SIA comes in action To probe Narayanpur IED blast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In a major development, Special Investigation Agency (SIA) – formed by Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai led BJP Government in Chhattisgarh on the lines of its national counterpart National Investigation Agency (NIA) – has taken Suo Moto cognizance of Narayanpur IED blast incident and has initiated a probe. In this incident, which took place on June 14th, two troopers of Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) were critically injured, when troopers of ITBP 53rd Battalion were out for Area Domination Exercise (ADE) between the forested villages of Kutul and Mohndi, a Maoist stronghold in restive Narayanpur district. At around 6.30 am in the morning, the red rebels triggered a powerful IED blast the limbs of two ITBP troopers Dharmendra Kumar and Narad Kumar were blown off. Later, the injured ITBP troopers were airlifted to Raipur by a chopper.

 

“SIA has taken up its first case for investigation and, now soon a team will visit Kutul-Mohndi village of restive Narayanpur district to start their probe. The team will avail first hand information from the troopers, who were present on the spot on the fateful day when the IED blast was triggered by the leftist insurgents. The SIA team would probe under direct supervision of ADG SIB/ANO Vivekananda Sinha,” knowledgeable sources in Special Intelligence Branch (SIB) and Anti Naxal Ops (ANO) in Police Headquarters (PHQ) averred to ‘The Hitavada’. According to sources, the formation of the State Investigation Agency (SIA) was necessitated as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is overwhelmed with nearly two dozen cases related to Chhattisgarh. The primary purpose of the SIA is to investigate matters related to terrorism, Left Wing Extremism (LWE) violence, and cattle smuggling. However, since its inception on March 7th, following approval by the State Cabinet chaired by the Chief Minister, the SIA did not receive any official cases for investigation until the Narayanpur IED blast, which it took up suo moto.

 

The SIA is also intended to serve as the key nodal agency for coordination with the NIA in the state. Sources further revealed that an Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) ranked officer has been appointed to lead the SIA, which will operate under the Home Department of the Chhattisgarh Government. The State Government has also directed the recruitment of 74 officers and employees for the SIA, although currently, only two officers of Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) rank are posted. Notably, Chhattisgarh is the second state in the country, after Jammu and Kashmir, to establish an SIA. Presently, the SIA in the state is headed by ADG Vivekanand Sinha, a 1996-batch IPS officer of the Chhattisgarh cadre.