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{{Use Indian English|date=December 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|honorific-prefix =
|name = Mahendra Karma
|native_name =
|native_name_lang =
|honorific-suffix =
|image = Mahendra Karma.jpg
|imagesize =
|alt =
|caption =
|order =
|office = [[Leader of the Opposition (India)|Leader of the Opposition]], [[Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly]]
|term_start = December 2003
|term_end = December 2008
|office2 = Minister of Industry and Commerce, [[Government of Chhattisgarh]]
|term_start2 = November 2000
|term_end2 = December 2003
|residence = Farsapal, Dantewada
|birth_place=[[Dantewada]], India
|death_date ={{death date and age|df=y|2013|5|25|1950|8|5}}
|death_place = [[Sukma]], [[Chhattisgarh]], India
|birth_date ={{Birth date|df=y|1950|8|5}}
|education = Graduate
|alma_mater= Danteshwari College, [[Jagdalpur]].
}}
'''Mahendra Karma''' (5 August 1950 – 25 May 2013) was an Indian political leader belonging to [[Indian National Congress]] from [[Chhattisgarh]]. He was the leader of the opposition in the [[Chhattisgarh Vidhan Sabha]] from 2004 to 2008. In 2005, he played a top role in organising the [[Salwa Judum]] movement against [[Naxalites]], a [[Maoist]] group in Chhattisgarh. He was a [[Political minister|Minister]] of Industry and Commerce in the [[Ajit Jogi]] cabinet since the state formation in 2000 to 2004.<ref>{{cite news |title=Salwa Judum architect Mahendra Karma among several Cong leaders killed in Maoist attack |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Salwa-Judum-architect-Mahendra-Karma-among-several-Cong-leaders-killed-in-Maoist-attack/articleshow/20267026.cms |work=The Times of India |date=26 May 2013 |accessdate=26 May 2013}}</ref><ref name="Karma">[http://www.daylife.com/topic/Mahendra_Karma Mahendra Karma] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091122141405/http://www.daylife.com/topic/Mahendra_Karma |date=22 November 2009 }}</ref> He was assassinated by Naxalites on 25 May 2013 in a [[2013 Naxal attack in Darbha valley|Maoist attack]] while returning from a ''Parivartan Rally'' meeting organised by his party in [[Sukma]].

==Early life and family==
Karma was an ethnic [[Adivasi]] leader from the [[Bastar division|Bastar region]]. He was born on 5 August 1950<ref>{{cite web |url=http://indorecity.co/bastar-tiger-mahendra-karma-cremated-in-native-village/ |title='Bastar Tiger' Mahendra Karma cremated in native village | All Related News of Indore |accessdate=2013-06-11 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130620040550/http://indorecity.co/bastar-tiger-mahendra-karma-cremated-in-native-village/ |archivedate=20 June 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>http://www.parliamentofindia.nic.in/ls/lok11/biodata/11mp02.htm {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2022}}</ref> to Daraboda Karma in the [[Dantewada district]] who was himself a powerful, strong leader in the undivided Bastar region.<ref name=eci-2003-1>{{cite web|title=Mahendra Karma|url=http://eci.nic.in/archive/website_2/S26/69/MAHENDRAKARMA/mahendra_sc1.html|publisher=Election Commission of India|accessdate=25 May 2013}}</ref> He received his higher secondary education from Bastar Higher Secondary School, Jagdalpur in 1969 and completed his graduation from Danteshwary College in 1975.<ref>{{cite news|title=Election Commission of India - Archives|url=http://eci.nic.in/archive/website_2/S26/69/MAHENDRAKARMA/mahendra_sc4.html|accessdate=25 May 2013|newspaper=Election Commission of India}}</ref> His elder brother Lakshman Karma had also been a Member of Parliament. Earlier, Naxalties had killed his brother Podiyaram who was president of the Bhairamgad Janpad Panchayat. They had also killed around 20 of his relatives in the subsequent period. His son Chavindra Karma was also Jila Panchayat Chairman of Dantewada and is in hit list of Maoist and Deepak Karma is currently (as of 2013), Nagar Panchayat president of Dantewada.<ref name=DBepaper26052013-1>{{cite news|title=Dainik Bhaskar - E-paper|url=http://epaper.bhaskar.com/raipur/116/26052013/mpcg/1/|accessdate=26 May 2013|newspaper=Dainik Bhaskar|date=26 May 2013|page=1|language=Hindi}}</ref><ref name=DBepaper26052013-2>{{cite news|title=Dainik Bhaskar - E-paper|url=http://epaper.bhaskar.com/raipur/116/26052013/mpcg/1/|accessdate=26 May 2013|newspaper=Dainik Bhaskar|date=26 May 2013|page=2|language=Hindi}}</ref>

==Politics==
Karma started his political career with the [[Communist Party of India]] (CPI). He won the 1980 general elections on the ticket of CPI. Later on he joined the Indian National Congress. He was then elected as the first president of the Zila Panchayat of the undivided Bastar. In 1996 general elections, Karma was elected to the [[Loksabha]] as a [[Member of Parliament]] (MP) on an independent ticket from Bastar. Later on he returned to the Congress. He was elected as a [[Member of Legislative Assembly (India)|Member of Legislative Assembly]] from Dantewada and was appointed as a Minister of Prisons in the [[Digvijaya Singh (politician)|Digvijaya Singh]] cabinet in the undivided [[Madhya Pradesh]]. He served as the Minister of Industry and Commerce after Chhattisgarh was carved out from its parent state Madhya Pradesh in the Ajit Jogi cabinet though he was known as a political adversary of Jogi. In 2003, his party Indian National Congress suffered defeat in the legislative assembly elections and he was made the leader of opposition in the state assembly. He used to represent Dantewada constituency. The congress again lost the [[State Assembly elections in India, 2008|2008 assembly elections]] when [[Bharatiya Janata Party|BJP]] swept 10 out of the 11 seats in Bastar.<ref name=toi-nov12>{{cite news|title=Chhattisgarh leader Mahendra Karma escapes Naxal attack|url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-09/india/35016158_1_mahendra-karma-dantewada-district-barsur|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127045647/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2012-11-09/india/35016158_1_mahendra-karma-dantewada-district-barsur|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 January 2013|accessdate=25 May 2013|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=9 November 2012}}</ref> He had secured 158,520 votes (35.19%). In the region, he was known as "Bastar Tiger"-for making a tough stand against the regional [[Maoist]] insurgency.<ref name="DBepaper26052013-1" /><ref>{{cite web|title=2009 Bastar Election Results|url=http://www.indianumbers.com/elections/results/Chhattisgarh/Bastar|publisher=IndiaNumbers.com|accessdate=25 May 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301012506/http://www.indianumbers.com/elections/results/Chhattisgarh/Bastar|archivedate=1 March 2012|df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name=bastartiger>{{cite news|title='Bastar Tiger' Mahendra Karma was on Maoist hit list|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Bastar-Tiger-Mahendra-Karma-was-on-Maoist-hit-list/articleshow/20265511.cms|accessdate=25 May 2013|newspaper=Times of India|date=25 May 2013}}</ref>

===Anti-Naxal movement===
Karma was seen as the driving force behind anti-Naxal movements in the Chhattisgarh. In 1991, he had started ''Jan Jagran Abhiyan'' which was composed mostly of traders and businessmen. The movement collapsed after sometime. Because of his role against Maoists, Karma was a high-value target. Owing to the threat perception to his life by the Maoists, he was given [[Security categories in India|Z+ security]] for his protection.<ref name=toi-nov12 />

==Death==
On 25 May 2013, Karma was killed in the Maoist attack in Darbha along with several other party leaders including [[Nand Kumar Patel]] when they were returning from a political rally.

On 27 May, the Naxalites claimed responsibility for the attack by issuing a statement which called the attack "the punishment for Salwa Judum founder Mahendra Karma for the atrocities done by the Salwa Judum-Nand Kumar Patel was suppressing people. It was in his tenure in the Center when paramilitary forces were deployed in the Bastar area."<ref>{{cite news|title=Maoists claim responsibility, say Mahendra Karma was me target|url=http://www.newsbullet.in/india/34-more/42228-maoists-claim-responsibility-say-mahendra-karma-was-main-target|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130702103323/http://www.newsbullet.in/india/34-more/42228-maoists-claim-responsibility-say-mahendra-karma-was-main-target|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 July 2013|accessdate=29 May 2013|newspaper=News Bullet.in|date=28 May 2013}}</ref>

The newly elected [[Indian National Congress|INC]] government of Chhattisgarh has set up an SIT under [[Vivekanand Sinha]] to probe into the incident on January 2, 2019.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.news18.com/news/politics/chhattisgarh-govt-sets-up-sit-to-probe-jhiram-valley-attack-which-eliminated-top-state-party-leaders-1989829.html|title=Chhattisgarh government sets up SIT to probe Jhiram Valley Attack|work=News 18 |access-date=2019-01-03}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://m.timesofindia.com/city/raipur/chhattisgarh-govt-forms-sit-to-probe-2013-bastar-maoist-attack/amp_articleshow/67352255.cms|title=Chhattisgarh government appoints SUT to probe 2013 Bastar maoist attack - Times of India ►|work=The Times of India|access-date=2019-01-03}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of assassinated Indian politicians]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
* [http://web.archive.bibalex.org/web/20051127014714/http://www.outlookindia.com/full.asp?fodname=20050829&fname=chhatisgarh&sid=1 An article in Outlook]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120418022117/http://www.eplsite.com/ News Website]
{{Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Karma, Mahendra}}
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:Chhattisgarh MLAs 2003–2008]]
[[Category:Indian National Congress politicians from Chhattisgarh]]
[[Category:Assassinated Indian politicians]]
[[Category:Communist Party of India politicians from Chhattisgarh]]
[[Category:Naxalite–Maoist insurgency]]
[[Category:State cabinet ministers of Chhattisgarh]]
[[Category:India MPs 1996–1997]]
[[Category:People murdered in Chhattisgarh]]
[[Category:Indian murder victims]]
[[Category:Terrorism victims in India]]
[[Category:Deaths by firearm in India]]
[[Category:1950 births]]
[[Category:Lok Sabha members from Chhattisgarh]]
[[Category:People from Dantewada district]]
[[Category:Leaders of the Opposition in Chhattisgarh]]
[[Category:Adivasi politicians]]

Mahendra Karma - Revision history

Bot at 00:48, 21 September 2022