NIA hiding facts in Jhiram incident alleges Chhattisgarh CM Baghel

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 23 : Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday alleged that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is hiding the facts related to the Jhiram incident and not letting the state government probe the matter.

Speaking to media persons in Raipur on Tuesday, CM Baghel hit out at the agency and said that the NIA court had asked the agency to record the statement of naxals, who have surrendered in Telangana, but their interrogation was yet to be done.

"The judge was transferred and a bomb was also hurled at his residence. The judge was threatened, which indicates that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to hide something", he added.

On being asked about claims made by Congress (earlier) regarding the evidence related to the biggest naxal incident, CM Baghel responded, "Whom to give the evidence...to NIA. The agency is yet to record the statement of those, who were present at the spot during the incident and are alive, so what to expect from them (NIA)."

Continuing his attack on the agency, he said that the state government have asked the NIA to let the state government take up the probe if their investigation is complete, but they moved the High Court and Supreme Court.

"The agency itself is not carrying out the investigation and also not letting us probe the case. They are trying to hide the facts. Why is the BJP so scared? If the NIA found anything in the investigation, they should give us a copy. What would happen if both (NIA and the SIT constituted by the state government) had conducted the investigation," questioned the CM.

Terming the submission of a judicial commission's report on the 2013 Maoist attack in Jhiram valley to Raj Bhavan as against established practice, CM Baghel said that this indicates BJP is trying to hide something.

He termed the BJP leaders as shameless and said that in such a big incident, they are making outrageous comments. "Several lives have been lost and they are thinking of politics. This case is an emotional matter for us", he said.

It may be recalled that Naxals attacked a convoy of Congress leaders in the Jhiram valley during the party's 'Parivartan Rally' ahead of the Assembly elections on May 25 2013. 32 people were killed in the incident, including the then Congress president of Chhattisgarh Nand Kumar Patel, former leader of opposition Mahendra Karma and former Union minister Vidyacharan Shukla.

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