Man killed in anti-Naxal operation in MP turns out to be tribal

MANDLA: A man killed in a recent anti-Naxal operation in 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 said 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. PTI



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