2009 Chhattisgarh Maoist ambush: Judicial panel indicts then IG Mukesh Gupta

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday presented in Parliament the judicial panel report into the Madanwada Naxalite attack that took place in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district back in 2009 and led to the death of 29 police personnel.

Raipur:Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday presented in Parliament the judicial inquiry report into the Madanwada Naxalite attack that took place in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district back in 2009, and led to the death of 29 police personnel. The inquiry, conducted by a commission led by Justice Shambhunath Srivastava, highlighted the role of the-then Inspector General Mukesh Gupta as a key reason behind the deaths caused by the attack.

The incident took place on July 12, 2009, wherein Naxalites ambushed a police team in Madanwada village in Rajnandgaon district. While 25 personnel lost their lives in the forest of Korokoti, two others died in Madanwada. Two more police personnel were killed later, through an ambush, while they were trying to bring back the bodies.

The incident led also to the death of Superintendent of Police (SP) Vinod Chaubey, marking the very first time for an SP to be killed by insurgents.

"The negligence and inattention of then Durg IG Mukesh Gupta is visible. Gupta stayed in the area from 9:30 am to 5:15 pm and it is only in his presence that this loss of life took place", the report by the inquiry commission stated.

It further said that Gupta acted against set guidelines and rules to be followed in case of an armed conflict, adding that Chaubey was ordered to proceed without any security cover, whereas the former sat inside either his own vehicle or an anti-landmine vehicle.

"The police camp was set up in Madanwada without due procedures. It was established without the approval of the state government and the intelligence reports of the SIB", the report said, noting further that there was no watchtower or any arrangement for police personnel to stay in the camp.

The inquiry report also mentioned the statement of Girdhari Nayak, ADG Naxal Operations at the time, who noted that Gupta had not followed the rules of the war zone during the episode.