Man killed in last month's encounter was a govt school cook, officials say; police maintain Maoist link

A 38-year-old tribal man, who was among the seven killed in an encounter between Maoists and security forces at Indravati National Park in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district on June 5, worked as a cook in a government school in the local village for over a year, officials said.
Police have said all seven of those killed were Maoists, including the cook, Mahesh Kudiyam. Kudiyam, from Irpagutta village, was a cook at a local school and also a member of the CPI (Maoist)'s National Park area committee, carrying a reward of Rs 1 lakh on his head, police said.
His family, however, denied the allegations and told Bastar-based YouTube channel, Bastar Talkies, that he was killed while he was out grazing cattle.
Bijapur Collector Sambit Mishra said an impartial magisterial inquiry was being conducted into the incident.
After the exchange of fire on June 5, the body of a member of the Maoists' Central Committee, Sudhakar alias Gautam, was recovered on the same day. Over the next two days, six more bodies were recovered, including that of the Maoists' Telangana State Committee (TSC) member, Bhaskar, as well as Kudiyam.
An official from the Bijapur education department confirmed to The Indian Express that Kudiyam was a cook at a local school in the National Park area and was hired in September 2023, drawing a salary of Rs 2,000 per month. The official said that due to summer holidays, he was on leave.
An official statement released by Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, also said Kudiyam was a cook at the school, but maintained that he was also a Maoist.
'During inquest proceedings, it was confirmed that Mahesh Kodiyam was a party member of the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation operating in the National Park Area division, and he had clear links with the proscribed group. It has also come to light that Mahesh Kodiyam was working as a cook assistant at the primary school in Irpagutta village. His appointment had been made by the village school management committee, and he was being paid remuneration for this role until March 2025. The circumstances under which Mahesh Kodiyam came into contact with senior Maoist leaders, like Central Committee member Gautam and State Committee member Bhaskar, are currently under investigation. A thorough, impartial, and professional inquiry is being conducted into all aspects of the case.'
The statement also urged individuals 'directly or indirectly associated with the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation to immediately sever all such ties'. It said, 'Continued association with this extremist outfit poses a serious threat not only to public safety and regional peace but also to the lives and future of those involved.'
However, Kudiyam's wife, brothers and some local residents spoke to the Bastar Talkies YouTube channel and claimed he was not a Maoist. 'Kudiyam was just a cook and a peon in the school. On the day of the encounter, he had gone to graze his cattle,' local resident Irma Vela told the channel.
Kudiyam's wife, Sumitra, appealed to the government to provide support to the family as he was the sole breadwinner. The couple had seven children. Sumitra told the channel, 'How will I raise these children by myself?'
One of his four brothers, Ajay, said, 'I have studied up to class 6. I do not know what happened. I worked as a coolie in Andhra. I came (days) later and learnt he had gone to graze buffalo and was killed.'

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