Communist Party of India (Maoist) statement on Malkangiri encounter

From Redspark:

Statement by Jagabandhu, Spokesperson, CPI (Maoist), Andhra–Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee

(This is an English translation of the statement, read out in Telugu over a phone call to media on Thursday. This translation follows the full text in print appeared on the website www.virasam.org)

The statements released by police officers till now on the joint attack by Andhra and Odisha police on our camp near Ramaguda village in Malkangiri district in Odisha on October 24 and the massacre of 31 of our comrades, are misleading people as they are completely different from what actually happened there. There is some delay on our part in sharing the facts with people as we are completely encircled by police.

What actually happened was, our squad reached Ramaguda village on October 23 morning and camped there. We slept near the village that night also. In the early morning next day, people saw police coming towards our camp and tried to inform us but the police arrested them and prevented the information reaching us. While we were having our roll-call around 6 in the morning, the police came very close to our camp from two sides. Our PLGA became alert immediately and began firing. Some unarmed Adivasi youngsters, both men and women, from the neighbouring villages, who were with us at that time started to run towards a nearby village. The police shot indiscriminately at those who were running away and also the Adivasis who were fishing in the rivulet adjacent to our camp and killed some. Many of the Adivasis were injured in the firing and some of them were arrested alive. Our squad safely retreated from the camp, under resistance. We did not suffer any physical loss at the camp.

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