Chhattisgarh Naxal Attack - Saturday May 25,2013

Claiming responsibility for the brutal attack in Chhattisgarh on May 25,2013 Maoists on Tuesday said the act was a revenge for the "atrocities done by the Salwa Judum".

 In a statement, Gudsa Usendi, spokesperson for the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, CPI(Maoist), alleged that both ruling BJP and opposition Congress in the state are equally responsible for anti-people policies. "That is why senior functionaries of Congress were targetted

The attack in the heavily forested Darbha Ghati left 24 people dead and 27 injured. Naxals attacked Congress' rally, which comprised of Salwa Judum founder Mahendra Karma, party's state chief Nand Kumar Patel and senior Congress leader VC Shukla. Karma and Patel were killed, while Shukla is battling for his life at a Gurgaon hospital

"Nand Kumar Patel was suppressing people. It was in his tenure in the Centre when paramilitary forces were deployed in the Bastar area. Mahendra Karma and his family have been exploiting tribals for long. They were into land grabbing and committed atrocities on tribals," the statement further said.

Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda inquires about the health of senior Congress leader VC Shukla in Medanta hospital in Gurgaon

The prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh has strongly condemned the horrific attack and offered all kinds of assistance to state Chief Minister Raman Singh. He is due to visit the injured on Sunday May 26,2013

Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi has described it as "an attack on democracy"

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (R) and Congress president Sonia Gandhi pay homage to slain party leader Nand Kumar Patel in Raipur

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress president Sonia Gandhi give the solatium to family members of Chhattisgarh Congress president Nand Kumar Patel in Raipur on Sunday

 Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (L) and Congress president Sonia Gandhi (2L) meet injured survivors of the attack at the Rama Krishna Care Hospital in Raipur

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) team, which took over the probe, is in Chhattisgarh and will begin its investigations

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh admitted  that there were serious security lapses that may have led to the attack.