West Bengal Timeline 2012

Date

Incidents

January 2

The State Police's recruitment drive in CPI-Maoist-affected Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore Districts has received a strong response. The Government has fast forwarded the process of recruitment of constables and home guards in the wake of the killing of Maoist politburo member Mallojula Koteswara Rao on November 24, 2011.

Four CPI-Maoist cadres surrendered before CM Mamata Banerjee in Jhargram in West Midnapore District. The four surrendered cadres are identified as Lambodar Majhi, Bhajohari Mahato and Karan Kaibarta and Sukhdev Mahato.

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announced that her Government would prepare an employment bank for the youth in Junglemahal comprising three Maoist-hit districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura.

From paying off an ailing father's medical bills and eliminating sworn enemies to death threats - the CPI-Maoist resorts to every tactics to rope in new recruits.

One of the main accused in the derailment of the Jnaneswari Express that claimed 148 lives on May 28, 2010, identified as Joydeb Mahato, was arrested from West Midnapore District.

The CPI-Maoist has for the first time admitted that the death of its politburo member Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji has dealt a heavy blow to the outfit and called upon the youth to join the outfit.

The Police claimed to have uncovered a CPI-Maoist plot to target the Nimpura Police Camp near the Indian Air Force base at Kalaikunda in West Midnapore District as "revenge" for Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji's death.

Md Khaleque alias Bablu, reportedly a close aide of State secretary Akash of the CPI-Maoist of West Bengal and Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji, was arrested from village Khokra near Harishchandrapur in Maldah District. Bablu was reportedly the prime suspect in the killing of CPI-M supporter Sridam Das (49), of Dubrajpur on April 22 of 2008 and Primary school teacher and CPI-M leader Nandalal Mistri (53), of Rajnagar village of Birbhum District on September 22, 2011.

Suspected CPI-Maoist cadres killed a worker of the TMC party in Jhargram area in West Midnapore District. The worker was picked up by the Maoists late in the night from his home and was shot dead. Namita Mahato, a local woman, said that the body of the TMC worker was found near the railway tracks.

The STF of Kolkata Police arrested a senior member of the RPF, the political front of the Manipur-based PLA; from the Maidan area in Kolkata, for his alleged links with the CPI-Maoist in West Bengal. Dhiren Singh alias Raghu alias Macha (37), was living in South Kolkata posing as a medical representative, an unnamed senior STF officer said. The Police recovered 30 rounds of live cartridges of 7.62 bore from him. "He was supplying arms and sophisticated communication sets to Maoists for the past two years," the officer said. "Dhiren is the self-styled captain of the PLA. He had been travelling across West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh for the past three years, with Kolkata as his base, for fixing deals with the Maoists," an STF source said.

A CPI-Maoist 'squad leader', Yudhistir Mahato alias Arjun, was killed during an encounter with joint SFs in Jamtal forest in West Midnapore District. Yudhistir Mahato was killed when SFs purportedly opened retaliatory fire after Maoists attacked them during the combing operation in the area.

A CPI-Maoist couple, identified as Chiranjit Mahato alias Nirmal Mahato alias Lambu and his wife Anima Mahato alias Usha, surrendered to the West Midnapore District Police. Chiranjit primarily operated in Madhupur and Kanta Pahari area of Lalgarh. Anima was part of the armed group led by Badal.

After getting information from two surrendered CPI-Maoist cadres Chiranjit Mahato and his wife Anima Mahato, the Police recovered 11 landmines, 10 kilograms of explosives, several detonators, Maoist posters and leaflets and other material needed to make landmines from Kanyabali forest at Salboni in West Midnapore District.

Phulmani alias Bela, a female squad member of the CPI-Maoist was arrested by the joint SFs from Jangalmahal region under the Lalgarh Police Thana area in West Midnapore District.

The joint SFs launched an operation against CPI-Maoist in the forest belt near Jharkhand border in West Midnapore District. Combined forces of CRPF, SAP, and CoBRA troopers began inching towards Kanaisol Hills, 15-20 kilometres from Belpahari Police Station, close to the inter-state boundary, Police sources said. The operation was launched after the administration put up posters in several parts of the belt with pictures of seven 'area commanders' of CPI-Maoist, urging them to come forward and lay down arms.

One person identified as Sahadeb Hansda (28), an alleged Maoist linkman, was arrested from Bikrampur village under Simlapal Police Station in Bankura District.

In an attempt to persuade members of the CPI-Maoist to lay down arms and prevent their movement in the Maoist-affected Jangalmahal region of West Bengal, the State Police have put up posters with the photographs of seven prominent Maoist leaders in the Jhargram area in West Midnapore District. Each poster has the name and photograph of an important Maoist leader, including the party's State secretary Akash, squad 'commander' Bikash, Suchitra Mahato, Tara and Jayanto, with a message urging them to join the mainstream.

An encounter took place between SFs and CPI-Maoist cadres in a forest in West Midnapore District. Following intelligence input that a group of Maoists from Bandwan and Odisha had come to Gopiballavpur to hold a meeting, a team of SFs raided the area. There was no report of any injury or casualty during the 20-minute-long encounter, said Jhargram SP Gaurav Sharma. "After the initial firing, the Maoists seemed to have fled away to Odisha. We found a bag and a polythene sheet," he added.

Speaking at the inauguration of the Regional Hub of National Security Guard at Badu in the State's North 24 Parganas District, Union Home Minister P Chidambaram lauded the efforts of the newly elected State Government for bringing Maoist activity under considerable control.

Two persons seated on the roof of a bus were hit by bullets fired by the CPI-Maoist cadres at Purnapani in West Midnapore District. Later, the Maoists abducted one of them.

Sadanala Ramakrishna alias RK, stated to be the head of the Central Technical Committee of the CPI-Maoist, was arrested in Kolkata. Four other Maoist cadres were also arrested. A city court remanded all the five in Police custody till March 13. Ramakrishna had been arrested along with associate Dipak Kumar, a resident of Chhattisgarh, from the College Street area. The three others - Sukumar Mondal, Bapi Mudi and Sambhu Charan Pal, all said to be residents of the State - were arrested from the Beniapukur area and seized materials used in making rocket launchers and other explosives from a workshop in the same area. The accused were involved in acquisition and manufacture of firearms, rocket launchers and grenades. They supplied firearms to Maoist outfits across the country. "Subversive documents", Maoist literature, drawings of machine parts and INR 500, 000 in cash were seized from the accused. Twenty-five pieces of six-holed metal sockets used in making rocket launchers were recovered from the Beniapukur workshop.

Mumbai Police arrested Aswin Kumar Bhattacharya from Mumbai. Bhattacharya, a senior member of the CPI-Maoist, is also a part of the arms supply chain, said Police sources.

Based on the information provided by five CPI-Maoist cadres who were arrested on February 29 in a joint operation of West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh Police, STF officers of Kolkata Police raided an apartment in Birati, located in the eastern fringe of the city, and seized INR 3.5 million in cash, instruments used for manufacturing rocket-launchers, and some Maoist documents.

In a surprising revelation, the STF and IB officers interrogating five arrested CPI-Maoist learnt that the Maoist movement in Chhattisgarh is mainly controlled from various parts of the city. "Kolkata not only provides the logistics, financial and other support to their counterparts in Chhattisgarh but it also arranges for a safe hideout for important national level leaders. As per our information, at least three to four Central Committee members live in the city throughout the year," a top STF officer said.

Senior female CPI-Maoist action squad 'commander' Suchitra Mahato (35), a close aide of killed CPI-Maoist Politburo member Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji, surrendered in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with her newly married husband Prabir Gorai at the State Secretariat in Kolkata.

The Kolkata Police approached a Court in Kolkata to frame charges against Sadanala Ramakrishna alias RK, the head of the Central Technical Committee of the CPI-Maoist, and four other members of the outfit, arrested on March 1, under the UAPA.

Joint SF's found a laptop and a printer, believed to be used by the CPI-Maoist leader Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishanji just hours before his death. Six powerful IEDs and more than 150 kilogram of explosives, detonators and some ammunition were also seized from the hideout in Kushaboni forest of Jhargram in West Midnapore District.

The Jharkhand and West Bengal Police launched a combing operation in East Singhbhum District on the border between two States on information that a Maoist squad was in the area.

Mangal Mahato, a leader of the PCPA, a frontal organisation of the CPI-Maoist, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in the West Midnapore District. The bullet- ridden body of Mahato was found in the morning near Banstala railway station in the Jhargram sub-division of the District.

A hardcore cadre of the CPI-Maoist, who supplied arms to other extremists, has been arrested by the Special Task Force of Kolkata Police, sources said. Ajay Chanda, known as Jhulan in Maoist circles, was caught from Esplanade bus stand a few days ago, after which a city court remanded him to police custody for 14 days. During interrogation, Ajay who hails from Burdwan District admitted that he had links with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and was a key man in bringing arms for Maoist activities from outside. STF sources said based on leads from his statement, they have raided many places in the city and adjoining areas to seize laptops, hard disks, documents and cash worth INR 53,000.