Human rights activists and opposition leaders in central Chhattisgarh state have called for an official probe into the killings of 19 tribal people – including children – which authorities accused of being Maoist rebels.

Local authorities hailed the June 28 operation by the Central Reserve Police force as a breakthrough in the fight against extremists as critics said it was a “fake encounter” designed to seize land from tribal groups in Baster and Dantewada for the benefit of business interests.

The encounter was “a well-orchestrated genocide of tribal people by the armed forces,” Zulekha Jabeen, who heads a social forum in the state, said today.

The tribal areas, Jabeen said, hold mineral deposits and other natural resources which she accused firms of seeking to seize once villagers were removed.

Activists said the incident has frightened the villagers who now plan to leave the area permanently.

Himanshu Kumar of Vanvasi Chetana Ashram, a tribal forum, said the killings were designed to terrorize the villagers.

Asked how six policemen were wounded in the encounter, Kumar said it proved there was indiscriminate firing from all sides.

Kumar recalled a similar incident six years ago in which government forces torched houses on behalf of private firms. Social groups later rebuilt these properties for the tribal people.

The opposition Congress Party said an 11-member team it sent to the scene of last month’s killings had also concluded the encounter had been manufactured. It demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation in New Delhi.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said it had not been possible to avoid civilian casualties because the Maoists had used villagers as human shields.

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