Tudu killing signals strategy shift: If you cant catch them,kill them

The killing of Lalmohan Tudu,the president of the Peoples Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA),at Katapahari in Lalgarh...

The killing of Lalmohan Tudu,the president of the Peoples Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA),at Katapahari in Lalgarh is not only being seen as a body blow to the Maoist-linked outfit but also signals a clear shift in the strategy of the security forces after the Silda attack.

The forces fighting the Maoist rebels have switched to a more aggressive strategy from the softer,cautious approach they followed earlier,according to officials.

Though the CRPF claimed Tudus was an encounter death,police officials told The Indian Express that the PCAPA leader and two others were tracked down through cellphone intercepts and gunned down on Monday night. The aim is to dismantle PCAPA,which works in tandem with the Maoists.

From the cellphone intercepts,a CRPF unit in Lalgarh got the lead that Tudu was returning home to see his daughter,who is to appear for the Madhyamik exams. Tudu was accompanied by two others Yuvraj Murmu and Suchitra Murmu both said to be Maoists. Only Tudus body was recovered.

Suchitra Murmu,a member of Salboni squad was a close associate of Tara,a senior leader of the regional committee of CPI (Maoist), said a police official. Yuvraj,her husband,collected information about the Silda EFR camp before the attack that killed 24 personnel. We have information that Yuvraj did the recce of the Silda camp and he was a member of the Lalgarh squad led by Vikash, added the official,referring to the Maoist group that led the attack.

Confirming the strategy shift,Bengal DGP Bhupinder Singh said: Earlier,we issued orders about collateral damage,asking our forces to keep it to minimum. But now they will open fire and kill them if they cannot be arrested. We wont let them run away. However,he said Tudu was killed in an encounter. We have evidence to prove it.

Tudu,being a PCAPA leader,was usually not as secretive as the underground Maoists. But he moved with caution after the arrest of Chhatradhar Mahato,the outfits convenor,in October 2009. In Mahatos absence,Tudu did his work. Locals said Tudu was a cool-headed,calculative and moderate leader unlike Sidhu Soren,who may run PCAPA now.

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After Chhatradhars arrest,Soren,a hardcore Maoist who had been with the PCAPA,had formed the Gana Militia an armed wing with recruits from the local villages. Soren,who is close to Maoist leader Kishenji,was given the responsibility to give arms training to PCAPA activists and villagers. The recruits were later to be absorbed in the Maoist squads.

A CRPF official said PCAPA and Gana Militia played a crucial role in the Silda attack by planting landmines and putting up barricades to prevent forces from reaching the camp. He added that the network has to be destroyed to win the battle against the rebels.