Berhampur, July 10: Lota Digal, 35, watched as his two-year-old son was shot and killed on the spot while still in his mother's lap.

Lota, too, was shot in the neck in what police claimed was an exchange of fire between Maoists and security personnel at Gumudumaha forest in Kandhamal district late on Friday evening.

Lota is being treated at MKCG Hospital in Berhampur while his wife Sunita, who suffered a bullet injury in her arm, is undergoing treatment at Baliguda Hospital in Kandhamal.

Five persons were killed and seven seriously injured in the incident that has caused a furore in the state. The Opposition parties and human rights activists are calling the incident "murder of innocent tribals" and demanding severe action against the state police.

Leaders of the Congress and the BJP today rushed to the village of Gumudumaha. Both parties have given the call for Kandhamal bandh - the Congress tomorrow and the BJP on Tuesday.

Lota and two others caught in the firing disputed what the police have said and maintain that the bullets came from one side; it was not crossfire.

Speaking to The Telegraph from his hospital bed, Lota said: "Fifteen of us were returning from Baliguda on Friday evening after collecting wages under the rural job scheme from the State Bank of India branch. It was raining and we were getting late. So, we hired an auto-rickshaw owned by Jahan Majhi, who is from our village."

The injured man said the condition of the road was very bad, and incessant rain had worsened it. "The vehicle had stopped near a culvert as a portion of the road was washed away by rain. There was a big pothole, and the auto could not move. We got off and brought boulders to fill up the pothole while the women stood on the road. As we were about to enter the auto, suddenly there was firing from one side. There was complete darkness and we started running for cover," said Lota.

"The bullet pierced my son Gehes. He was in my wife Sunita's lap. He died instantly and one of his legs was severed from the body. My wife got bullet injuries in the shoulder."

Gadishi Digal and Tempuli Mallick, too, have been brought here for treatment for bullet injuries on their hands. They also corroborated Lota's statement. Gadish's husband Kukala, 42, was killed in the firing.

Gadishi said: "Jahan Majhi, the auto driver and two others, managed to escape and reached the village to inform others. The villagers came to our aid. No policeman came, nor did any ambulance reach the spot. The villagers carried the bodies and the injured persons on cots to the village."

Inspector general of police (southern range) Amitav Thakur, however, reiterated the official position. He claimed that the auto-rickshaw got caught in the exchange of fire. "Why would the security forces kill the innocent tribals?" he asked.

He said the security forces were engaged in exchange of fire from a hillock on the other side of the road when the auto-rickshaw came in between.

Banamali Mallick, who has suffered bullet injuries in the stomach, was moved from MKCG Hospital to the SCB Medical College and Hospital at Cuttack today after his condition deteriorated.

Today, the police handed over the bodies of the victims to their family members after post-mortem.

Blaming the government for the incident, Union tribal affairs minister Oram said: "A central team headed by the commissioner of the National Commission of Scheduled Tribes, Rameswar Oram, will visit the spot to ascertain the facts relating to the death of the tribals."

His party colleague Bijoy Mohapatra demanded "exemplary punishment" for the police officials. "Desperate announcements made by the chief minister yesterday prove that the government is guilty."

PCC president Prasad Harichandan and former Kalahandi MP Pradeep Majhi visited the Gumudumahavillage. CPM state secretary Ali Kishore Patnaik demanded compensation of Rs 20 lakh for the family members of the victims and registration of murder cases against erring police personnel. His CPI counterpart Dibakar Nayak sought exemplary action against the guilty.

BJD leader Prasanna Acharya said the Opposition parties were trying to politicise the issue. Party spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb said action would be taken against erring persons.