Kandhamal encounter: Activists demand SC monitored SIT probe

Seeking a Supreme Court monitored probe into the killing of five tribals during an anti-maoist operation in Odisha's Kandhamal, a joint fact finding team comprising civil right activists today demanded lodging of a murder case against persons responsible for the incident.
"The explanation given by the state police that the villagers died during cross fire between police and Maoists is 100 per cent lie and a cruel joke," Narendra Mohanty, State Convener of Campaign Against Fabricated Cases (CAFC) told reporters at a joint press conference here.
Mohanty was part of the four-member fact finding team that made inquiry at the spot of the Friday night incident. They alleged that the injured persons were not immediately taken to the hospital for treatment.

While on one side, the state government is claiming that Maoist problem has been successfully tackled, on the other hand, it demands more funds from the Centre.
"The state through its police has been terrorizing the people in the tribal areas at gun point for the so-called development," said Indian Social Action Forum (INSAF) and spokesperson of CPI (ML) (New Democracy) Bhalachandra Sarangi.
Member of All India Peoples Forum (AIPF) Mahendra Parida and Tapan Mishra, made five demands including a Special Investigation Team probe under the supervision of Supreme Court, immediate suspension of the Kandhamal SP and all police officials involved in the "fake" encounter cases and file cases against them for murder under section 302 of IPC.

This apart, the team also demanded Rs 50 lakh compensation to each deceased's family and withdrawal of all paramilitary and security forces from Kandhamal.