Police from Chhattisgarh’s Durg district Thursday questioned former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel's son in connection with the alleged attempted murder of a Bhila-based college professor earlier this year. Chaitanya Baghel was called in for questioning to Old Bhilai Police Station around 11 am Thursday and was released in the evening. The case is from July this year, when a group of armed assailants allegedly assaulted Vinod Sharma, a Bhilai resident and a professor at Khubchand Baghel PG College. The development comes days after the former CM wrote to Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud claiming that there had been attempts to “misuse” state and central agencies against him and his family. Durg Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla confirmed to The Indian Express that Chaitanya had been called for questioning “to find out if he has any involvement in the murder attempt case of a college professor in July this year”. “His name cropped up during the investigation," he said. According to an FIR filed on July 19, Sharma had stopped at a paan shop on his way home when four armed assailants stopped their bikes there and began to assault and abuse him. They also allegedly beat his 25-year-old driver Hemant Baghel when he tried to intervene. Hemant eventually brought help and took Sharma to a local hospital. Based on Hemant’s complaint, police registered an FIR against four unidentified people under sections 109 (murder attempt), 296(obscene act) and 351(3) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). While calls to Baghel went unanswered, sources claimed Chaitanya’s phone had been impounded by investigators. The Congress meanwhile called it a case of “witch-hunting”. Sushil Anand Shukla, the communications cell head for the party’s Chhattisgarh unit, said, "The BJP is playing dirty politics. Even when Baghel ji was Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief, they (BJP) had made allegations on his private property. His late mother and wife were made to sit for hours in the ACB/EOW (Anti Corruption Bureau/Economic Offences Wing) office. Even after he became the chief minister, his name was dragged in alleged scams to tarnish his image. Now again they are harassing his son by calling him to the police station.”
