NAXAL/ MAOISTS- 2010 - Indian Social Institute

Murshidabad. Soon after college, Mr. Guha and his partners bought a factory at Sagarpara and began
manufacturing beedis under the brand names of ‘Badshah' and ‘Dada'. “The Dada brand was named after
cricketer Saurav Ganguly,” said Rupa, Mr. Guha's wife. “Pijush used to come to Raipur to buy tendu
leaves for their beedi factory back home. He was also interested in manufacturing biodiesel from jatropha
and had met several officials in the Chhattisgarh government in this regard.” On May 1, 2007, Rupa said,
she spoke to her husband in the morning and he told her he would return home the following day. That
evening, however, a group of policemen arrived at Mr. Guha's ancestral home in Murshidabad and
questioned his parents about him. “The police came again on May 4 but refused to tell us where Pijush
was and so I got worried,” said Rupa. Despite holding Mr. Guha in prison for nearly four years and
producing 97 witnesses, the Chhattisgarh police have been unable to explain how Mr. Guha was
arrested, how he got hold of the letters written by Mr. Sanyal, and how they relied on Mr. Anil Singh's
testimony that he heard Mr. Guha tell the police that Dr. Sen gave him the letters. Mr. Guha testified that
he was picked up by the police on May 1, 2007 from the Mahindra hotel, blindfolded, illegally detained
and interrogated for five days before his arrest was staged on the station road on May 6, 2007. Defence
maintains that all evidence was planted by the police. Mr. Anil Kumar Singh, an eyewitness, whose
testimony was crucial for the prosecution, said he was not present at the moment of Mr. Guha's arrest but
arrived soon after. Mr. Guha's lawyers have produced a railway ticket in his name and dated May 2 2007,
to show that he intended returning home but was picked up by the police. The police also produced a
ticket, dated May 6, 2007, to support their claim. “It is correct to say that the seized ticket bore Pijush
Guha's name,” Mr. Jagrit testified. However, the seized ticket is an unreserved one. In a special leave
petition (SLP) filed in the Supreme Court on November 23, 2009, investigating officer S.S. Rajpoot said
Mr. Guha was arrested at Hotel Mahindra, not at the railway station as claimed earlier. Questioned about
this discrepancy, Mr. Rajpoot said he had made a typing mistake in his written submission to the highest
court, an explanation Mr. Verma accepted in his judgment. Mr. Verma wrote (in Hindi): “The prosecution
is favoured by Pijush Guha's inability to explain how he got the letters … as for the police picking him up
on 1.5.2007 from Mahindra Hotel and blindfolding him … no witnesses have been produced.” Mr. Verma
writes that the testimony of sub-inspector Sadhan Kumar Pathak of Purulia confirms that Mr. Guha had
Maoist links. In his testimony, Mr. Pathak claimed that Mr. Guha was part of a Maoist attack on a CRPF
camp in Purulia in 2005. On cross-examination, he admitted that the first information report (FIR) made
no mention of Mr. Guha. A report by the People's Union for Civil Liberties notes that Mr. Guha was
implicated in the Purulia case two years later on May 6, 2007: the same date when the Chhattisgarh
police claimed that they arrested him. (The Hindu, 27/12/2010)
Maoists’ plan to attack Gaya jail foiled, 6 held
In a major breakthrough, the Gaya police in Bihar foiled a Maoist plan to attack the divisional jail and
arrested six hardcore ultras. The dreaded Naxals had made a comprehensive plan to repeat the
Jehanabad jailbreak incident in 2005. According to State police chief Neelmani, on getting information
that Maoists had planned to repeat the Jehanabad incident, a police team led by Gaya City SP, Daljit
Singh raided their hideout and arrested six top Naxals. The arrested were identified as the zonal
commander Bhushan Sharma alias Vipinji, Suresh Yadav alias Chandanji, Yugula Yadav alias Yogeshji,
Ashutoshji, Arjun Paswan alias Rameshji and Jitendra Singh alias Tiger when the police raided several
places in Rampur in Gaya district on Saturday. The arrested Maoists, were involved in the killing of a
Station House Officer Mithilesh Prasad in Gaya and 45 other Naxal related incidents in Bihar and
Jharkhand, police said. One AK-56 rifle, two regular carbines, two country-made pistols, 249 live
cartridges besides Rs 59,000 in cash and seven mobile phones were seized from them, said the Gaya
city SP, Daljit Singh. Meanwhile, intelligence reports have suggested that the Maoists were planning to
strike in a major way in Bihar falling in the areas of Jamui-Lakhisarai-Gaya-Auranagabad. Earlier, reports
had reached the State police headquarter that a large number of Maoists had assembled near Kajra
hillocks in Lakhisarai. It was the same place from where the Maoists had abducted four policemen last
year but released three cops and killed Lucas Tete after taking the State Government on ransom for six
days. Recently, the State Government reportedly got permission to hire helicopters for operations against
Maoists in forest and hilly terrains. Ever since the Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand Governments have
launched a crackdown against the Maoists, the border areas of Bihar have been turning into hideouts for
the Maoists. “Maoists are planning to make a major strike in Bihar to make their presence felt and to put
pressure on the State administration”, a police official informed. Earlier in November 2005, the Maoists
had attacked Jehanabad jail and freed hundreds of Maoists, including their top ranking leader Ajay Kanu,
while killing eight policemen and some upper caste Ranvir Sena leaders lodged in the jail. “At no cost the
Jehanabad jailbreak will be replicated again in Bihar…we’re extra vigilant and careful”, a senior police
official of the State headquarters said. (Pioneer, 27/12/2010)