Raipur, Jun 22 (PTI) Alleging a nexus between the BJP and Maoists in Chhattisgarh, the ruling Congress on Monday asked why the opposition is afraid of the SIT probe into the Jhiram valley naxal attack that took place in 2013.

The Congress also asked why the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is trying to take over the probe into a fresh FIR lodged last month by Jitendra Mudliyar, son of Congress leader Uday Mudliyar, who was killed in the Jhiram attack, in connection with the seven-year-old incident.

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The BJP's rejected Congress charges and said the ruling party should have faith in the NIA.

On May 25, 2013, naxals had attacked a convoy of Congress leaders during the party's Parivartan Rally in Jhiram valley, killing 29 people, including then state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, former leader of opposition Mahendra Karma and former Union minister Vidyacharan Shukla.

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Several incidents have come to light in the past that indicate the BJP had been working hand-in-glove with the Naxals," Agriculture Minister Ravindra Choubey and Forest Minister Mohammad Akbar alleged at a press conference here.

Recently, a BJP leader was arrested in Dantewada on charges of helping naxals, Choubey said citing other similar instances of the past.

The two Congress ministers further asked why the BJP is scared of a probe into conspiracy angle of the Jhiram assault.

"The BJP does not want the conspiracy angle into the Jhiram attack to be probed. After the Jhiram incident, the NIA took over the probe.

"The NIA declared Naxal leaders Ganpati and Ramanna as absconders in March 2014 and released information about confiscating their properties in the media.

"But surprisingly, the names of the two leaders were not mentioned in the chargesheet filed by the NIA in September same year," the ministers said.

The NIA investigation into the case derailed after the NDA government came to power in 2014 at the Centre, they claimed.

The judicial commission set up by the previous BJP government to probe the attack didnt even have inquiry of conspiracy angle in its terms of reference, Choubey and Akbar said.

The previous BJP government in the state also ignored the demand for a CBI inquiry, they claimed.

After the Congress came to power in the state in late 2018, it constituted a special investigation team (SIT) to probe the incident and sought the final report of the case from the NIA so that conspiracy angle can be investigated.

However, the NIA refused to share any documents with the SIT, citing incomplete probe whereas their website showed the probe was completed, Akbar said.

Jitendra Mudliyar last month lodged a fresh case at the Darbha police station, seeking a probe into the conspiracy angle.

Subsequently, the NIA filed an application before the special court (Jagdalpur) on June 16, seeking that the fresh case be handed over to the central agency for probe, Akbar said.

Claiming that the Jhiram attack was a 'supari' killing (contract killing), the two ministers asked why the NIA is trying to take over the probe into the new case.

Refuting the charges, Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik of the BJP asked the Congress to produce evidence they have instead of leveling false allegations.

"When the Jhiram valley incident took place, the UPA was in power at the Centre. The NIA conducted its investigation according to terms fixed by the then UPA government.

"Hence, the Congress should have faith in the NIA's investigation," Kahusik said.

We also want that justice should prevail and those found guilty should be severely punished. The Congress should have patience and faith in the investigation," the BJP leader said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)