New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has chargesheeted two more accused in connection with the Chhattisgarh assembly election blast case November 2023.
The case relates to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) explosion that took place in the village of Badegobra, in the Gariyaband district of Chhattisgarh, during the state assembly polls 2023.
The accused Dhanesh Ram Dhruw and Ramswarup Markam have been charged under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities [Prevention] Act in the supplementary chargesheet filed by the NIA, taking the number of total chargesheeted accused in the case to 12.
Earlier the agency in December last year had also chargesheeted 10 persons, including three Over Ground Workers [OWGs] of Maoists namely Mohan Yadav, Bhupendra Dhruv and Lakhanlal Yadav. All the accused were chargesheeted under various sections of the IPC, Explosive Substances Act, and UA(P) Act.
According to NIA, Ramswarup, a headmaster in a government school and Dhanesh, the then Sarpanch of Chotebogra panchayat were both involved in providing logistic and financial support to the members of the unlawful outfit CPI[Maoist] to carry out the said attack.
The accused were also involved in assisting the cadres of the banned group in making posters and banners for boycotting the assembly elections. Additionally, Ramswarup was also found to be involved in arranging incriminating materials, such as wires, switches, and firecrackers for Maoists before the execution of the blast.
The case was initially registered at the Mainpur police station and re-registered by NIA in February 2024. During the investigation, searches were also conducted in the houses of the accused in Badegobra, resulting in the recovery and seizure of cash and other incriminating materials.
The explosion occurred in the afternoon of November 17, 2023, when a polling team, accompanied by security personnel, was returning from village Badegobra after the completion of the voting process. One Head Constable of Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) had attained martyrdom after sustaining grave injuries in the blast.
