The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against 10 individuals in connection with the 2023 Chhattisgarh assembly election blast case. Among those charged are three arrested over-ground workers (OGWs) of the banned CPI (Maoist) organization—Mohan Yadav, Bhupendra Dhruv, and Lakhanlal Yadav—as well as seven cadres of the proscribed group.
According to an official release, the accused have been chargesheeted under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UA(P) Act).
The case pertains to an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast that occurred in the village of Badegobra in the Gariyaband district of Chhattisgarh during the state assembly elections last year. Initially registered as FIR no. 94/2023 at the Mainpur police station, the case was later re-registered by the NIA on February 22, 2024. During the investigation, searches conducted at the residences of the arrested accused in Badegobra led to the recovery and seizure of ₹2,98,000 and other incriminating materials.
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The explosion took place on November 17, 2023, in the afternoon as a polling team, escorted by security personnel, was returning from village Badegobra after completing the voting process. One Head Constable of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) later succumbed to injuries sustained in the blast.
“Investigations have revealed that the attack was planned by CPI (Maoist) Central Committee Members Ganesh Uikey and Manoj, and Special Zonal Committee Member Satyam Gawade, in response to the outfit’s call for the boycott of the assembly polls in the state,” the release stated.
Cadres of the Gobra Dalam, a faction of the banned terrorist organization, carried out the blast with the assistance of OGWs from the villages of Badegobra and Chhotegobra.
The NIA has stated that its investigation into the case is ongoing.
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