Bastar bloodbath: ‘Mahendra Karma was stabbed 78 times’

Zee Media Bureau Jagdalpur: The post-mortem report of senior Congress leader Mahendra Karma, who was killed in an ambush by Naxals in Chhattisgarh last Saturday, has reportedly revealed that he bled to death and suffered 78 stab wounds. The post-mortem report states that multiple bullet wounds and injuries by a blunt object were also found on Karma’s body, as per news reports. The autopsy report of Karma and Nand Kumar Patel’s son Dinesh Patel was given to Chhattisgarh police on Wednesday. Patel suffered a head injury apart from bullet wounds and stabbing, the post mortem report reportedly stated. Karma and Patel were part of the convoy of Congress leaders and workers who were attacked by Maoists in Chhattisgarh. The attack by the Naxals left 24 people dead. Reports on Wednesday said there was `specific intelligence` as regards Maoists` presence. As per reports, there were intelligence inputs about Maoists` movement in the area but none of them were taken seriously in the manner that these translated into any action against the Reds. State intelligence believes at least 500 Naxals were involved in the attack, compared to half the number out earlier. Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police of Jagdalpur has been suspended in connection with the case. The Congress leaders were travelling to Jagdalpur when the attack took place. The state government has also transferred Inspector General of Bastar district Himanshu Gupta to CID, and shunted out Bastar Collector P Anbalagan. Also, DGP Ramniwas has now been given the responsibility to personally supervise all VIP security in the state. The state government has, meanwhile, formed a one-member judicial commission headed by Bilaspur High Court Justice Prashant Mishra to investigate the attack. The probe report is likely to be submitted within three months.