Two top Maoist commanders arrested in Chhattisgarh

Two Maoist commanders, one of them allegedly involved in the Tadmetla massacre in which 76 security personnel were killed in 2010, were arrested in Chhattisgarh insurgency-hit Dantewada district on Monday. "Hardcore cadres Kesha alias Vijja (31) and Hemla Sannu (30), carrying a reward of Rs 8 lakh and Rs 5 lakh on their heads respectively were apprehended from Kirandool police station limits," Dantewada Superintendent of Police Kamlochan Kashyap told PTI here today.

Acting on specific inputs that the duo had arrived at a rally in Kirandul, several teams of the local police reached the spot and rounded up them, Kashyap said. Allegedly, Vijja is the section commander of platoon number one of Maoist battalion number one, which is reportedly one of most ferocious military groups working under the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) in Bastar and adjoining parts of neighbouring Maharashtra, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, the SP said.

He was also allegedly involved in the Tadmetla attack (now in Sukma district) which claimed the life of 75 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel and a state police personnel in April 2010. Allegedly, he was involved in several other deadly attacks, including the killing of 12 policemen including the Jagargunda station house officer (2007), another killing of 23 troops in Errabor (2007), killing of six Compact Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) personnel in Chintagufa (2009) as well as the attack on the house of Congress leader Awdhesh Gautam in Kuwakonda (2010) which left two civilians dead, the SP said.