Chhattisgarh chief minister Raman Singh is reportedly under pressure from the top brass of the state police not to take action against two IPS officers, posted in Dantewada district, for their “command failure” in connection with the April 6 Chintalnar massacre of 76 security personnel by the Maoists.
The Centre has reportedly asked the Chhattisgarh government to take action against Dantewada superintendent of police (SP) Amresh Mishra and inspector general of police (IG), Bastar range, T.J. Longkumar, as per the recommendations of E.N. Rammohan committee, which probed into the killings.
The Centre’s communiqué in this regard was received by the state chief secretary J. Oomen here on Saturday evening, highly placed official sources told this newspaper here on Sunday.
Soon after receiving the communiqué, the chief minister closeted himself with state director general of police (DGP) Vishwa Ranjan for nearly three hours till 11 pm on Saturday, the sources said, adding, “The issue was discussed threadbare in the one-to-one meeting”. Official sources said the chief minister had been advised against taking to task the two IPS officers at this crucial juncture when the state is in the grip of Maoist violence. “Both the police officers, facing Centre’s flak, are considered as bright ones in the department for their relentless battle against the Naxals in the region. Mr Mishra, known as an officer of unquestioned integrity, has virtually acquired a cult status for courageously spearheading the anti-Maoist drive in Dantewada,” the CM was reportedly told by the top brass of police.
The two police officers had “nothing to do” with the April 6 anti-Maoist operation at Chintalnar that ended in a disaster leading to the killing of 75 CRPF jawans and a head constable of state police they contended.
The Centre, acting on recommendations of Rammohan committee, had earlier shunted three CRPF officers — DIG Nalini Prabhat of Andhra Pradesh cadre, commandant of 62 nd battalion of CRPF V.K. Bisht and inspector Sanjeev Bagree — out of Dantewada for lapses in the April 6 operation.