Rayagada: In an incident of mistaken identity, a raiding party comprising BSF and DVF jawans allegedly killed a Dongria youth recently suspecting him to be a left wing extremist, a report Wednesday said.
“Security personnel had killed my brother during a gun battle with Maoists February 27 near Dengapati village under Kalyansinghpur police limits in Rayagada district and dubbed him as an ultra,” Drika Kadraka, brother of Monda Kadraka, who was killed in the incident, made a serious allegation against police.
Drika met DSP SK Mohanty in the absence of the SP at the district police headquarters here and lodged a complaint.
According to the complainant, Niyamgiri Ghatparva, a tribal celebration, was under way in Niyamgiri hill from February 26 to 28. As part of rituals, Monda, son of Lachi Kadraka and Dambaru Shikka, son of Butudu Shikka of the village were asked to bring a local brew from the hill. Accordingly, the two had gone to collect the juice in the wee hours Saturday to a location where police were conducting combing. However, the villagers were not informed about it ahead of the operation. While Dambaru climbed up the tree to collect juice, Monda was waiting on the ground.
Meanwhile, police mistook Monda as a Maoist and shot him dead, Kadra said in his FIR. The raiding party then dragged the body to a distance while Dambaru managed to save his life and returned to village.
Though some villagers made an attempt to identify the ‘Maoist’, police drove them out and took the body to Rayagada. Later, he came to know about Monda’s killing when Rayagada SP claimed before the media that the jawans had gunned down a Maoist during the operation. The body was also not handed over to the family, according to the complaint.
Dambaru was panic-stricken seeing the brutal murder of his friend before his eyes. He narrated the whole incident Tuesday before villagers.
Kadra sought a murder case registered against police personnel who were involved in the killing of an innocent Dongria youth. PNN
