Karma was reportedly shot in cold blood by Maoists

By ANI Raipur, May 26 (ANI): Tribal Congress leader Mahendra Karma, who organised the anti-Naxalite "Salwa Judum" movement in Chhattisgarh, was reportedly shot dead in cold blood in Saturday's Maoist attack in a forested area of Jagdalpur in the state's Sukma District.

Suspected Maoists had the strategic advantage of surprise and location when they launched their attack in a deeply forested area of the Dharba Valley of Sukma District.

Media reports said that it was a meticulously planned assault.

Reports said the attackers first triggered a landmine blast on the narrow two-lane highway near the Keshkal Falls situated between Jagdalpur and Sukma, and then rained bullets on the Congress convoy from a height.

The land-mine blast was aimed at the second vehicle in the convoy blocking the route. The Maoists then opened fire from the adjoining hill tops of the Keshkal Hills.

Although the security forces fired back, they soon exhausted their ammunition and were cornered. The Maoists then pulled out Karma from his vehicle and killed him at point blank range.

Chief Minister Raman Singh said: "This is not an attack on a particular party, but an attack on democracy."

Eyewitnesses said that the Maoists also seized the mobile phones of all Congress leaders before escaping from the scene of their attack. Former Border Security Force Director General E.N. Rammohan, described the Maoist ambush as unfortunate.

"The whole area should have been sanitized before VIP movement. Only once the route is cleared, the convoy should move. They should have been sent well ahead of the convoy," Rammohan said.

"The government should ask why civilians took up arms. If the government finds that they have done something wrong, it should be rectified. The caste system is one of the reasons behind civilians taking up arms. The government has failed to protect the civilians. Lower caste people don't own land in many states. The Adivasis has been pushed back to the forest by the people," he added.

Karma had survived an assassination attempt last year, and had Z plus security.(ANI)

I sympathise with the families of those killed in the attack.

However, I have no sympathy for those who have been killed.

They are part of the system that has been looting the people and the country with the active connivance of politicians, the police and the criminals.

See how O P Chauthala looted the nation in the teachers scam and Robert Vadhra looted the land from the people with the connivance of DLF and Chief Minister Hooda.

Chauthala is already out of jail to enjoy his loot.

Vadhra was not even jailed, because he is the son-in-law of Sonia Gandhi.

So if Chauthala or Hooda or Vadhra are killed by some of the people in frustration, I wouldn't blame them.

I would call it natural justice.

By the way isn't the loot which these people do confiscated.

Bihar has started doing so, but that is only an eye-wash to show the people.

There too, if 1000 crore is looted, only about 10 crore is confiscated.

I have said it earlier and am repeating.

When the injustice increases people will take up arms.

These poor people are already dead for all practical purposes so they may take a few of us while being killed.

A few Maoist may have been killed in the last few weeks but now they have exterminated 17 Congressmen yesterday. In this case they were Congressmen, they could very well have been BJP men.

Both the parties are part of the system - two sides of one coin.

The CM says it is an attack on Democracy.

How well said for democracy has come to mean government by the politicians, of the politicians and for the politicians.

Surely, this is an attack on democracy.

The poor policemen were killed because they were accompanying democracy.