Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Raman Singh may have blamed Maoists for using human shields resulting in civilian deaths in a recent operation, however, human rights activist Colin Gonsalves has said that the loss of innocent lives is not acceptable.
“In a liberated zone where a civil war is taking place it is not as if the rule of the land ceases to exist. The law is a humanitarian law and the law says you can kill Naxalites and they will shoot back at you but you can never deliberately target and kill civilans,” Gonsalves told CNN IBN.
Screengrab from CNN IBN
“You cannot deliberately kill, if it is accidental killing it is understandable,” he added.
Gonsalves also said in tribals have never been targeted by the Maoists.
“We have asked tribals again and again, do you fear the Maoists and they smile and say we have nothing to fear from the Maoists,” he said
When CNN IBN asked how the state force can respond if the Naxals engage in heinous crimes, Gonsalves said, “Let us assume that Maoists are doing all kinds of heinous crimes but then too does it justify that the State acts as a gunda, ruffian and killer?”
