Essar channelised money to Maoists: Chhattisgarh
December 16th, 2011 - 7:27 pm ICT by IANS
Raipur, Dec 16 (IANS) The Chhattisgarh government admitted Friday that Essar Group had handed over Rs.15 lakh to a local contractor in the state to pass on to Maoist rebels.
“As per the first information report (FIR), Rs.15 lakh amount was provided from Essar company side to a contractor, B.K. Lala on Sep 9 to hand over to Lingaram Kodopi at a weekly market at village Palnar in Dantewada district,” Home Minister Nankiram Kanwar told the state assembly in a written reply.
He informed the house that so far, four people were arrested in the case and the state government had constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to speed up the probe and get to the bottom of the issue.
Kanwar said that besides Lala and Kodopi who were caught red-handed by police, two others — a tribal woman teacher, Soni Sori, and Essar general manager, D.V.C.S. Verma, who is posted in state’s Dantewada district — were arrested so far.
The opposition Congress staged a walk out from the assembly accusing the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of deliberately slowing down the police probe in a bid to defend Essar.
- Soni Sori, Lingaram: Maoist conduits or police trap? - Dec 25, 2011
- Lingaram Kodopi and Soni Sori: Chhattisgarh's prisoners of conscience (Special Report) - Aug 04, 2012
- Suspected Maoist conduit arrested in Delhi - Oct 04, 2011
- Chhattisgarh conducting intelligence operations against Maoists - Jan 05, 2012
- Suspected Maoist conduit's judicial custody extended (Lead) - Oct 05, 2011
- Apply Chhattisgarh's special security law to Essar, says Congress - Sep 23, 2011
- Essar under scanner for paying Maoists - Sep 15, 2011
- Essar officials questioned over payment to Maoists - Sep 20, 2011
- Essar official held for funding Maoists - Sep 28, 2011
- Rights activists demand release of suspected Maoist sympathiser - Sep 11, 2011
- Essar GM gets bail in Maoists 'payment' case - Jan 05, 2012
- Apex court orders Soni Sori's medical checkup in Kolkata - Oct 20, 2011
- Chhattisgarh arrests 66 poachers - Dec 24, 2011
- Chhattisgarh probes engineer's donation to Maoists - Feb 21, 2011
- Chhattisgarh announces judicial probe into Dantewada arson - Apr 01, 2011
Tags: bjp, chhattisgarh government, chhattisgarh raipur, essar group, fir, home minister, information report, investigation team, kanwar, lakh, lala, local contractor, maoist, maoists, opposition congress, police probe, sori, state assembly, tribal woman, woman teacher