Exposed: CPM double-speak on encounter killings

The New Indian Express

KOZHIKODE: THE comments from the CPM on the CBI special court verdict in the Varghese case has exposed the party's doublespeak on 'statesponsored terrorism.'

The party has enthusiastically welcomed the verdict and even wrote an editorial in 'Desabhimani' hailing the sentence awarded to former Inspector General of Police K Lakshmana.

But the party's national leadership, however, is still maintaining a studied silence on the demand for a judicial probe into the murder of CPI (Maoist) leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, even when the clamour for an investigation reached new heights.

The CPM indirectly consumed the police version that Azad was killed in an encounter at Adilabad in July. The party slammed Trinamool Congress leader and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee when she tried to pick up holes in the police story. CPM leader Sitaram Yechury blasted Mamata for aiding the Maoists by raising the demand for a probe into the killing.

The political situation in West Bengal, where the Maoists are targeting the CPM cadre, might have forced the party to keep mum on the murder of Azad. The CPM did not react even after national media brought to light the postmortem report, which clearly showed that Azad was shot from point blank range.

But the developments after the verdict in Varghese case will force the party to clear its stand on 'encounter killings' of Maoists. Sende Rajamouli, a politburo member of CPI (Maoist), was allegedly picked up from Kollam and was later killed in a stagemanaged encounter in Andhra Pradesh three years ago. The Kerala Government failed to react, though the arrest happened in its territory.

The CBI court verdict will add strength to the Maoist sympathisers and human rights activists to raise their voice more loudly against what they call 'state terror.' "More than 80 leaders of the CPI (Maoists) have been murdered by the police in the past five years alone.

We hope that the verdict will give more vigour to the human rights activists to demand inquiry into the police atrocities," said Ajayan Mannur, secretary of the Revolutionary Peoples Front (RPF), a proMaoist outfit.

K N Ramachandran, central secretary of the CPI (ML), told 'Express' that his organisation would demand probe into the killings of the Maoist leaders.

"This has been our demand for a long time, though we are opposed to the ideology of the Maoists," he said.