Summary Convoy of Mahendra Karma was Saturday ambushed in Darbha ghat by the Maoists in which he was killed.
BASTAR (Agencies) - Naxals on Saturday ambushed the convoy of Congress s Parivartan rally in Darbha ghat of Bastar district in which the Congress Chhattisgarh president and twelve police were killed.
The police say that former union minister VC Shukla was injured in the attack.
Naxals open fired at the convoy between Dharba and Tongpal in Bastar region.
It was a close shave for other Congress leaders.
Reports said that Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee president Nandkumar Patel and his son have been abducted by Naxals.
A former Congress MLA Udya Mudaliyar was also shot dead by the Maoists who attacked the convoy at around 1730 hours when they were returning from a "Parivartan" rally.
Karma, a former Home Minister of the state who was a guiding force behind "Salwa Judum" (anti-Naxal operation by vigilante groups), was killed when a large number of Maoists opened fire on the rally. The burst of gunfire was preceded by a blast.
Shukla was reported to be at Darba Ghati police station and the nature of his injuries could not be ascertained immediately.
The Maoist attack took place in a dense forest near National Highway 202 connection Chattisgarh with Bhadrachalam district of adjacent Andhra Pradesh.
Opposition Congress Parivartan Yatra, comprising senior party leaders, had launched Parivartan Yatra on April 12 in the state where Assembly elections are due by year end.
Chhattisgarh Congress media cell president Shailesh Trivedi said it was matter of investigation whether Naxals were involved in the attack.
He alleged the state s BJP government did not provide adequate security to Congress Yatra despite opposition from Naxals.
"Naxals have opposed both BJP s Vikas Yatra and Congress Parivartan Yatra. However, the state government provided security only to BJP s Yatra and not to the one organised by Congress. Had it been provided security, today s incident would not have happened," he said.
Police sources said another former Congress MLA Phulo Devi Netam from Bastar, a prominent tribal leader, was also wounded in the firing by Maoists, police sources said.
Congress chief Sonia Gandhi termed the Maoist attack on party workers in Chhattisgarh as an attack on democratic values.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh spoke to Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh over Maoist attack.
PM asked whether more central forces are required urgently by Chhattisgarh govern
