2013 Jhiram Valley Naxal attack should be probed by Chhattisgarh SIT: Son of Congress leader killed in attack

Jun 21, 2020

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], June 21 : Jitendra Mudaliar, the son of deceased Congress leader Uday Mudaliar who lost his life in the Jhiram valley Naxal attack in May 2013, demanded that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) should be set up by the state government to probe if there was a conspiracy behind the attack.
"All the family members of the murdered leaders want the Special Investigation Team of the state government to conduct this enquiry. It is a matter of investigation that's why the security apparatus for a Parivartan Yatra of Congress was removed," Jitendra told media persons at a press conference called by Congress party.
"On May 25, 2013, an alleged Naxal attack took place on the Congress Parivartan Yatra. This was the first time in India that a political genocide was conducted through Naxals. A total of 29 persons including 13 Congress leaders were killed in this attack," he added.
"We've lost faith in NIA and want SIT to probe if there was a conspiracy behind the attack," he added.
He further added: "The then Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, senior Congress leader Vidya Charan Shukla, former Legislative Assembly speaker Mahendra Karma, Uday Mudaliar, Dinesh Patel amongst others were killed. At that time the government was of BJP in the state. The probe of this genocide was handed over to National Investigation Agency (NIA)."
"Before the investigation could have started, the UPA government was deposed from power. NIA has investigated the case in a manner which shows that this case was a normal Naxal attack. The security apparatus was weakened. When Congress demanded that a CBI enquiry should be initiated, then Raman Singh government hesitantly requested a CBI enquiry but the central government refused it," he added.