Bhubaneswar: The banned CPI (Maoist) has called for bandh in Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra on November 3 to protest against the Malkangiri encounter in which 30 Maoists were killed.
In a statement issued by Maoist's Central Committee, Pratap, a self-styled spokesperson, has given the bandh call in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra.
The banned organisation also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government, along with Odisha and Andhra Pradesh governments, were favouring Bauxite mining in the tribal area against the will of the locals.
Yesterday, in an audio tape, CPI (Maoist) East Division Committee secretary Kailash held the Chief Ministers of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh responsible for the encounter.
The joint operation carried out by the Andhra Pradesh's elite anti-Maoist force Greyhound and Odisha Police killed 30 Maoists, including east division secretary Appa Rao alias Chalapathi, his wife and Maoist leader Aruna, the military head of the AOB zone, Gajarala Ashok alias Uday, the son of central committee member Ramakrishna alias RK identified as Munna.
Yesterday CPI had demanded a judicial inquiry into the encounter and deplored the action as “highhanded” killings.
In the same breathe, CPI general secretary S Sudhakar Reddy also condemned the threat issued to Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and his family in a letter, written purportedly by outlawed CPI(Maoist).
Reddy also hit out at RSS for allegedly labeling communists as “anti-Hindu” and said the Left parties neither support nor oppose any religion, but are pitching for secularism.
“CPI severely condemns these highhanded killings in the name of encounters. CPI demands judicial inquiry into the whole incident,” a party statement quoted Reddy as saying.