Jhiram attack: "Baghel only wants to do...", says former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) [India], May 25 : Reacting sharply to the allegations levelled by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel regarding Jhiram attack and the NIA report, former State CM and Bharatiya Janata Party national vice-president Raman Singh alleged that neither he (Bhupesh Baghel) care about the report nor about the action taken, he just want to do politics over this issue.

"I think when the NIA, a top probe agency in the country, submitted the report then further work need to be done on it. But, they did not care about the report as well as the action, they only want to do politics on this," stated Raman while talking toon Thursday.

Offering tribute to those killed in the Jhiram attack, Raman said, "Everyone knew about the investigation and progress in it. NIA was constituted when Manmohan Singh was the Prime Minister and this top agency is best suitable to probe such cases. Manmohan Singh has taken the right decision (of constituting NIA) and the agency has submitted the probe report as well as chargesheet before 2014 but Bhupesh Baghel was not satisfied with it."

"To take the investigation ahead, we (then BJP government in Chhattisgarh) have constituted a probe committee under the chairmanship of Justice Prashant Mishra and the committee submitted its report to the Governor but Bhupesh Baghel constituted a two-member committee in this regard," he added.

On being asked about the allegation made by CM Baghel that the name of naxal leaders Ganpati and Ramanna were removed from the final report of NIA, the BJP national vice-president said that once the complete report of NIA comes then discussion on it will be carried out.

Responding to the CM's allegation that the BJP is trying to hide the truth of the Jhiram attack, Raman said, "The judicial probe commission is working and there is no restriction on it. Not once or twice, the Special Investigation Team (SIT) in this State has been constituted five-six times and has submitted its report. Whenever the SIT is constituted to create confusion among people from a political point of view, it definitely meets such a fate."

Commenting on Chavindra Karma's (son of senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma who died in Jhiram attack) demand for a Narco test on Minister Kawasi Lakhma, he said, "It is necessary to remove the doubts, pain and suffering in the mind of his family."