DD correspondent Dheeraj reveals, how they were ambushed by the Maoists in Dantewada losing a precious friend Achyutanand Sahu

A reporter of Doordarshan Dheeraj and the assistent cameraman M. Mukut who’ve come alive from Dantevada, a highly naxal infested zone in Chattisgarh on 1st of November were present in the condolense meeting of their colleague and cameramen Achyutanand Sahu at Press Club of India premises.

The doordarshan team comprising of Dheeraj the correspondent, cameraman Achyutanand Sahu and assistant cameraman M. Mukut were assigned the official responsibility to cover the elections of Chattisgarh and the fearless team members preferred to do an investigative story of a village, 50 miles away from the Dantewada township/ city and apparently sought the permission from the Dantewada district magistrate and the senior police officials to shoot and interact with the poor, economically deprived and hapless tribals who had in the last several decades never participated in any election due to their apprehension of being killed by the naxalites under whose terror they were leading a highly complex lifestyle amid deprivation.

It was this time that the village tribals had shown courage to participate in the state elections. The Doordarshan reporter Dheeraj finally made up his mind to do the story on these village tribals who’d been deprived of their fundamental right to vote n join the mainstream.

When Dheeraj revealed his intention of doing the story on these tribal villagers living in the Maoist area of Dantewada several kilometres inside jungles ruled by the hardcore Naxals whose full fledged writ ran there, the courageous cameraman Achyutanand agreed feeling quite happy and confident to cover it saying to Dheeraj that it’s indeed a very nice story.

There started for this tribal village having made up their mind to face every challenge even if it allegedly means risking their precious lives. The senior most police officers and the district administration have however cautioned them that there is tremendous risk to their lives as even if they reach the two kilometre area inside, away from Dantewada city, the Naxals may attack them even costing the precious lives.

But says Dheeraj: they want to show the people of the country as to how these poor, oppressed and economically deprived tribals have for the first time shown courage to participate in democratic elections despite the terror of the Maoists risking their lives and the lives of their families.

The Doordarshan team and about six paramilitary jawans n an officer were a shield to them but when they were nearer to the village after covering just two kilometres they were surrounded by the Naxals n ambushed.

The firing between the paramilitary troopers and the naxalites continued for several hours in which three valiantly fighting Jawans who included an officer and the cameraman Achyutananda were slained by the bullets of the Naxalites.

The DD correspondent Dheeraj and the assistent cameraman M. Mukut could luckily save themselves by lying on the ground in that jungle where the cross firing continued for several hours. M. Mukut who was without camera at that point of time used his cell phone to record the entire sequence/ scene of cross exchange of fire between the Maoists and the troopers and had even recorded a message for his mother that he may perhaps not come alive as they have been surrounded by armed naxalites uninterruptedly firing on them n the security forces.

His vedio was shown in all the television channels of the country and had become viral on the social media with infinite number of shares.

In the picture/ vedio the Doordarshan correspondent Dheeraj is seen explaining the situation at ground zero when they were surrounded by Maoists firing on them thus losing one of their colleagues’ Achyutanand and three security persons.

It may be recalled that several media organisations from all over Delhi protested on 1st November after holding a condolense meeting at PCI in support of Achyutanand and three jawans of security forces in Dantewada and thereafter marching in a candle light procession till India gate demanding complete stoppage to the killings of journalists n innocent people by Maoists, granting of insurance cover to journalists send to cover the Maoist and terrorist infested areas, adequate financial compensation to the tune of Rs. 50 lakhs to the martyrs and a permanent government job to the next of the kins or the widowed wives of the slained.

Our salutes to these bravehearts and the martyrs and condolenses to the bereaved families. Om Shanti