The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against 17 Maoists in the Jagdalpur special court, concerning the attack on a CRPF camp in Bijapur district. The attacks, which targeted CRPF and Cobra camps in Dharmavaram, Chintawagu, and Pameda, occurred on January 16, 2024. One Maoist has been arrested in connection with the attacks.
The arrested Maoist, identified as Sodi Baman, alias Deval, is named in the chargesheet. The remaining 16 accused individuals, including 2 Central Committee members, 2 state-level senior leaders, and top cadres from the Telangana State Committee, Pameda Area Committee, and PLGA Battalion No. 01, remain at large.
The charges include violations of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Arms Act, the Explosive Substances Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). These charges are related to the attack on a new CRPF camp in Dharmavaram, Bijapur district, as well as two adjacent CRPF/Cobra camps in Chintawagu and Pameda on January 16, 2024. The attackers had attempted to loot weapons and other supplies. Prior to this, on December 17, 2023, the Dharmavaram CRPF camp, established on that date, suffered an attack that left 12 CRPF personnel injured.
The NIA took over the case from the local police on February 9, 2024, registering a case against 21 named individuals and 250-300 unidentified armed cadres of the banned terrorist organization CPI (Maoist). The investigation revealed that the accused were involved in recruiting youth under a criminal conspiracy to wage war against the Government of India. They were in possession of prohibited weapons, ammunition, and explosive materials, and participated in meetings to plan the attacks.
Notably, the Maoists had also established a training camp replicating the target camp, provided training in armed rebellion, delivered motivational speeches, conducted reconnaissance of the camps, and executed the final attacks. The investigation is ongoing.