Chhattisgarh to constitute State Investigation Agency to deal with Naxalism

New Delhi [India], March 6 : Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai-led Chhattisgarh government on Wednesday took an important Cabinet decision to deal with issues like terrorism and Naxalism.
The state government of Chhattisgarh will constitute a State Investigation Agency (SIA) on the lines of the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
"It was decided to form SIA for quick and effective investigation and prosecution in special cases like terrorism, Naxalism and leftist extremism in the state of Chhattisgarh," the CM posted on X.
The Chief Minister further revealed that the agency will act as the nodal agency of the state for coordination with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), adding to which he said, "For this, a total of 74 new posts including one Superintendent of Police have been created."
On Sunday, a police constable and a Naxal were killed during an encounter in Chhattisgarh's Kanker district, officials said.
According to police, the encounter broke out between Maoists and the District Reserve Guard (DRG), a unit of the Chhattisgarh Police, in a forest near Kanker's Hidur village under the Chhotebethiya police station during a search operation on Sunday morning.
The police constable, identified as Ramesh Kurethi, lost his life after being shot during the encounter.
On Saturday, after a local leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was killed by suspected Naxalites in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur on Friday, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister said that their fight against Naxals is at a "decisive juncture."
CM Sai also said that their plans will never be allowed to succeed.
According to the police, Tirupati Katla, the convener of the BJP Cooperative Cell of Bijapur, was attacked when he had gone to attend a wedding and was brought dead to the hospital.