In one of the major attacks in India, about 250 well- armed naxalites (Maoists) attacked a convoy of Congress leaders and workers in Indian state of Chattisgarh on Saturday evening causing death of 27 people including State’s former Home Minister, many Congress leaders, workers and policemen.

New Delhi, May 27/Nationalturk – In what is been seen as a major security lapse, over 250 well-armed armed naxalites (Maoists) attacked a convoy of Congress leaders and workers in Indian state of Chattisgarh on Saturday evening causing death of 27 people including State’s former  Home Minister, many Congress leaders, workers and policemen.

Media reports said heavily armed naxalites, who were said to be more than 250 in number,  blew up second vehicle of the convoy of Congress leaders and workers with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district on Saturday evening.

“The naxalites, who were well armed and taken positions on vintage points, fired indiscriminately from all sides towards the Congress convoy.  The security men travelling with the Congress convoy also fired back but they soon exhausted their ammunition and were cornered,” reports said.

Media reports further said after the security men ran out of ammunition, the Maoists reportedly surrounded the convoy, took away the mobile phones of the leaders and then shot them from point blank range.

Tribal leader Mahindra Karma,  who also was State’s former Home Minister and spearheaded the controversial anti-Naxalite movement Salwa Judum, also died in the attack. “He had sustained more than 50 bullet wounds. He was on the hit-list of naxalites’.

Another Congress leader Nand Kumar Patel and his son were also killed in the attack. Former Indian minister and senior Congress leader Vidya Charan Shukla was critically injured in the attack. He is undergoing treatment in a hospital.

The final death toll in the Naxalite attack was 27. About 35 persons including Congress leaders, workers and policemen were injured in the attack and are undergoing treatment in different hospitals.

‘Lack of comprehensive security plan’

A private television channel NDTV quoted sources as saying that preliminary government investigation into the attack reveals lack of a comprehensive security plan and a neglect of safety procedures. “Instead of planning security at a senior level for the Congress’ convoy, security arrangements were left to individual police stations.”

They said standard security instructions provide that political leaders must not travel together through Naxal-dominated areas in a single convoy. “Yet on Saturday evening, almost all the top leaders of the Congress’ Chhattisgarh unit were travelling in the line of 25 cars. The leaders also ignored another basic security rule – they travelled back by the same route as they had come”.

“There have been some security lapses otherwise such a major incident would not have taken place. We have asked the elite National Investigation Agency (NIA) to investigate the whole case. If there have been any lapses from the paramilitary forces or the state police, the buck will have to stop somewhere. Punishment will be awarded out to anyone who has led to such kind of tragic incident in Chhattisgarh,” Indian Minister of State for Home RPN Singh told reporters.

‘Army not to be deployed in Naxal-hit states’

Indian Defence Minister A K Antony Monday rejected deployment of army in Naxal-hit states.

“There is no proposal on Army joining anti-Naxal operations in Chhattisgarh, but we will extend all support to State and para-military forces,” Antony told reporters in Tanjavur city in Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

After the recent attack, there have been growing demands from politicians and common people to deploy army in Naxal-hit states to crush the militancy unleashed by the naxalites.

Indian government has, however, rushed additional 2000 paramilitary soldiers to Chhattisgarh in the wake of the Naxal attack on Congress leaders.

Chhattisgarh is one of the worst Maoist violence-affected states and nearly 1900 lives have been lost in last eight years of which around 570 were civilians, 700 security personnel and the rest were Naxal cadres.

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Faiz Ahmad / NationalTurk India News

 

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