Enquiry commission to probe Dantewada massacre

A one-man inquiry committee appointed to probe the recent Naxalite attack in Chhattisgarh which killed 76 police personnel, has begun investigation and will visit the spot next week and interact with injured jawans and officials in Dantewada.

Former chief of the Border Security Force E N Rammohan has started collecting relevant information like the command structure, hierarchy and the decision concerning the operation, quality of training imparted to the Central Reserve Police Force men who were attacked by Naxalites on April 6 killing 75 of them and a state police head constable, and whether they followed the standard operating procedures, sources said.

Rammohan visited the CRPF headquarters in New Delhi and met Director General of the force Vikram Srivastava on Saturday. He is believed to have sought the call detail records of the mobile telephones used by the deceased and injured personnel of CRPF during the encounter. During his visit to the spot -- Tarmetla, Dantewada district and state headquarters, Raipur--Rammohan will interact with CRPF officials, local police and civil officials and injured jawans.

"The inquiry committee has a very tight deadline. It will submit its report on April 24," a source said. Rammohan will also gather evidence from family members and others, who had spoken to some of the CRPF men during the ambush, which could throw light on the actual events, after his return from Chhattisgarh, sources said.

The 69-year-old, 1965 batch Assam-Meghalaya cadre IPS officer will also examine the response of the state police and the CRPF during the ambush and post-ambush period, relief and rescue operations. In his report, which will be submitted to the Home Ministry, Rammohan will suggest measures to mitigate lapses, if any, so that such incidents do not occur in the future,sources said.