Our Bureau/

Eastern Bihar & Jharkhand frontal special regional area committee of CPI (Maoists), the body of rebels active in eastern Bihar districts along with some bordering parts of neighbouring Jharkhand has public liberation guerrilla army’s (PLGA’s)  platoons with well-trained commandos. The commandos mostly from this region, use to participate countrywide operations ; many of them participated  recently in the infamous  Chhattisgarh ambush on security forces at Burkapal in Sukma where 25 CRPF personnel were martyred on April 24 this year.

The recent arresting of a group of hardcore Maoists and their sensational revelation   that among some of them recently had involved in the infamous  Chhattisgarh ambush has virtually robbed off the sleep of Bihar police, other concerned security agencies along with the intelligence wings. Confessional statements by the arrested persons before police about the planning to intensify high magnitude attacks on police and security forces in this region in pattern of recent Chhattisgarh ambush, further spread panic wave among the security forces here.

However, with the arresting of rebels who are also natives of Maoists infected Jamui and its adjourning areas, police not only averted another Burkapal incident but also came to know how the outfits  secretly planning for big attacks on security forces.

Action against rebels in Eastern Bihar areas.

Official concerned of the security forces including police and intelligence department were bewildered to find how the rebels planed for an ambush inside deep woods in Jamui district where security forces often used conduct patrolling. The incident came to light after Jamui police on the basis of a tip off conduct search operation inside the inaccessible forest covers with CRPF, STF and SSB battalions and recovered powerful IEDs (improvised explosive devices).

Not only that during the search operation nine suspected persons were nabbed by the police who later identified as the hardcore armed squad members of the platoon of local area commander of Jamui areas, Surang Yadav.

Senior superintendent of police Jamui, Jayantkant claimed that the arrested nine Maoists from Naini Patthar and Asarkho areas under Chakarpatthar OP of Sono PS in the district on June 5 last, revealed they had planted 14 powerful IEDs  on the narrow pathways leading to the forest. Police later recovered huge IEDs and explosive materials from the spots inside the forest. These were the spots where either security personnel take rest during an operation or take cover during an encounter or ambush.

Planting IEDs at places where the security forces either take rest or take cover during operations was a strategy Maoists adopted in Chhattisgarh only, claimed a top ranking police source.

The source further claimed that the Maoists plant IEDs with proper camouflage under trees and bushes around narrow pathways at the entrance of any forest area or deep inside it just like at Burkapal in Sukma where 25 CRPF personnel were killed in April 24 this year.

However a senior intelligence officer said that  the same strategy was adopted in Sonhada forest area of Aurangabad district in Bihar where 10 highly-trained CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action) personnel were killed  on July 19, 2016.

Out of the nine arrested on June 5 last, one Sonam Hansda allegedly revealed to the security personnel that he was part of the 25-member team of Maoists involved in Burkapal ambush. They were also interrogated by Intelligence officers.

“Sonam said the team had left Bihar on April 20 and came back after finishing the operations. He also revealed that during the operation there, he was on Saintry (guard) duty,” said an intelligence officer.

Jayankant also said that during interrogations, the arrested rebels revealed that are the armed squad members of Suranga Yadav, the self-style areas commander of the rebels’ organization.  According to him the arrested persons also disclosed that they admitted how the proposed ambush on security personnel was planned out. “They said soon after the explosion by the underground IEDs, some rebels who would be at the hill top, would be ready for showering bullets on the security personnel” Jayantkant said while quoting the rebels.

The arrested persons are identified as Ramdev Koda and Gopal Vulla from Nainipatthar under Charkapattar OP, Sunil Marandi from Kuchawar of Jamui, Shyam Soren from Barajor under Chakai PS, Jhaki Murmu from Lakhari under Khaira PS along with Sonom Hansdak, Karu Roy, Arjun Koda. Not only that many of the arrested persons are wanted by the police since long for killing petty contractors engaged for construction works in the region along with other heinous crimes that were committed during Maoists operations.

The arrested persons also admitted how they earlier received hard training at other places like in Andhra Pradesh  etc and also involved many Maoist operations at many other parts.

CRPF in 2013 recovered the hidden camp of the rebels in Jamui where 7 th national Congress of the Maoists held earlier.

Police recovered 12 pieces of ken bomb, 40 meter electric wire along with huge explosive materials from the possession of the arrested persons.

The arresting incident consider as the most successful operation against the rebels as well as a turning point of the anti-Naxal operation in Bihar  because it disclosed many secret desires of the banded outfits against the security personnel.

“With the discloser of the strategies mooted out by the rebels, now we seriously have stated preparing our next course of strategies. We already sounded alarms in left extremist dominated areas like the district of Jamui in eastern Bihar. We also instructed the security personnel to take extra ordinary care during any operation and preferably take appropriate measures while venturing in the inaccessible forest covers and other places,” said that top ranking CRPF official.

Meanwhile a team of CRPF officials was sent to Jamui to investigate the entire episode and also for interrogating the arrested persons, a top ranking source disclosed.