Man killed in anti-Naxal operation is not Maoist, was a govt. school cook, says family
The family members of a 38-year-old man killed in an anti-Naxal operation in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur earlier this month have claimed that he was not a Maoist. The family and other residents in Irpagutta village say Mahesh Kudiyam used to work as a cook in a government school for more than a year. The police had declared that Kudiyam was a Naxalite with ₹1 lakh bounty.
Kudiyam was among the seven alleged Maoists killed by the security forces in Indravati National Park area in Bijapur in an operation in which CPI (Maoist) central committee member (CCM) Sudhakar alias Gautam and Telangana State committee (TSC) member Bhaskar were among the killed.
The operation lasted for several days and multiple encounters were reported on June 5, 6 and 7. On June 10, the police issued a press release stating that one of the slain men was identified as Mahesh Kudiyam. They had described him as a party member from the National Park area committee of Maoists who had a reward of ₹1 lakh on his arrest.
However, speaking with a Bastar-based YouTube channel, Bastar Talkies, Kudiyam's wife and brothers said the man was not a Maoist. Irma Vela, a local resident, told the channel that Kudiyam was just a cook and a peon in the village government school.
According to one of Kudiyam's brothers, the man had gone to graze his cattle on the day of the encounter. The family also shared images of a bank passbook showing purported transactions documenting Kudiyam receiving his remuneration from the government.
Kudiyam's wife Sumitra expressed concerns about raising the couple's seven children on her own, with her husband, the sole breadwinner of the family, now dead.
Police's response
While the police acknowledged that Kudiyam had worked as a government school cook, they maintained that he was a Maoist.
An official statement released by Inspector General of Police for Bastar Range, Sundarraj P, reads, '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.'
It further stated, 'The circumstances under which Mahesh Kodiyam came into contact with senior Maoist leaders such as 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. Police once again urges all individuals directly or indirectly associated with the banned CPI (Maoist) organisation to immediately sever all such ties. 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.'
On Kudiyam's recruitment as a government cook despite his alleged association with a banned outfit, Bastar Collector Sambit Mishra told The Hindu that such appointments are made on ad-hoc basis and the process is decentralized. 'It is the school management committees which hire them and no police verification is done. We have asked the block education officer for a report in this case,' he said.
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