The villagers of Sarkeguda area in Chhattisgarh had deliberately given shelter to hardcore Naxals, knowing fully well that the Maoists will not hesitate from using them as human shields. This has been stated in an internal report of the Union home ministry, details of which have been accessed by this newspaper, which further goes on to add that there were at least four hardcore top Naxal commanders who had taken shelter in the village on the night of the encounter.
Highly placed home ministry sources revealed that these four Naxals have been identified as Mahesh, Nagesh, Suresh and Somulu.
The Sarkeguda encounter on the intervening night of June 28 and 29, in which 19 persons, mostly in the age group of 15 to 28, were killed, had triggered a huge controversy with allegations of innocents being killed.
The report also states that the security forces on numerous occasion have been “sensitising’’ villagers in Naxal dominated states that the Maoists will use children and women as human shields, particularly if their top commander come under heavy fire from the security forces. The villagers of Sarkeguda too had been warned well in advance by the CRPF which even offered to help the villagers if the Naxals forcibly took shelter in their village.
But, the report adds, the villagers voluntarily helped the top Naxals leaders.
What is also clear now is that the CRPF followed all Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) alerting the villagers to disburse when a gathering was on late at night. Within minutes of this announcement, the CRPF contingent came under heavy firing, critically injuring six jawans thus leaving the force with no other option but to retaliate in self defence.