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‘Judicial commission report on Jhiram Valley attack won’t be made public as it’s incomplete’: Bhupesh Baghel
The CM’s comments came was responding to media questions at Raipur airport on Friday evening after returning from Delhi
Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel said his government will not make public the report of the judicial commission, headed by former judge of Chhattisgarh High Court Justice Prashant Mishra, on the May 2013 Jhiram valley Maoist attack, because it is “incomplete”.
“We came to know through the media that the commission has handed over its report to the Raj Bhavan (governor). Today (on Friday), officials informed me that the governor’s office has handed over the report to the state government... in the meantime, the state government has appointed two new members to the commission to complete the probe,” Baghel said.
The chief minister was responding to media questions at Raipur airport on Friday evening, after returning from Delhi.
Asked whether the report submitted by the panel headed by Mishra will be made public, Baghel said, “Absolutely not, since the report is incomplete... The commission’s secretary had written to the General Administration Department that the probe was incomplete.”
On Thursday, the Chhattisgarh government appointed a new chairman, added another member to the enquiry commission and added new terms of reference.
The commission, which was earlier headed by former Chhattisgarh High Court judge Prashant Kumar Mishra, was constituted on May 28, 2013, by the then BJP government, submitted its findings to the Chhattisgarh Governor Anusiya Uike on November 6, after which Congress raised objections that it should be submitted to the state government and not to the governor.
“The commission was constituted during the Raman Singh government in 2013 and its term was extended for 20 times. In June this year, the panel’s tenure was extended for the last time and in September, the commission’s secretary had sought a further extension, saying the probe was yet to be completed. Meanwhile, Justice Prashant Mishra was transferred as Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court. In such a situation, I sought the opinion of the law department, “ Baghel said.
On May 25, 2013, Maoists attacked a convoy of Congress leaders during the party’s`Parivartan Rally’ in the Jhiram valley in Bastar district of Chhattisgarh killing 29 people including then state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, former leader of opposition Mahendra Karma and former Union minister VC Shukla.
The new order appoints Justice (retired) Satish K Agnihotri, former Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court, as the new chairman of the commission and Justice (retired) G Minhajuddin as a member. Both of them have served tenures as judges in Chhattisgarh High Court.
Earlier this week, the Chhattisgarh Congress, including Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, raised objections over the submission of the report to the Governor and pointed out that in September, the commission had sought extension of the term, asking why then it was submitted in a hurry.
