Chhattisgarh CM dubs 2013 Maoist attack as 'political conspiracy', doubts Centre's intent

On the 8th anniversary of the dastardly Maoist attack in Jhiram Ghati, Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel described it as a "political-criminal conspiracy". Speaking to the media in Raipur, he accused the Centre of not allowing the state government to investigate the matter. Terming it as a "contract killing", Baghel expressed regret on not being able to ensure justice for the family of the victims which include top Congress leaders, party workers, police, CRPF jawans and villagers. Mentioning that the NIA thwarts every attempt to probe the conspiracy angle, he opined that the people of Chhattisgarh wanted the culprits to be exposed. 

Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel remarked, "It is unfortunate that while the state government wants to conduct a probe because that incident was a political-criminal conspiracy. It was a contract killing. The unfortunate part is that the Centre does not want the state government to conduct a probe. NIA goes to court. However, in the toolkit case, they immediately reach the Twitter office. But even after such a long time has elapsed, neither is the Centre conducting a probe nor letting us do it."

"Everyone believes it is a conspiracy. The conspiracy should be exposed. But some people are attempting a cover-up which is very unfortunate. And all of us are very sad that we are neither able to provide justice to the kin of the victims nor our party. The people of Chhattisgarh want to know who the conspirators are," he added. 

The Jhiram Ghati attack

At least 27 persons were killed in the Jhiram Ghati on May 25, 2013, when a Congress convoy which was travelling to attend the Parivartan Yatra was attacked by Maoists. Former External Affairs Minister Vidya Charan Shukla, the former leader of opposition in the state Mahendra Karma, then the Chhattisgarh Congress Pradesh Committee president Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh Kumar Patel, and other Congress leaders including Uday Mudaliyar and Gopi Madhwani were among the people killed. While the Chhattisgarh police filed a case against unknown members of CPI(Maoist), the Union Home Ministry soon handed over the probe to the NIA.

After forming the government in 2018, the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government announced the formation of a Special Investigation Agency citing that the NIA had failed to properly investigate the conspiracy part. However, the MHA refused permission to transfer the case saying that the central agency had already filed a chargesheet and the trial was ongoing. Though Uday Mudaliyar's son Jitendra filed a police complaint in Bastar in connection with this case, the NIA got a stay on the FIR from the High Court on the grounds that two agencies cannot investigate the same case.