Chhattisgarh: Man killed in gunfight with security forces on June 5 not a Maoist, claims family

The family members of a 38-year-old man, who was among seven persons killed in a gunfight between suspected Maoists and security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district on June 5, have claimed that he was not a Maoist, The Hindu reported on Monday.

The man, Mahesh Kudiyam from Irpagutta village, had been a cook at a government school for more than a year, they said. However, the police claimed that he was also a member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) with a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, The Indian Express reported.

Kudiyam, along with six others, was killed by security forces in the Indravati National Park area in a joint operation on June 5. Gautam alias Sudhakar, a central committee member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), was also among those killed in the gunfight.

The central committee is the highest decision-making body of the Communist Party of India (Maoist).

Several gunfights were reported between June 5 and June 7 as part of the operation, The Hindu reported. On June 10, the police issued a statement identifying one of the men killed as Kudiyam, who was allegedly a part of the Communist Party of India (Maoist)’s National Park area committee.

However, Kudiyam’s wife Sumitra, brothers and a few residents of the village, in an...

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