Five Left Parties Urge PM to End ‘Extrajudicial Killings' Under Anti-Maoist Operation
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Five Left Parties Urge PM to End 'Extrajudicial Killings' Under Anti-Maoist Operation
The Wire Staff
9 minutes ago
Those Maoists reportedly in security forces' custody ought to be produced in court and dealt with under the rule of law, the parties said.
FILE: Members of Left parties stage a protest demanding a halt to Operation Kagar in Hyderabad on May 22, 2025. Photo: PTI.
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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi ought to stop the 'extrajudicial killings' taking place as part of anti-Maoist operations, and the state must respond to the insurgents' call for talks and deal with those Maoists reportedly in security forces' custody in line with the rule of law, five Left parties said on Monday (June 9).
In an open letter to the prime minister, the Communist Party of India (CPI), the CPI (Maoist), the CPI (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, the Revolutionary Socialist Party and the All-India Forward Bloc also urged a stop to the 'militaristic approach that treats the Adivasis' in Chhattisgarh 'with unmitigated hostility'.
They called on Modi to 'put an immediate halt to the extra-judicial killings in the region around Chhattisgarh in the name of Operation Kagar'.
Referring to reports that a number of Maoists were in security forces' custody, the five parties demanded that they 'be produced in court and dealt with as per the rule of law'.
Some rights organisations have alleged that seven of ten rebels captured from Chhattisgarh were killed following torture over the last week. An official of the state administration denied the allegations.
Meanwhile, the rights of the region's Adivasis 'are being systematically violated and the forests and minerals of Chhattisgarh are being subjected to indiscriminate corporate exploitation', Monday's open letter said, echoing allegations from some quarters that the militarisation of the area is a front behind which its mineral resources can be tapped into at tribal locals' expense.
The Union and Chhattisgarh governments have rebuffed the Maoists' call for talks, it said, adding that the state 'should not … celebrate the taking of human lives against the spirit of the law of the land and principles of democratic governance'.
'We reiterate the appeal' by various people and political parties to respond to the insurgents' call and 'urge upon you to stop the extra-judicial killings and violence with immediate effect and order an impartial judicial enquiry,' said the letter, the full text of which is appended below.
The Union home ministry said last month that security forces killed 197 'hardcore' Maoists as part of its operations this year.
§
To
Shri Narendra Modi ji
[Honourable] Prime Minister
Government of India
Dear Prime Minister,
We, on behalf of the five Left parties of the country, Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M), Communist Party of India (Marxist Leninist) Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), write to you to put an immediate halt to the extra-judicial killings in the region around Chhattisgarh in the name of Operation Kagar. There are reports that several senior Maoist leaders are currently in the custody of the security forces. We demand that they should all be produced in court and dealt with as per the rule of law.
The Adivasis in the region have long been complaining about the militarisation of the region which has completely disrupted normal life. The Adivasi rights enshrined in the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution are being systematically violated and the forests and minerals of Chhattisgarh are being subjected to indiscriminate corporate exploitation with disastrous implications for environmental stability and livelihood of the local people. We urge upon you to stop this militaristic approach that treats the Adivasis with unmitigated hostility.
This hostility is being seen even after death, with the government refusing to hand over dead bodies to their families, denying them their right to give a dignified farewell to their family members.
The Maoists have repeatedly urged the government to consider their appeal for dialogue. Unfortunately, the union government and the BJP-led Chhattisgarh state government have chosen not to pursue a solution through talks. Instead, they are following an inhuman policy of killings and annihilation.
The statements made by the union Home minister, reiterating the deadline and the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister's assertion that there is no need for talks, reflect a mindset unwilling to resolve issues through dialogue. The government should not be intransigent and celebrate the taking of human lives against the spirit of the law of the land and principles of democratic governance.
Many concerned citizens and political parties, in spite of having differing views, have already appealed to the government to respond to the Maoist declaration of unilateral ceasefire and initiate a dialogue to resolve all issues. We reiterate the appeal and urge upon you to stop the extra-judicial killings and violence with immediate effect and order an impartial judicial enquiry.
Thanking you,
Yours sincerely,
M.A. Baby, general secretary, CPI(M)D. Raja, general secretary, CPIDipankar Bhattacharya, general secretary, CPI (ML) LiberationManoj Bhattacharya, general secretary, RSPG. Devarajan, general secretary, AIFB.
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