Dantewada massacre: Chhattisgarh reluctant to act against IPS officers
May 23rd, 2010 - 4:14 pm ICT by IANS
Raipur, May 23 (IANS) The union home ministry has apparently asked the Chhattisgarh government to take action against two senior Indian Police Service (IPS) officers for their “command failure” in connection with the Maoist slaughter of 76 securitymen in Dantewada, but the state government is reportedly unhappy about it.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government has been tight-lipped over the issue and is even refusing to admit it has received any letter from the home ministry seeking action against Bastar Inspector General (IG) T.J. Longkumer and Dantewada Superintendent of Police (SP) Amresh Mishra, according to a highly placed source in the government.
“The state government is highly reluctant to take action against the IPS duo and will keep the letter in cold storage as any action against the two will further lower the morale of police force in the red zone who are already under relentless attacks by the guerrillas. Mishra is a famed personality in the police department for spearheading the anti-Maoist drive in Dantewada,” the source told IANS, speaking only on condition he was not identified.
The source added that the two IPS officers had “nothing much to do” with the decisions that led the 82-member Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) team of the 62nd battalion to walk into a booby trap in a thickly forested area in the insurgency-hit Dantewada district on April 6 that resulted in the massacre of 76 men.
The home ministry move comes after the ministry Friday shunted out CRPF DIG in Dantewada Nalin Prabhat, commandant of the 62nd battalion V.K. Bisht, and inspector Sanjeev Bagree, based on the report of a one-man inquiry committee of E.N. Rammohan, that submitted its report to the central government late last month.
Officials say that Rammohan, former Border Security Force (BSF) director general, pinpointed “command failure”: in his report that led to the killing of 62nd battalion CRPF men in the biggest ever attack by the guerrillas at Chintalnar, some 480 km south of capital Raipur.
Official sources have confirmed, on condition of strict anonymity, that the state government has received the letter from the union home ministry recommending action against Longkumer, a 1991 batch IPS officer, and Mishra, a 2005 batch IPS officer.
- Dantewada police chief shifted out - Jun 12, 2010
- Chhattisgarh seeks police chief's opinion on Dantewada aftermath - Jun 01, 2010
- Maoists fire at Dantewada massacre probe team (Third Lead) - Apr 17, 2010
- Dantewada massacre: CRPF court of inquiry to submit report by June 30 - May 30, 2010
- Maoists open fire at police outpost in Chhattisgarh - May 12, 2010
- Rammohan Committee submits Dantewada massacre probe report - Apr 26, 2010
- Chhattisgarh Govt transfers 16 police officers blamed for Dantewada massacre - Jun 12, 2010
- Dantewada massacre: Probe hints at lack of police support - Apr 26, 2010
- Maoist attack not to derail probe report, says Rammohan - Apr 21, 2010
- Maoist massacre probe hints at lack of forces' cooperation (Lead) - Apr 26, 2010
- Maoists fire on Dantewada massacre probe team (Second Lead) - Apr 17, 2010
- Dantewada attack accused dies - Aug 24, 2011
- Maoists fire on Dantewada massacre probe team (Lead) - Apr 17, 2010
- Chidambaram's resignation issue a closed chapter - Apr 10, 2010
- Dantewada probe report by April 25: Rammohan - Apr 17, 2010
Tags: bastar, bharatiya janata party, bisht, booby trap, border security force, chhattisgarh government, cold storage, forested area, indian police service, ips officers, maoist, member central, ministry move, mishra, rammohan, red zone, relentless attacks, reserve police, sanjeev, union home ministry