Gupta, convener of
Coordination of Democratic Rights Organizations (CDRO) on Wednesday.
The team visited the encounter site at Sarkeguda on July 6 and 7. Speaking to reporters, Gupta said, “There were no
Maoists at the meeting that night.
The CRPF fired indiscriminately at villagers without provocation.”
Another fact finding team comprising academic Nandini Sundar and activists Kopa Kunjam and JP Rao visited the encounter site on July 3 and 4. “The villagers say that there were no Maoists present, and that the police were most likely injured in cross-firing,” their report said.
Both teams alleged CRPF men “stole Rs 2,000 from Madkam Nagesh’s house, Rs 5,000 from Irpa Raju’s house and Rs 30,000 from Irpa Narayan’s house”.
The report of Sundar’s team included statements of five
women of Kottaguda who alleged they were molested. Sruti Barse (15), Irpa Pushpa (16) and Irpa Lalita (17-18) alleged in a statement to the team that they were pulled out of Lalita’s house by CRPF men, threatened with rape and beaten.
According to the team’s report, Kaka
Sarika (16) and her aunt Karam Dare were running for shelter when they were pulled to the ground by a CRPF man. Later, they alleged they were beaten and taken where all the villagers had been assembled by the forces. Later, they were taken to the police station.
The CDRO demanded all CRPF and CoBRA personnel who participated in the operation be charged with murder and under provisions of SC, ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act). They should be charged for molesting women, looting and destroying property.