New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Thursday, January 30 arrested two overground workers (OGWs) of the banned CPI (Maoist) terrorist organisation in connection with the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly election Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast case.
The arrested individuals, Dhanesh Ram Dhruw alias Guru Jee and Ramswarup Markam, were associates of CPI (Maoist) members and were actively involved in providing logistical support to the perpetrators of the IED explosion, which took place on November 17, 2023, in Badegobra village of Gariyaband district in Chhattisgarh during the state assembly polls.
An Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) head constable was martyred in the blast, which was triggered by the assailants when the polling team, accompanied by security personnel, was returning from village Badegobra after completing the voting process.
2 OGWs of CPI (Maoist) Terror Outfit Arrested by NIA in Chhattisgarh Assembly Poll Blast Case pic.twitter.com/nxkt6iqZlu
— NIA India (@NIA_India) January 30, 2025
According to NIA investigations, the attack was planned by Maoist’s central committee members Ganesh Uikey and Manoj, and special zonal committee member Satyam Gawade, following the terrorist outfit’s call for the 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 the NIA on February 22 last year. In December 2024, the agency filed a chargesheet against 10 accused in the case, with further investigations ongoing.
Maoists surrender in Sukma
In a related development, as many as 9 Maoists surrendered before the police in Maoist-affected Sukma district of Chhattisgarh on Thursday, police said. The surrendered Maoists were carrying a cumulative bounty of Rs 52 lakh on their heads.
Six of the surrendered cadres were carrying a bounty of Rs 8lakh each on their head while two women Maoists were carrying a reward of Rs1 lakh each as announced by the State government, informed the authorities.
All of them have been provided with an immediate financial assistance and will be rehabilitated as per the surrender and rehabilitation policy of the State government. The development occurred on the heels of another lot of 29 Maoists surrendering before the police in Narayanpur district.
Notably more than 70 Maoist cadres have joined the mainstream after surrendering before the police in January this year alone. This comes amidst security forces neutralising around 50 Maoist cadres in separate operations carried out in the State in the said period. (With Inputs from agencies)
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