2013 Naxal attack in Darbha valley

2013 Naxal attack in Darbha valley
Part of Naxalite-Maoist insurgency
Darbha valley Darbha valley (India) Location of Darbha valley in India
Coordinates
Date	25 May 2013 04.00 pm (UTC+5.30)
Target	Indian National Congress leaders
Attack type	Landmine blast and firing
Weapons	Guns and landmine
Deaths	27 (as of 26 May 2013)
Injured	32
Victims	Mahendra Karma, Nand Kumar Patel
Perpetrators	Around 250 Maoist Naxalites

On 25 May, 2013, a convoy of Indian National Congress leaders was attacked in the Darbha Valley in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, India. The attack was carried out by the Naxalite insurgents of the banned organisation Communist Party of India (Maoist), resulting in at least 27 deaths, including that of the former state minister Mahendra Karma and the Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel.

Background

Sukma district is a part of the "red corridor", the belt affected by the Naxalite–Maoist insurgency. This region has been under continuous attack by the Maoists, who have been targeting police personnel and political leaders. Naxalites had called for a bandh on 25 and 26 May 2013 to protest the 17 May 2013 operation against them by the security forces during an anti-Naxalite operation in which eight tribals were also killed, including three children. Naxalites were also protesting the conduct of "Vikas Yatra" of the Government and the "Parivartan Yatra" of the opposition Indian National Congress Party.

Attack

Leaders of the Indian National Congress were carrying out a Parivartan Yatra ("Change" Rally) in the state, with a convoy comprising 25 vehicles carrying around 200 Congress leaders and workers. They were returning from a meeting organised in Sukma and were headed to Keshloor nearby Jagdalpur along National Highway 202 which connects Chhattisgarh with Naxal-hit Bhadrachalam district in the adjacent state of Andhra Pradesh. Almost all the senior state party leaders; former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla, former state minister Mahendra Karma, Nand Kumar Patel, MLA from Rajnandgaon Uday Mudaliyar and prominent woman tribal leader Phulo Devi Netam from Bastar were present. AS the convoy reached the deeply forested area of Dharba valley on Jagdalpur-Sukma Highway, 50 km from its destination, it was blocked by a tree that had been felled by Maoists. The Maoists triggered a land mine blast targeting the second vehicle in the convoy. Then around 250 Maoists opened fire from the adjoining hill tops of the Keshkal hills. The personnel security officers of the Congress leaders tried to defend them. The Maoists then took a pause for sometime till the PSOs ran out of ammunition before asking the Congress leaders to surrender. The Maoists, however, started firing indiscriminately when the Congress leaders emerged out of their vehicles. Eyewitness said that when the alleged Maoists struck, the mobile phones of all leaders were also snatched. The attacking Naxalties included a large number of woman, and they kept communicating on their wireless sets during the operation.

Victims

More than 27 people were killed in the attack. There was crossfire between Mahendra Karma's guards and the Naxalites, but when his defenders ran out of bullets, Karma surrendered along with various other Congress leaders. Karma stepped out his vehicle after his guard was dead and surrendered to the Naxals, who then asked the Congress leaders there to identify the former minister. Karma came forwards and identified himself. Naxalites then sprayed him with bullets. They fired at him till their magazines were empty, and then beat him about the head with the butts of their guns.

MLA Uday Mudaliyar, fomer MP Gopal Madhavan, and Phulo Devi Netam were among the others killed in the gun fire. Vidya Charan Shukla sustained 3 bullets wounds, and was among several who were critically injured. Nand Kumar and Dinesh jumped out of the car; the two were found dead a day later. Following the attack, the Naxals also abducted Patel and his son. Their bullet ridden bodies were later recovered from the forest at the ambush site. At least ten security personnel, all of them personal security officers of Congress leaders were also gunned down.

Post attack measures and reactions

It took security reinforcements several hours to reach the spot as they had to walk for fear that land mines had been planted on the road leading to the area. This is because in past it has been seen that Maoists plant mines in and around such spot of attacks to target security forces rushing for rescue and relief operations Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reviewed the situation with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders. The PM called up chief minister Raman Singh to offer para-military reinforcements. Raman Singh had returned to Raipur, cancelling his Vikas Yatra, to hold an emergency meeting of the state cabinet. A three-day state mourning has been declared from and all those who died in the attack will be given a state funeral.

Injured were admitted in the Maharani Medial College in Jagdalpur. Critically injured Shukla was shifted to Raipur and then airlifted to Medanta Hospita in Gurgaon. Other injured were later brought to Krishna Care hospital in Raipur. Manmohan Singh, Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Raman Singh and other leaders went to hospital to meet the injured.

The Centre rushed more than 600 CRPF personnel, including the CoBRA anti-Maoist commandos, to sanitise and take control of the Naxal attack site in Chhattisgarh. The Centre has mobilised the CRPF personnel to not only take control of the area but also launch search and rescue operations as it is suspected that some people may be present in nearby jungles.

The Prime Minister announced ₹ 5 lakh each as ex-gratia relief from the National Relief Fund for families of those killed and Rs 50,000 each for those injured. Asserting that the country will never bow before Naxalism, while addressing party workers at Congress Bhavan in Raipur he said, "We will pursue the perpetrators of this crime with urgency and I can assure the nation that the Government is committed to bringing them to justice." President Pranab Mukherjee said the nation will neither be overawed nor intimidated by such actions. Leader of Opposition in Loksabha, Sushma Swaraj condemned the attacks and termed it to be shocking and most unfortunate.