Man killed in anti-Naxal op in MP turns out to be tribal; Cong seeks judicial probe
Mandla: A man killed in a recent anti-Naxal operation in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla district was a tribal and not a Maoist, an official has said.
The opposition Congress claimed the man was innocent and demanded a high-level probe and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
The man, Hiran Singh Partha (38), belonged to the Baiga community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, said officials.
The encounter took place on March 9 and his identity was ascertained on March 13, a senior official said on Saturday.
Partha was accompanying Naxalites deep inside a jungle in Khatiya area of the district, Balaghat Zone Inspector General (IG) of Police Sanjay Kumar told PTI when asked more about his identification.
“How come he was with the Maoists? This is a matter of investigation. Often, Naxalites move with tribals. We can speak about his association (with Naxalites) only after investigation,” Kumar said.
“We don't have any records that he was a Maoist. For now, he is a resident of Lasara Tola village,” the senior police official said.
After the encounter, two men having links with Maoists were arrested, he said.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA Narayan Singh Patta, who represents Bichhiya constituency in the tribal-dominated Mandla district, said he visited Partha’s village on Saturday and met his children and other residents.
“I was there from 10.30 am till 1 pm but could not meet Partha’s wife. The police did not allow her to meet me. I was told she was in the police station,” the tribal legislator said.
The deceased was the father of five kids. He was an innocent man and had even worked under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, Patta claimed.
“Partha might not have known who Maoists were. I have learnt that he used to go deep into the jungle to collect forest product and catch parrots,” the Congress leader said, demanding a high-level probe and a judicial inquiry into the incident.
Earlier, the police in a release on March 9 said a man from a Naxal group was killed during an encounter and information about him was being gathered.
IG Kumar had then said that around 205 rounds, including 125 by Naxalites, were fired during the March 9 gun battle. A .315 bore firearm was found near the body, he added.
Police said intelligence reports on March 8 suggested the presence of Naxalites in the Kanha National Park area within the jurisdiction of Khatiya police station.
Acting on these inputs, the state police’s anti-Naxal Hawk Force launched the operation, Kumar earlier said.
Besides killing Partha, police arrested two 28-year-old casual labourers of the forest department, Ashok Kumar Valko and Santosh Kumar Dhurve, claiming they helped Naxalites with ration.
The police have invoked the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act against Valko and Dhurve, both locals.
Balsingh Thakur, the Mandla unit chief of the Madhya Pradesh Van Karmachari Sangh, a forest workers' union, on Friday claimed the two casual labourers were falsely implicated.
“We are going to meet the Mandla superintendent of police soon and submit a petition to ensure the innocent tribal labourers are released from jail,” he said.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
