2009 Naxal attack: Why no action on officers whose laxity claimed 10 CISF lives, asks CIC

NEW DELHI: CIC has termed it a case of "acute insensitivity" NALCO's failure to take action against its officials whose alleged laxity resulted in a Naxal attack on its unit in 2009, leaving 10 CISF personnel dead.

Information Commissioner Yashovardhan Azad took strong exception to the fact that senior commandant of CISF Shakti Dhar Dobhal had to wait for nearly four years to get answers on the action taken against senior officials of one of the Navratrna Public Sector Undertaking.

He directed that copy of his order be sent to Secretary, Ministry of Mines and CMD, NALCO to apprise them with the "complete insensitivity" and "apathy" shown in the case by the officers concerned.

Azad underlined that while NALCO officials were claiming that they were not able to locate records, there were no records as no action was ever initiated.

"It is shocking to note that neither the Ministry nor NALCO pursued this case against the wrongdoers despite the supreme sacrifice of 10 bravehearts who laid down their lives to safeguard the lives and interests of NALCO," he said.

After perusing the files, the Information Commissioner found that the Ministry had only issued directions to Chairman/MD, NALCO for taking appropriate action, but the same has not been complied with and that NALCO has not taken any action in the matter.

Around 200 Naxals had attacked the NALCO unit in Damanjodi, Odisha, defended by a team of 20 CISF men, in the midnight of April 12, 2009 to loot explosives and other heavy equipment.

During the attack, four Naxals were killed while 10 men of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) sacrificed their lives in the encounter. The Naxalites were neutralised eventually in the morning of April 13, 2009.

Dobhal had filed an RTI in 2012 seeking to know what action was initiated against officials of NALCO whose lapses resulted in the attack and subsequent loss of men under his command while defending the unit but he did not get satisfactory information.