Civil society and political parties allege ‘fake encounters and custodial killings of Maoists’

Civil society groups and political leaders have strongly condemned what they termed ‘fake encounters’ of Maoists by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Central government.

The roundtable meeting, held to condemn allegations of surveillance killings and operations, was attended by Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president Mahesh Kumar Goud; MLA Kunamaneni Sambasiva Rao, MLC Kodandaram, former MLA Julakanti Rangareddy, G. Haragopal, Vimalakka and others.

Addressing the meeting, Mr Goud criticized the Center for adopting what he called a “process of elimination” against dissenting voices. “Fake encounters must be unequivocally condemned. Leaders like Hidma, Keshav Rao and Ganapathi have dedicated their lives to the cause of the people,” he said, adding that the Congress is against violence from both the State and rebel groups.

Explaining his personal experiences, Mr. Goud said he was also a victim of Naxalite-related violence. “When anyone speaks about Operation Kagar or expresses concern about the excesses of the state, they are branded as anti-national. Those who say they want to return to mainstream life are vindictively targeted,” he claimed.

He accused Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of “going overboard” for political power and criticized the Central government for trying to hand over forest and mineral wealth to corporates. He said the ongoing push to privatize profitable public sector institutions was part of a larger strategy to undermine democratic structures.

Mr. Goud also alleged that the BJP was using religion as a political weapon and conspiring to eliminate left-leaning ideologies and parties. “It is unfortunate that politics is done in the name of God,” he said.

The roundtable concluded with a collective call for transparency, accountability and protection of democratic dissent across the country.