HC asks C'garh govt to hand over Mandavi killing probe to NIA

The Chhattisgarh High Court on Wednesday directed the state government to hand over to the NIA the probe into the killing of BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four security personnel in a naxal attack in Dantewada district in April.

The bench of justice R C S Samant also ordered the government to hand over to the NIA the local police's probe report into the incident within 15 days, counsel for central agency, Kishore Bhaduri, said.

On the direction of the Ministry of Home Affairs, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in May this year had registered a case under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Indian Arms Act, the Explosives Substances Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the attack, he said.

When the central agency reached Bastar to initiate its probe, it was denied case-related documents by the local police, Bhaduri said.

The NIA had then approached its designated local court, but after failing to get any relief there, it had approached the high court located here in June, he said.

The agency had sought a stay on the police investigations into the attack in its writ petition.

In June, the high court had ordered the state police to stop investigation into the matter and asked the government to file a reply on it within two weeks, he added.

Mandavi and four police personnel, travelling in a vehicle, were killed on April 9 this year in a powerful IED blast triggered by Maoists near Shyamgiri village of Dantewada.