No Encounter in Gadchiroli

The killing of at least 37 Maoists by the combined force of the elite Commando-60 unit of the Gadchiroli Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on 22 and 23 April 2018 raises some very disturbing questions about the state’s methods of conducting “encounters.” On the morning of 22 April 2018, 64 police and paramilitary personnel gunned down 16 Maoists in the Karnasur jungle in Bhamragad area of eastern Maharashtra. The following evening, police commandos and security personnel killed another six Maoists in the Rajaram Khandla jungle, in the Jimalgatta area of Gadchiroli district. Subsequently, on 24 April 2018, the police discovered 15 bloated bodies of suspected Maoists in the Indravati river. As of now, the toll stands at 37. While the Maoists have not commented on the attack, the police claimed that the Maoists have lost three of their high-ranking commanders and seven women as well. Hailed as the biggest anti-Maoist operations in four decades, the entire Gadchiroli district has been sealed off and the police–paramilitary combine are carrying out searches and raids.

When the state declares war on its people via encounters, the modus operandi of the state is rarely questioned, as it is believed that the state is fighting a just war against terrorists and anti-nationals who mostly double up as extortionists and harass the local population, like the Maoists. But, did an encounter really happen at Tadgaon?