New Delhi, January 31
In another notable success in the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly election IED blast case, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two overground workers (OGWs) of the banned CPI (Maoist) terrorist organisation.
The arrested men, Dhanesh Ram Dhruw alias Guru Jee and Ramswarup Markam, were associates of CPI (Maoist) members, and were actively involved in providing logistics support to the perpetrators of the IED explosion, which took place on November 17, 2023 in village Badegobra of district Gariyaband, Chhattisgarh, during the state assembly polls.
An ITBP head constable was martyred as a result of the blast, which was triggered by the assailants when the polling team, accompanied by security personnel, was returning from village Badegobra after completion of the voting process.
As per NIA investigations, the attack was planned by CPI (Maoist) Central Committee Members Ganesh Uikey and Manoj, and Special Zonal Committee Member Satyam Gawade, following the terrorist outfit’s call for boycott of the assembly polls in the state. The explosion was carried out by cadres of Gobra Dalam of CPI (Maoist) with the support of OGWs from Badegobra and Chhotegobra villages.
The case, initially registered at Mainpur police station, was taken over by NIA in February 2024. The agency had, in December 2024, chargesheeted 10 accused in the case in which investigation is continuing.
