Chief Minister Is Responsible For Kandhamal Encounter: Jual

BHUBANESWAR: Union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram on Sunday said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is responsible for the killing of innocent tribals during crossfire between security personnel and Maoists in Kandhamal on Friday night.

He said his ministry would send a team to the village to examine and ascertain the truth.

Launching a scathing attack on the Odisha government, Oram said the Naveen Patnaik government is anti-tribal.

However, the ruling BJD said that the opposition parties are trying to give it a political colour.

“Kandhamal incident was a mere accident. But, the opposition parties are trying to give it a political colour for their benefit. The Chief Minister has already ordered a judiciary probe into the matter,” said BJD MP Prasanna Acharya.

Notably, five villagers were killed during an exchange of fire between security personnel and Maoists on Friday night in Kandhamal district.

The incident took place at Kurtumgarh village under Tumudibandh police station limits.