By Bizodisha Bureau, Cuttack, July 19, 2016 : Right to Information (RTI) activist Dr. Sunil Kumar Rath on Tuesday filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the Orissa High Court seeking a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the Kandhamal firing incident.

State Home Secretary, DG Police, IG (Southern) and Kandhamal SP have been named as respondents in the PIL.

The petitioner has pointed that the police has so far not arrested a single person though the incident took place ten days ago. Keeping this in view, the petitioner prayed for a CBI probe into the incident.

The petitioner has further prayed for suitable compensation to the family members of the deceased victims and a government job at least for one member each from the victim families.

Five innocent Adivasis including a 13-month-old child were killed and seven others of Gumudumaha village were injured in police firing during an anti-Maoist operation in the Kurtamgarh forest in Kandhamal district on the night of July 8.

They were returning from Baliguda block headquarters town after drawing their wages when firing took place.

The auto-rickshaws in which they were travelling to their homes got stuck in the mud due to heavy rains. They were trying to pull the vehicles out of the muck in the flickering light from the auto-rickshaws headlights. At that point of time, they were allegedly hit by bullets.