Bastar: Maoist involved in ASP Girepunje's death, held by SIA in Sukma
A Maoist involved in the blast incident that killed Konta Additional SP Akash Rao Girepunje, has been arrested in Sukma district of Bastar division on Tuesday.
Chhattisgarh Home Department on June 13, had directed State Investigation Agency
(SIA) to investigate the tragic death of ASP Girepunje, who was killed in an IED blast on June 9 in Konta region of Bastar's Sukma district.
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Director General of Police (DGP) Arun Dev Gautam and SIA Director Ankit Garg are monitoring athe investigation team.
The accused arrested was identified during the investigation by the Special Investigation Agency (SIA), which has been given the charge to probe the blast case.
Information about other Maoists involved in the incident was also gathered. The accused, named Sodhi Ganga, has confessed of his involvement and the details of his statement is awaited.
After interrogation, the SIA presented him in court, from where he was sent to jail.
The SIA team is being led by Superintendent of Police (SP) Neeraj Chandrakar, and consists of six police personnel, including SP, ASP, TI, and SI rank officers.
Officials said that the SIA team departed for Sukma within the next two days of order and gathered evidence from the blast site and soon identified those responsible for planting the IED.
On June 9, ASP Akash Rao was inspecting an area related to a Naxal incident near Dondra village on the Konta-Errabore road when the IED exploded, causing him fatal injuries and injuring SDOP Chandrakar, and TI Sonal Gwala. The two injured officers are receiving treatment at a hospital in Raipur.
Naxals on the night of June 8 had set fire to JCB at the spot and planted an IED about two feet underground near the machine, targeting the police team that will reach the spot for investigation the following morning.
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State Investigation Agency (SIA), established by the Vishnu Deo Sai-led government in Chhattisgarh a year ago, is tasked with investigating Maoist activities, religious conversions, and cattle smuggling. SIA has direct reporting access to the DGP and Home Department.
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