Circa 2005: Return of the dark ages

JEHANABAD: The magnitude and intensity of the Naxal attack in this district headquarters of Bihar on Sunday night has stunned the entire state machinery. In what is being described as the biggest ever operation by the ultra-left, outlawed extremist outfits in this state, the Maoists went on rampage in the sub jail here freeing their top commander Ajay Kandu alias Ravijee and many other leaders and members of their armed squads.

The sub jail with the maximum capacity to lodge 168 inmates had 658 prisoners at the time of the incident. Of these 341 were found missing when the administration put them to headcount on Monday morning.

No one in the district or state administration was in a position to say how many of these prisoners had been taken away by the naxals and how many of them had fled on their own.

There was total anarchy in the jail premises when mediamen arrived on Monday morning. The jail gates were wide open with a large number of people from town and also the adjoining villages thronging the prison to see what had happened there last night.

One of blood stained printed pamphlet recovered from the spot revealed that the “operation jail break” was organized by the Bihar-Jharkhand Special area committee of CPI (Maoists). The CPI (Maoists) is the new name of MCC and PWG after they joined hands. The pamphlet says that the Peoples Guereilla Army (PGA) had carried out this operation to commemorate the famous Russian revolution. The pamphlet further says that ‘this attack was on the corrupt judicial system, corrupt police officers and corrupt politicians’.

Maoist motives

Firstly, the fear among the people for the maoists had come down considerably after the peaceful conduct of the elections. Thanks to the unprecedentedly elaborate security arrangements made by the election commission, despite naxalites' call for boycotting the elections, people voted in every village in the 'naxal zone'. They needed a flamboyant and larger-than-life operation to instill the awe back in the people and to boost the sagging morale of their rank and file.Second reason was Ajay Kandu, the top most leader of their outfit in this area, who had been languishing in jail for the last three years. The outfit had not been able to find any leader who could substitute Kandu, a master strategist and courageous naxal trained well to handle all kinds of weapons and explosives.

Ranvir revenge

Ranvir Sena on Monday warned that they would massacre backward castes and dalits after news of maoists gunning down nine of their members reached here. A day after hundreds of Maoist guerrillas swooped down here in an audacious jailbreak during which they not only freed their comrades but also carried away 40 members of the Ranvir Sena, supporters of the group that represents the interests of landowners hit out in anger. "We have to give a fitting reply in their own language by killing Maoist supporters and sympathisers," a Sena leader said on condition of anonymity. He was among the Sena leaders gathered outside the jail here to protest the district administration's failure to protect the life of prisoners in Sunday night's attack. Another Sena leader said the incident was enough provocation for a "fresh massacre of lower caste people in Maoist strongholds to keep them in check". Relatives of some of the prisoners who had been taken away tied in ropes by Maoists said it was high time they got a glimpse of Sena’s power. The relatives fear that Maoists would kill all those they had abducted.

Grind on the ground

Several media personnel here were injured on Monday when police assaulted them allegedly on instructions of the district administration, irate at reports of apathy and public protests against Sunday's Maoist attack. Angry media personnel said they were being targeted because administration officials were frustrated at their inefficiency being exposed. The administration was supposed to be on high alert after intelligence reports had warned of a possible attack by Maoists. DGP Ashish Ranjan Sinha said that a massive combing operation was already on. Three units of Special Task Force (STF) who had been specially trained by the Grey Hounds in Andhra Pradeshhad been airdropped in the area. Forces to strike down on Jehanabad: 4 companies of CRPF, 2 companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and a BSF chopper from the centre, five companies of CRPF from EC, 3 companies of Bihar Military Police.

Sequence of terror

1 Around 9:00 pm, Naxalites attack from both northern and southern ends of the town. They first attack the police lines on the southern end of the city which houses the police armoury and engages the personnel stationed there in a gun battle. Only 15-20 cops are present as rest are deployed on election duty.

2 Opens fire and lobs grenades outside the residences of District Magistrate, SP and District Judge and keeps the cops deployed there engaged.

3 Goes around town instructing people to remain indoors and informing them that the operation is against the authorities

4 Shoots the sentry of the prison dead, scales the wall using a bamboo ladder, fires indiscriminately once inside. Remaining guards surrender. Shoots open the locks of the cells in which their comrades are stationed. Frees their leader Ajay Kandu, kills Ranvir Sena leader Bare Sharma, abducts his supporters, warns the inmates that powerful explosives will soon go off. 658 prisoners were lodged in the prison, the maximum capacity of which is 168.