Dangamati fake encounter: Kin to depose before probe team Sunday

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Rayagada, Apr 16:

Two days after the district administration conducted an on-the-spot investigation of the alleged fake encounter of a Dongaria Kondh by security personnel, it will record the statement of the kin of the deceased at Kalyansinghpur Tehsil office in Odisha’s Rayagada district tomorrow.

The probe team headed by Rayagada Collector Jagannath Mohanty had visited Parshali village under Kalyansinghpur police limits for the on-the-spot investigation on Friday and met the family members of the deceased Manda Kadraka.

The District Collector accompanied by Sub Collector and SDPO asked the brother of the deceased—Drika Kadraka—to appear before the probe panel on Sunday at Kalyansinghpur Tehsil office to record their statement and produce evidence in support of their claims.

“The family members of the deceased had knocked the doors of the Human Rights Commission following which we had come for a spot investigation. We met them personally and intimated them to appear at the Tehsil office on Sunday as part of the investigation process. They have been asked to record their statement, produce witness and evidence,” Rayagada Collector Jagannath Mohanty said.

Notably, the security forces on February 27 this year had claimed that a suspected Maoist, Manda Kadraka (20), was killed in an encounter in the Dangamati forests.

However, Drika had claimed that he and his brother had gone to collect salapa to the hill near their village early on February 27 morning and while they were on their way home, a team of armed police came to them.

Seeing them, he ran away from the area but his brother could not run and the police later took him away, Drika had said. Later he claimed to have heard gunshots and hiding in the forest saw the policemen returning from the area with a dead body and some books with them.

On March 14, over 500 Dongaria Kondhs under the banner of Niyamgiri Surakhya Samiti (NSS) took out a protest rally and gheraoed Kalyansinghpur police station against the alleged fake encounter of Manda.

The tribals, armed with traditional weapons, demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the killing, registration of murder case against the police and a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the family.