Chhattisgarh masaccre: HC constitutes three-member committee

Bilaspur, Chhattisgarh, Jan 30: The Chhattisgarh High Court has constituted a three-member committee -- headed by retired Madhya Pradesh High Court Judge R K verma -- to look into the massacre of about 40 tribals in Errabore relief camp in Dantewada district allegedly by Naxalites last year.

A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Vijay Kumar Srivastava and Justice Dhirendra Mishra, yesterday directed the committee to present its report within six weeks.

The High Court also directed the Dantewada Sessions Judge to provide three people to each member to work as interpreters.

The committee was constituted from a panel of three names each provided by the government and the amicus curie in the petition.

Other members of the committee included journalist and Bakshi Srijanpeeth Chairman Babban Prasad Mishra and Indian Express (Ahmedabad) resident editor N K Singh.

While the government had provided names of retired HC Judge R K Verma, Mr Mishra and retired Inspector General R P Modi, the amicus curie had suggested the names of retired HC Judge Jaspal Singh, senior journalist and Indian Express resident editor N K Singh and lawyer and social activist Teesta Setalvad.

On January 19, the Chattisgarh High Court had rejected the government report on the massacre and directed it and the amicus curie in the petition to provide a panel of three names each within five days for setting up an independent inquiry committee to look into the matter. Earlier, in a letter petition, Jagdalpur's Pratap Agrawal and Narayan Swami had requested a detailed inquiry into the matter stating that several thousand people were put up in government-run relief camps since the anti-naxalite 'Salwa Judum' campaign had started in June 2005.

Though the Errabore relief camp was located near a police station, the incident occurred due to inadequate security arrangements, the petition said.

The petitioner sought disciplinary action, after proper inquiry, against responsible officials.

On January 11, the bench had directed the state government and police to present separate investigation reports.

Principal Secretary (Home) Subhash Atre and Inspector General (Intelligence) Girdhari Nayak had submitted the reports but the High Court had rejected it.

UNI