The second court of inquiry constituted by the Centre into the Dantewada probe is expected to submit its report within ten days. The court of inquiry, which was expected to submit its report in the beginning of this month, will take another week to complete the proceedings.
The court of inquiry is expected to issue showcause notices to then CRPF DIG, Dantewada, Nalin Prabhat and IG Ramesh Chandra who retired from service by April end. While Mr Prabhat has won acclaim during his tenure as DIG in militancy-hit Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Chandra was on leave till two days before the Dantewada attack took place on April six.
“Both officers are expected to be issued showcause notices under the established procedure and action will be taken thereafter. The COI will fix responsibility for the Dantewada attack after the procedure is completed,” official sources said.
While the first court of inquiry went into the circumstances to probe the lapses leading up to the Dantewada maoist attack killing 76 security personnel eaelier this year, the second COI has been constituted to fix individual responsibility.
Home minister P. Chidambaram on Wednesday said that the Centre will take a final view when the COI submits its report. Asked whether the court of inquiry was an ‘’eyewash’’ since it had fixed the responsibility on the dead people, Mr Chidambaram said a second court of inquiry has been ordered to fix individual responsibility. “We will take action on the basis of both the report. If all the lapses are on the dead people, why would we appoint a second court of inquiry to fix responsibility,” he said on Wednesday.
The court of inquiry had earlier sought records and other documents which were a part of the earlier probe conducted by the one-man committee of former BSF (DG) E.N. Rammohan. The Rammohan Committee, which submitted its report to the home ministry, had noted a “command and control’’ failure in the paramilitary force.
The committee had also alleged that the planning of the operation had not been done properly.