Tribal Congress MLA Omkar Singh Markam demanded a high-level inquiry into the police encounter of a tribal man.
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Alleging that the police in the Mandla district of Madhya Pradesh killed an innocent tribal in the name of being a naxalite in a fake encounter, Opposition Congress MLAs on Monday staged a walkout in the state assembly.
Tribal Congress MLA Omkar Singh Markam demanded a high-level inquiry into the police encounter that took place in the Kisli range of the Kanha National park a few days ago.
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The budget session of the Assembly reconvened on Monday, after a three-day break for the festival of Holi.
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The Congress cornered the ruling BJP over the law and order situation in the state.
MLA Markam said that the President also belongs to the tribal community. He urged the President to take cognizance of the matter.
Congress MLAs raised slogans demanding strict action against those involved in the alleged fake encounter. Subsequently, the opposition walked out of the house.
The tribal man, Hiran Singh Partha (38), was killed during a police encounter with a group of naxalites in the tribal-dominated Mandla district a few days ago.
Partha, a father of five kids, belonged to the Baiga tribe, which is a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG) in India.
After the encounter and subsequent identification of Partha’s body, questions were raised about the veracity of the encounter.
The Congress claimed that Partha was innocent and the police branded him a naxalite and killed him in a fake encounter.
Following the controversy, Balaghat Zone Inspector General of Police (IG) Sanjay Kumar had admitted that the police currently do not have any record that Partha was a Maoist (naxalite).
The IG, however, stated that it was still being investigated how Partha was moving along with the naxalites in the area.
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