'No proposal for army joining anti-naxal operations': Antony

Defence Minister A.K. Antony on Monday said there is no proposal for the army to join the anti-naxal operations in Chhattisgarh.

Antony, however, said that all support would be extended to the state and paramilitary forces to combat the Maoist menace.

"We will extend all support to state and para-military forces. There is no proposal like that (on army joining anti-naxal operations in Chhattisgarh)," he told mediapersons here.

The Defence Minister's remarks came in the wake of brutal attack by the ultras on the Congress leadership inside a dense forest in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district early on Sunday morning.

Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, who visited Chhattisgarh along with Congress President Sonia Gandhi on Sunday, is said to have expressed his displeasure at the 'security failure'.

A team of National Investigation Agency (NIA) will today begin its probe into the Chhattisgarh Maoist attack on Congress leaders, which claimed 28 lives including PCC chief Nand Kumar Patel.

Union Home Secretary R.K. Singh told mediapersons in New Delhi that an official order formally handing over the case to NIA to carry out the investigation would be issued soon. He also said that the NIA team will leave for Chhattisgarh today.

Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde had earlier said the NIA will probe the Maoist attack on Congress leaders and the Centre has received a go-ahead from Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh for it. Shinde had also briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the decision to hand over the investigation to NIA.

Heavily-armed Maoists had on Saturday ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders in the state's Bastar district, killing 28 people including PCC chief Patel, his son Dinesh, Congress leader Mahendra Karma and ex-MLA Uday Mudliyar and injuring 32 others.

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.