‘Mother, I can see death in front of me but I am not afraid’

Guwahati, October 31, 2018:

Mormukt Sharma could see death minutes before his colleague Achyutananda Sahu fell to bullets in crossfire during a gunfight between security personnel and the Naxalites in Chhattisgarh on Tuesday.

Light assistant Sharma, reporter Dhiraj Kumar and cameraperson Achyutananda Sahu had formed a Doordarshan crew which went to Dantewada to cover Assembly elections in the state.

Sharma recorded himself with his mobile phone, narrating what the situation was like after they were surrounded by the Naxalites.

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Lying on the ground even as shots were being fired intermittently, he began by saying: “We came to Dantewada to cover (Assembly) election. We were on the road and the security personnel were with us. Suddenly, we were encircled by the Naxalites”.

Then he continued: “The situation is not good. Mother, I love you. Possibly, I will die in the clash. Don’t know why but I can see death in front of me but I am not afraid. It will be difficult to survive. There are six to seven jawans with us. We are surrounded from all sides,” he was heard as saying in a chilling video which has gone viral on the social media.

Three security personnel were also killed along with Sahu in the incident.