MAHATO IN POLICE CSTODY

IE, Kolkata, Sep 28:The Jhargram sub-divisional special court today remanded Chhattradhar Mahato, leader of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, to police custody till October 1.

Of the 22 cases registered against Mahato, the court heard three: the one where leaflets were recovered from his home claiming to bring former Andhra Pradesh chief minister (late) Y S R Reddy and Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to “justice in people’s court”; setting ablaze the Ramgarh police outpost; and planting explosives in Lalgarh.

Mahato was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in the case pertaining to the recovery of leaflets from his residence that call for judging Reddy and Bhattacharjee in Janata’s Adalat. Mahato is the second person to be booked under the UAPA in Bengal after Maoist spokesperson Gour Chakraborty was arrested earlier. The police have, meanwhile, sought permission from the state government to use UAPA in a number of other cases pending against him. Mahato also has cases against him in neighbouring Jharkhand. “In one case, we have booked him under the provisions of UAPA. We have sought permission from the state government to book him under UAPA in a number of other cases. It is confirmed that he is an important personality in CPI (Maoist). Immediately after his arrest yesterday, a landmine was triggered in Lalgarh,” said Manoj Verma, Superintendent of Police, West Midnapore.

The police are, meanwhile, interrogating Mahato to procure vital information on various Maoist leaders like Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji and Bikash, who reportedly masterminded the attacks in Lalgarh. According to police, Mahato was actively in touch with Maoists leaders Bikas, who many believe to be his brother Sashodhar Mahato, and Kishanji. “Mahato is wanted in at least two cases in Jharkhand, which are also probably under UAPA. We are also making attempts to arrest Kishanji and Bikas,” added Verma. Two of Mahato’s cellphones were, meanwhile, sent to the Forensic department to ascertain the names of those who featured on his regular contact list.

MAHATO ARRESTED IN A DRAMA

Even while the police were looking for them, Maoist leaders in Lalgarh and Chhatradhar Mahato, the head of the Maoist-backed tribal movement, People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, were easily accessible to the media. They held press conferences and gave soundbites to TV channels even when Lalgarh was burning. His obsession with the media became Mahato’s undoing on Saturday when West Bengal policemen posing as journalists arrested the face of the Lalgarh movement, who had been declared “most wanted” by the state government.

The operation was planned by the state police months ago. A police officer, disguised as a Bengal-based correspondent of an international TV channel, contacted Mahato around two months ago. He introduced himself as Anirban Roy. He also called him up several times and recorded his statement on issues relating to Lalgarh. Policemen posing as the channel’s journalists interviewed him twice.

“This was to gain his confidence. Fortunately for us, he did not check whether his interviews were aired. Our two-member team posed as reporters and cameraman of a fictitious Singapore-based news channel. For the past three months, we were monitoring the cellphone calls of local journalists who were in touch with Mahato,” said a senior police officer.

The media-savvy Mahato was contacted for a third interview by the undercover policemen. Mahato agreed and confirmed the date and time of the interview.

On Saturday afternoon, the two-member police team, disguised as a reporter and a cameraman, went to interview him. They met him near Birkar village in Kairasole jungles, about seven km from Lalgarh police station.

Mid-way through the interview, he was held at gun-point by the undercover policemen, who escorted him out of the jungle where security forces were waiting. He was taken to Lalgarh police station and interrogated for an hour. Later, he was whisked away to an undisclosed location.

The state government is considering slapping cases under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA on Mahato. Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakrabarti said: “There are no legal problems booking him under the provisions of UAPA. He will be produced before a court tomorrow.”

“This is a major boost for us. One of our prime tasks in the Lalgarh operations was to arrest those who were behind the mayhem in the area. There are around 50 cases against him, including that of murder,” said Manoj Verma, Superintendent of Police, East Midnapore, who is leading the joint Central-state operations in Lalgarh.

Security in and around Lalgarh has been beefed up as police and district administration fear an escalation of violence. “After such arrests, there is a possibility of a backlash in the area. We have taken all precautions,” added Verma.

Mahato spearheaded the 11-month tribal agitation backed by Maoists. It was after the blast that targeted CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s convoy in Salboni on November 2, 2008 that Mahato, backed by Maoists, formed the PCAPA. He led the agitation which paralysed the administration in the area.

ONE KILLED IN KANDHAMAL BLAST

IE, Phulbani,Orissa, 28 Sept: One person was killed and three others injured when a crude bomb being prepared at a rehabilitation centre in Kandhamal district exploded today.

The incident occurred this afternoon when the crude explosive went off when it was being prepared by a man at a tent located in the middle of the rehabilitation centre at Nandagiri, 54 km from here, Kandhamal SP Praveen Kumar said.

Rejecting any communal angle into the incident, he said initially it appeared as if a miscreant hurled the bomb at the rehabilitation centre but probe revealed that it exploded in the tent occupied by one Patrasen Mallick.

While Mallick and two others sustained injuries, another person whose identity was not yet known, died on the spot.

Mallick was hospitalised at G Udaygiri and the other two injured were discharged after administering first aid. Police, however, did not rule out possibility of Maoist involvement in the incident as the deceased did not belong to the rehabilitation centre.Police, however, did not rule out possibility of Maoist involvement in the incident as the deceased did not belong to the rehabilitation centre.

A subsequent search at the centre also led to seizure of four country-made guns, the SP said adding that police was investigating the matter.

The police have intensified patrolling in the place.

About 53 riot hit families who had lost their houses and refused to return to villages at Betikela due to fear, were provided land by the state government to set up a colony, official sources said.

Of the 53 families, 40 were staying at the place in temporary tents while preparing to construct houses, they said adding that land dispute could be a reason behind the incident.