Kartam Joga

Kartam Joga alias Rajesh is an adivasi leader, who serves as a state committee member, technical department and military wing in-charge for the South Bastar division of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), CPI (Maoist). He was imprisoned in Chhattisgarh on suspicion of participating in the Tarmetla ambush in which 75 members of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed by CPI (Maoist) forces. Amnesty International named him a prisoner of conscience and described the charges against him as "fabricated". He was acquitted at his trial for lack of evidence.

Activism Amnesty International states that in 2005, Joga was attacked by the Salwa Judum, a militia operating against armed Maoist groups. The petition further argued that the Salwa Judum was sponsored and supplied by state security forces. The Hindu described the incident as the "worst-ever Naxalite attack on the Central paramilitary force personnel". On 14 September, Joga was arrested in Dantewada and charged with involvement in the crime. He was 40 years old at the time of his arrest. The article expressed skepticism of the police account, noting "for Mr. Joga to be identified, witnesses would have had to spot him at 300 metres, among 300 identically dressed Maoist fighters engaged in a pitched battle."