Justice Prashant Mishra to probe Chhattisgarh Maoist attack

Justice Prashant Mishra, a sitting judge of the Chhattisgarh High Court, will probe last Saturday's Maoist attack on the Congress leaders.

He will submit his report within three months.

Chhattisgarh Government last night suspended the Superintendent of Police (SP) of Bastar District and shunted out Bastar range Inspector General (IG) of Police and Collector.

Superintendent of Police Mayank Shrivastava has been suspended, while Inspector General of Police Himangshu Gupta was shifted to police headquarters. Bastar Collector P. Anabalagan has been shifted to the state secretariat.

Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh held discussions with the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Dr. Raman Singh and other officials in Raipur yesterday on the situation arising out of the attack, and counter-Maoist strategies to be adopted in the state.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA), which is also probing attack by the Maoists on Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh, visited the ambush spot near Darbha as part of the investigations.

Heavily-armed Maoists had on Saturday ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders in the state's Bastar district, killing 28 people including PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh, Congress leader Mahendra Karma and ex-MLA Uday Mudliyar and injuring 37 others.

Former Union Minister V.C. Shukla injured in the attack is being treated at a Medanta hospital in Gurgaon. His condition is stated to be critical, but stable.