RAIPUR: The opposition BJP accused the ruling Congress of leaking a damning judicial commission report that reportedly indicted security forces for killing 17 civilians, including seven minors, in Sarkeguda village in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district in June 2012.
It asserted that the leak was intentionally done allegedly by the ruling Congress leading to a breach of privilege of the House as the report should have been tabled during the ongoing Assembly session.
Security forces had claimed that 17 ‘Maoists’ were killed after a fierce encounter at Sarkeguda on June 28, 2012. The erstwhile Raman Singh-led BJP government had constituted a judicial panel to probe the encounter as there were allegations that those killed could be tribals.
The one-man commission, led by former Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Justice VK Agarwal, had submitted its findings to the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in November.
On Sunday, a media report stated that the Commission, in its report, had indicted the security forces saying that there was no proof of the villagers opening fire on the troopers nor that they were Maoist cadres.
The report was expected to be tabled in the Chhattisgarh Assembly on Monday.“The media leak amounts to the contempt of the House. The government has committed a major crime as the judicial commission report was leaked to the media even as the Assembly session is on,” former chief minister and BJP leader Raman Singh said.
The BJP demands action against those responsible for the ‘selective leak’ of the report, he said.
“The report was lying with the government for last one month. But instead of presenting it in the House, it was selectively leaked to the media, which amounts to a contempt of the Assembly. We will strongly raise this issue on Monday,” asserted Singh.