Raipur, Jan 26 (IANS): On the occasion of the 70th Republic Day, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Saturday said this is an opportunity to remember the glorious past of India and that "delay in getting justice is an injustice in itself".

"Many people took the plunge to get freedom for India. There is a tremendous contribution of the great dignitaries and the people who have been steering our country after Independence," he said after hoisting the tricolour at a ceremony here.

Talking about the Jhiram Valley incident of 2013, Baghel said the state has announced an SIT investigation into the matter. At least 27 people, including former state minister Mahendra Karma and Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, died when Maoists attacked a Congress cavalcade. Former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla had succumbed to his injuries later.

"District Mineral Institute Trust Fund (DMF) has been constituted to protect the environment and the people affected by mining in the state," he said.

The present and future generations should be associated with their heritage and contribute in fulfilling the dreams of the Constitution makers, he said.