Focus on Maoist who took control in Feb

The killing of the Pakur SP and five other policemen has brought the focus on a previously little-known Maoist,who rapidly

The killing of the Pakur SP and five other policemen has brought the focus on a previously little-known Maoist,who rapidly moved up the rebels hierarchy to become the zonal commander of the Santhal Pargana region only in February this year.

Pradeep Majhi alias Praveer has emerged as the main suspect who led the band of Maoists that attacked SP Amarjit Balihars convoy,officials said on Wednesday.

According to the police,the previous zonal commander,Ramlal Rai,was arrested in February and his second-in-command Majhi took control days later. The latest attack is being considered his first major strike to stamp his authority in the area.

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It is certainly a loss,but our forces are resilient and mature enough to respond to this, said K Vijay Kumar,senior adviser on Naxal issues at the MHA,who was till recently an adviser to the Governor.

The police said Majhi,who hails from Giridih,was instrumental in sneaking the CPI-Maoist into the region,where the erstwhile MCC did not traditionally hold sway.

There was a murder in 2001 within the Ramgarh police station area. A Paharia (tribal) leader was killed by the Mahajans (money lenders). The Maoists exploited that,and Badri Rai became their leader here, said an IPS officer,who has served in the region. Previous zonal commander Ramlal is Badris son.

Shahdev Rai,Ramlals elder brother,works with Majhi,raising suspicions that the attack could have been in retaliation to his arrest.

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They formed an armed squad in 2005,training local people. Most of the leaders were from Giridih and Bihar. I reckon there are 20-25 active members in Kathikund/ Amrapara (the SP was killed along the road connecting these two areas),with 15 of them possessing police weapons, said the IPS officer.

The police had also arrested four Maoists in the Pakur-Godda border in April,which may have weakened the organisation considerably. The attack on the SP is also being seen as an operation to boost the Maoists morale.