Five Left parties wrote a joint letter to the Prime Minister arguing him for an immediate halt to the extra-judicial killings of Maoists in the name of Operation Kagar.
Groundxero | June 09, 2025
The General Secretaries of five Left parties — Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (ML)-Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party and All India Forward Bloc — have jointly addressed an open letter to Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on Monday (June 9), arguing him for an immediate halt “to the extra-judicial killings in the region around Chhattisgarh in the name of Operation Kagar.”
Various human right and civil liberty groups across the country has strongly condemned the recent extrajudicial killing of CPI (Maoist) leaders and cadres, many of whom are Adivasis, in alleged encounters carried out under the guise of counterinsurgency operations in Chhattisgarh. The groups have unequivocally asserts that no person, regardless of political affiliation or ideological stance, is beyond the protection of the law. Referring to these reports, the letter by the Left parties also pointed out that several senior Maoist leaders are currently in the custody of the security forces. The parties demanded that they should all be produced in court and dealt with as per the rule of law.
The Left parties wrote that 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. In their letter the parties argued on the Prime Minister to stop his government’s militaristic approach that treats the Adivasis with unmitigated hostility.
The parties said it is unfortunate that the union government and the BJP-led Chhattisgarh state government are following an inhuman policy of killings and annihilation even after the Maoists have repeatedly urged the government to consider their appeal for dialogue.
Human right groups have reported that over 430 individuals—including Maoists and civilians—have reportedly been killed by security forces in various alleged encounters in Bastar since January 2024. The Union home ministry said last month that security forces killed 197 “hardcore” Maoists as part of its operations this year. The People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) has said that despite clear legal precedents, the ongoing military operations reflect a systematic policy of extermination, circumventing the criminal justice system and flouting constitutional norms. Coordination of Democratic Rights Organisations (CDRO), echoing what Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha had said in 2011, has alleged that these fake encounters are nothing but “cold-blooded, brutal murder by persons who are supposed to uphold the law”.
The Left parties also reiterated the appeal for dialogue with the Maoists and urged upon the Prime Minister to stop the extra-judicial killings and violence with immediate effect and order an impartial judicial enquiry into the encounters.
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09 May 2025
Press Release
To
Shri Narendra Modi ji
Honorouble 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,
Your sincerely,
S/d S/d S/d
MA Baby D Raja Dipankar Bhattacharya
General Secretary General Secretary General Secretary
CPI(M) CPI CPI(ML)- Liberation
S/d S/d
Manoj Bhattacharya G Devarajan
General Secretary General Secretary
RSP AIFB