Three Masked Men Fire 10 Rounds at Congress Office in Bilaspur, Injuring Two Relatives

Three masked assailants on a motorcycle unleashed a barrage of 10-12 rounds outside the private office of Congress Janpad vice-president Nitesh Singh in Masturi town around 6 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, injuring his uncle Chandrakant Singh Thakur in the leg and brother Raju Singh in the left arm, while Singh himself escaped unharmed.

The sudden attack, captured partially on CCTV, prompted immediate chaos as locals rushed the wounded duo—both now stable—to Bilaspur's Chhattisgarh Institute of Medical Sciences, where police secured the scene amid heightened security. Two attackers wielded pistols or country-made weapons, fleeing toward an unidentified direction as witnesses described the gunfire echoing through the bustling town square.

Bilaspur Superintendent of Police Kantaram Awasthi confirmed a full-spectrum probe, deploying forensic teams, cyber experts, and dog squads to scour 50+ CCTV feeds from nearby markets, fuel stations, and highways. Alerts blanketed bordering districts like Raipur, Janjgir-Champa, and Mungeli, with vehicle checks and suspect sketches circulated via WhatsApp to 200+ stations. Preliminary leads point to a black Splendour motorcycle without plates, but no arrests yet despite combing operations through sugarcane fields and forested outskirts—a Naxalite-prone belt 25 km from Bilaspur city.

Also Read: Himachal Landslide: Child’s Body Recovered, Death Toll Climbs to Sixteen

The brazen daylight hit Chhattisgarh's political circles, coming weeks before the November 2028 state polls amid BJP-Congress slugfests over governance and security. Congress leaders like state chief Deepak Baij decried it as a "conspiracy to terrorise opposition", demanding Governor's Rule and a CBI takeover, while BJP's OP Choudhary urged restraint pending facts. Nitesh Singh, a rising Dalit face in the Masturi block credited with the 2023 panchayat wins, told reporters from his hospital bed: "They wanted to silence our fight against corruption—this won't break us." Rivals speculate about land mafia links, given Singh's anti-encroachment drives.

As dusk fell, Masturi simmered under CRPF floodlights and drone surveillance, with Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai ordering round-the-clock protection for 500+ Congress workers statewide. This echoes Chhattisgarh's violent undercurrents—over 150 political attacks since 2023—including Maoist ambushes and vendetta killings, underscoring fragile law and order ahead of Diwali.

With forensics yielding initial shell casings (9mm and .32 bore), the manhunt intensifies, promising swift justice or exposing deeper syndicate threats in the "rice bowl" state's heartland.

Also Read: UN Rapporteur Francesca Albanese Barred from U.S., Delivers Gaza Report via Video