Trouble brews for Bhupesh Baghel's son, Chhattisgarh police questions him in alleged attempted murder case

Police in Chhattisgarh’s Durg district on Thursday questioned Chaitanya Baghel, son of former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, in connection with an alleged attempted murder of a Bhilai-based college professor earlier this year.

Chaitanya was summoned to the Old Bhilai Police Station around 11 a.m. on Thursday and was released later in the evening after hours of questioning.

The case dates back to July, when a group of armed individuals allegedly attacked Vinod Sharma, a professor at Khubchand Baghel PG College in Bhilai. Sharma was reportedly assaulted near a paan shop while on his way home.

This development comes shortly after Bhupesh Baghel, the former Chief Minister, penned a letter to Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud, alleging that both state and central agencies were being "misused" to target him and his family.

Durg Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla confirmed to *The Indian Express* that Chaitanya Baghel had been questioned to determine any potential involvement in the attack on Sharma. "His name surfaced during the investigation," Shukla said.

According to the First Information Report (FIR) filed on July 19, the incident occurred when four assailants on motorcycles stopped at a paan shop where Sharma had paused. They then proceeded to assault and verbally abuse him. The professor’s driver, 25-year-old Hemant Baghel, attempted to intervene but was also beaten by the attackers. Hemant later managed to summon help and took Sharma to a local hospital for treatment.

Following Hemant’s complaint, an FIR was lodged against the four unidentified assailants under various sections of the Bharat Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 109 (attempted murder), 296 (obscene acts), and 351(3) (criminal intimidation).

While Chaitanya Baghel did not respond to media inquiries, sources indicated that investigators had confiscated his phone as part of the probe.

Meanwhile, the Congress party condemned the investigation, labeling it as a "witch-hunt" targeting Bhupesh Baghel and his family.