The Chhattisgarh Government on Saturday sought permission from the Election Commission to order a judicial probe into the killing of Dantewada BJP MLA Bhima Mandavi and four others in a Naxal attack on April 9. The Government in a letter to the poll panel proposed to conduct the probe by a sitting judge. 

Additional Chief Electoral Officer Dr S Bharatidasan when contacted said the letter has been forwarded to the EC. Any communication from the poll panel has not yet been received, he added.

In the letter sent through the office of the Chhattisgarh Chief Electoral Officer, the State Government pointed out that the slain BJP MLA, along with four others, were going from Kirandul to Bacheli through Shyamgiri route to Kuakonda at 3.30 pm on the ill-fated day. Two more vehicles were accompanying him.

The cavalcade of the MLA reached Shyamgiri route at around 4.30 pm, when the IED was triggered by Naxalites. In the incident, along with Mandavi, his PSOs and a driver were killed.

It further stated that as election model code of conduct is effective in the State, a screening committee of Chief Secretary held discussion for constituting a judicial commission to probe the incident.

After the incident, father and wife of Mandavi had sought a probe into the incident, terming it a Rs political conspiracy’. State BJP leaders have also on different forums demanded probe into the incident as was held after Jheeram Valley massacre in which top Congress leaders of Chhattisgarh were wiped out in a Naxal attack in May 2013. BJP national president Amit Shah had also sought a CBI probe into the incident.

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik in a statement reiterated the demand for a CBI probe. He said the way Congress has been behaving over the “martyrdom” of MLA Mandavi, it deepened the suspicion about a major political conspiracy.