Dantewada: Son of former state minister and ex-MP slain Mahendra Karma, who died in the Jhiram Ghati Naxalite attack a decade back, has demanded narco test of the then chief minister of the BJP-run government, Raman Singh and all police officers as well as political leaders to unearth the truth behind the incident that had killed 32 people.
On the anniversary of the Jhiram Naxalite attack, Chhabindra Karma, blamed both the Centre and the current Congress-led state government for failing to give justice to the martyrs' families till now. "Several Congress leaders including my father, Mahendra Karma, former state Congress president Nandkumar Patel and former MLA Vidyasharan Shukla were killed in the attack," said Karma after paying homage to his father and all other martyrs.
Even after ten years, the families of the martyrs have not been able to get justice, he lamented. Karma said that he along with the deceased families took up the matter with chief minister Bhupesh Baghel several times but they were yet to get justice.
Alleging of a political conspiracy, Karma said that the Narco test should be conducted on officers of all ranks who were in charge at the time of the attack. He said that even the then chief minister along with the then DIG and the IG should go through this test. Also, the leaders of the political parties should be brought under the purview of Narco test, he said.
"At that time when the attack took place, the BJP government was in power in both the state and the Center. This delay in justice has raised a big question on the state government," he added
On the 10th anniversary of Jhiram Ghati attack, a statue of late Mahendra Karma was installed in Dantewada. State president Mohan Markam along with the entire Karma family paid their tribute before Mahendra Karma's statue this morning. Many Congress leaders were present on the occasion.
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Prior to the 2013 assembly elections, Congress took out a 'Parivartan Yatra'. On May 25, while the yatra was returning from Sukma to Bastar, thousands of Naxalites had ambushed for one and a half kilometers in Jhiram Ghati of Darbha. The Naxalites bombed the vehicle in front of the convoy of Congress leaders and started firing indiscriminately.
Mahendra Karma, known as Bastar Tiger, had surrendered before them. The Naxalites took Mahendra Karma to some distance from National Highway 30 and shot him dead. Many leaders were taken out of their vehicles and killed while few, who were injured later died during treatment.
