Post by kranti on Jun 5, 2013 22:35:55 GMT -5
Death toll in Indian Maoist attack rises to 27
NEWS DESK
The Statesman
Publication Date : 27-05-2013
The bullet-riddled bodies of abducted Chhattisgarh Indian National Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son and eight others were today found in Bastar, a day after the Maoist strike on a Congress convoy that has sparked national outrage, with leaders slamming it as an attack on democracy.
The bodies of Patel, his son Dinesh and eight others, mainly securitymen, were found in Jiram valley in Bastar division, police said. With this, the toll in Saturday's attack has risen to 27. Patel and his son were dragged into the bushes and shot in the head during the attack, according to some reports.
Rattled by the incident, top leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi visited Raipur. Singh said: “We will pursue the perpetrators of this crime with urgency and I can assure the nation that the government is committed to bringing them to justice.”
Former Union minister V C Shukla, injured in the attack, was airlifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon from Raipur early this morning. Doctors said his condition is critical. The PM announced 500,00 Indian rupees (US$8,959.77)each as ex-gratia relief for families of those killed and 50,000 Indian rupees each for those injured.
Congress leader Mahendra Karma and ex-MLA Uday Mudliyar were among 27 killed while Shukla and 31 others were injured when the Maoists ambushed their convoy inside a dense forest in Jagdalpur district yesterday. Some 250 Maoists are believed to have carried out the attack.
News agency Press Trust of India (PTI), meanwhile, quoted official sources in Raipur as saying the Congress leaders had been warned about the possibility of an attack as this is the period of Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign of the Maoists.
Hopes raised for family only to be belied
The recovery of the bodies of Chhattisgarh PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh shattered the hopes of friends, family members and party leaders, who were looking forward to seeing them after reports yesterday suggested the duo had been released by Maoists after being abducted. Misleading reports about them being released started emanating at around 11 pm yesterday; since Darbha Ghati is a densely-forested, difficult terrain bereft of all means of communication for miles, news of their release could not be verified either by visiting the spot or speaking to anyone who might have been present at ground zero. Once TV channels started flashing the news of their “release”, journalists in Raipur and New Delhi made a beeline to 'confirm' the same with their 'own men' in Jagdalpur and Dantewada. Several of these were local journalists, rights activists, police and intelligence officials, who too had no clear information about what had transpired. The incident underlines the difficulty of news-gathering in conflict situations and the false hopes on which families in such zones live. (With reports from agencies)
www.asianewsnet.net/Death-toll-in-Indian-Maoist-attack-rises-to-27-47213.html
NEWS DESK
The Statesman
Publication Date : 27-05-2013
The bullet-riddled bodies of abducted Chhattisgarh Indian National Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son and eight others were today found in Bastar, a day after the Maoist strike on a Congress convoy that has sparked national outrage, with leaders slamming it as an attack on democracy.
The bodies of Patel, his son Dinesh and eight others, mainly securitymen, were found in Jiram valley in Bastar division, police said. With this, the toll in Saturday's attack has risen to 27. Patel and his son were dragged into the bushes and shot in the head during the attack, according to some reports.
Rattled by the incident, top leaders including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress chief Sonia Gandhi and party vice president Rahul Gandhi visited Raipur. Singh said: “We will pursue the perpetrators of this crime with urgency and I can assure the nation that the government is committed to bringing them to justice.”
Former Union minister V C Shukla, injured in the attack, was airlifted to Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon from Raipur early this morning. Doctors said his condition is critical. The PM announced 500,00 Indian rupees (US$8,959.77)each as ex-gratia relief for families of those killed and 50,000 Indian rupees each for those injured.
Congress leader Mahendra Karma and ex-MLA Uday Mudliyar were among 27 killed while Shukla and 31 others were injured when the Maoists ambushed their convoy inside a dense forest in Jagdalpur district yesterday. Some 250 Maoists are believed to have carried out the attack.
News agency Press Trust of India (PTI), meanwhile, quoted official sources in Raipur as saying the Congress leaders had been warned about the possibility of an attack as this is the period of Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign of the Maoists.
Hopes raised for family only to be belied
The recovery of the bodies of Chhattisgarh PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh shattered the hopes of friends, family members and party leaders, who were looking forward to seeing them after reports yesterday suggested the duo had been released by Maoists after being abducted. Misleading reports about them being released started emanating at around 11 pm yesterday; since Darbha Ghati is a densely-forested, difficult terrain bereft of all means of communication for miles, news of their release could not be verified either by visiting the spot or speaking to anyone who might have been present at ground zero. Once TV channels started flashing the news of their “release”, journalists in Raipur and New Delhi made a beeline to 'confirm' the same with their 'own men' in Jagdalpur and Dantewada. Several of these were local journalists, rights activists, police and intelligence officials, who too had no clear information about what had transpired. The incident underlines the difficulty of news-gathering in conflict situations and the false hopes on which families in such zones live. (With reports from agencies)
www.asianewsnet.net/Death-toll-in-Indian-Maoist-attack-rises-to-27-47213.html