Cong questions shifting of CRPF camp ahead of Naxal attack

Amid blame game continuing over the Naxal attack killing 27 people, the Chhattisgarh Congress on questioned the shifting of a Central Reserve Police Force camp from Darbha region just seven days prior to the attack.

"A CRPF camp was at Darbha region (where the attack took place) and it was shifted just seven days ahead of the attack. Why was it done," asked Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Shailesh Nitin Trivedi while talking to PTI.

"Even the Intelligence Bureau had informed the state government about the possibility of a major offensive in the region but still the government was not serious about ensuring adequate security to the rally (of Congress leaders)," Nitin alleged. "The route and schedule was well informed to the administration but not a single policeman was there for security," he further alleged.

Countering the allegations, senior Bharatiya Janat Party leader and ex-member of Legislative Assembly Ajay Chandrakar said, "The Congress leaders are just trying to encash the situation by making false propaganda."

"The exchange of intelligence inputs between the Centre and state is a frequent process. There must be a specific input that attack would take place in the same region. However, according to police there was no such input of the attack," Chandrakar said.

"The NIA is investigating the attack while the state government has also constituted a judicial commission to probe it. The BJP will give the names of suspected Congress leaders allegedly involved in the attack to investigation agencies," he said.

On May 25, Maoists ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders in the tribal-dominated Bastar district, killing 27 people including Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh and senior leader Mahendra Karma and injuring over 30 others. It was the worst-ever Maoist strike on the political class unusual of their strategy of generally targeting the local public representatives, individuals and policemen.

In 2010, Naxalites had killed 76 security personnel at Tadmetla (Dantewada) in Chhattisgarh.