RAIPUR : In the most lethal attack so far in Chhattisgarh , Maoists on Saturday hit a Congress party convoy in Bastar , killing top party leader Mahendra Karma, the man who started the anti-Naxal campaign called Salwa Judum , as police counted 17 dead, many among them well-known state Congress leaders, and several injured. Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nandkumar Patel's body recovered from Darbha Ghat. Nandkumar's son body also found near site of ambush.

Former Union minister and ex-Madhya Pradesh CM Vidya Charan Shukla was seriously injured with three bullet wounds. TV images showed Shukla on the ground, his face blood-splattered and huge blotches of blood on his abdomen. He was first taken to a hospital in Jagdalpur and later flown to Raipur where doctors described his condition as “very critical”. Local leaders said party vice-president Rahul Gandhi was expected to reach Raipur late Saturday night before Shukla is shifted to Delhi by an air ambulance.

State Congress President chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh went missing from the spot after the attack and were suspected to have been abducted by the Maoists, sources said. They were travelling with Sukma Congress legislator Kawasai Lakma, who was injured in the attack. Nand Kumar and Dinesh jumped out of the car and were not seen thereafter.

The group of Congress leaders and party workers were ambushed at Darba Ghati valley around 5.30pm as they were driving out of the rebel stronghold of Sukma in Bastar district towards Jagdalpur after attending a rally as part of Parivartan Yatra to kick off party’s campaign for the assembly polls. Police said that some cars leading the convoy hit land mines and then the entire convoy came under a hail of gunfire as more than 150 combatants ringed them.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reviewed the situation with Congress President Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders. The PM called up chief minister Raman Singh to offer para-military reinforcements. The CM had returned to Raipur, cancelling his Vikas Yatra, to hold an emergency meeting of the state cabinet.

Karmaji is no more. We don’t have any more details”, a close relative told TOI over telephone while police officers and government officials tried to get details on learning about the massacre. Sources said Karma was dragged out of his vehicle along with his PSO and shot dead.

A local television correspondent Naresh Mishra, who was at the remote ambush spot, said he saw bullet ridden bodies of Karma, former Congress legislator Uday Mudaliyar and more than 10 other bodies. It took security reinforcements several hours to reach the spot as they had to walk for fear that land mines had been planted on the road leading to the area. It standard procedure for Maoists to plant mines in and around such spot of attacks to target security forces rushing for rescue and relief operations. Former MLA and prominent tribal leader Phulo Devi Netam werer among the wounded.

The attack on opposition Congress leaders came a day before the bandh called by the Maoists to protest against the May 17 killings of eight tribals, including three children, by the security forces during an anti-Naxalite operation.

Mahendra Karma , who had spearheaded the controversial anti-Naxalite movement Salwa Judum since 2005, was on Maoist hit-list and survived several attempts on his life. Few months ago, Karma escaped unhurt when Maoists triggered a powerful landmine blast targeting his vehicle.

Meanwhile, opposition Congress blamed the state government for the incident alleging that it did not provide adequate security to the ‘Parivartan Yatra’, despite having specific information that the Maoists could target mainstream political parties and its leaders’ political campaigns ahead of the next assembly elections.

Former CM Ajit Jogi called for a statewide bandh after meeting the governor along with party leaders.

Central leadership of Congress desisted from pointing fingers, but there were indications that the restraint may not hold. Emerging from meeting with the PM, Sonia said that CM Raman Singh who had promised to get back to the PM was yet to do so. Party general secretary in –charge of the state, B K Hariprasad, said that the Congress leaders were not provided “ enough security”.

“Police was well aware about a possible Maoist threat to both Vikas Yatra by chief minister Raman Singh and Parivartan Yatra by the Congress leaders. Yet it did not provide adequate security to the opposition leaders,” senior Congress leader and former minister Satyanarayan Sharma said.