FACAM alleges extrajudicial killings in Bastar, calls for independent probe and ceasefire

By A Representative 

The Forum Against Corporatization and Militarization (FACAM) has issued a statement condemning the Indian government over the alleged extrajudicial killings of Maoist leaders and continued violence in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh. FACAM referred specifically to the death of G. Renuka, a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the banned CPI (Maoist), who was reported killed by security forces on March 31 near the Indravati River in what authorities described as a crossfire. 

Citing witness testimonies and a press statement by the Maoist party, FACAM claimed Renuka was in poor health and unable to fight, and was instead forcibly taken, tortured, and killed.

The group also highlighted the death of another Maoist member, Sudheer, under similar circumstances, and accused the state of engaging in a systematic campaign of violence against Maoist rebels and Adivasi civilians. FACAM alleged the use of torture, rape, and staged encounters as part of a broader militarized approach linked to corporate interests in mineral-rich areas like Bastar.

Drawing parallels with colonial violence, the statement accused the Indian state of violating both international humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Conventions, and constitutional rights. FACAM criticized the ongoing Operation Kagar, which it claimed has resulted in over 400 deaths in the past year, and rejected military solutions to the decades-long insurgency, citing the findings of government-appointed commissions.

The organization alleged that the violence targets Adivasi communities resisting corporate-driven mining projects and land displacement. It called for an independent judicial investigation into the deaths of Renuka and Sudheer, an immediate ceasefire with peace negotiations, the cessation of Operation Kagar, and an end to human rights violations in the region.