Informers killed after kangaroo court trial

Ranchi, July 24: A Maoist kangaroo court branded six villagers police informers, shot dead two and relegated three to house arrest in Latehar last week. The sixth “accused” managed to escape after trial.

Sources said the rebels held court twice — on July 21 and yesterday — at Sarju forests, 20km from the district headquarters in Garu police station area, to punish the six who had apparently helped the police during Operation Parakram earlier this month.

Sources said Anil Oraon (24), a resident of Lai village in Garu, and Arun Yadav (35) of Kone village under sadar police station were shot dead on July 21.

Identified as first-time “offenders”, Ashok Oraon (20) of Patratu village in Garu, Rajendra Oraon (22) of Lai and Bhola Oraon (20) of Gotang village, also in Garu, were given a punishment less severe yesterday. The trio were told not to leave their respective villages for two years.

Pappu Lohra (30), a resident of Kone village, managed to escape from the clutches of the Maoists. Sources could not say how and when. “The six were abducted on July 20 from their villages at gunpoint. While the killings took place after a kangaroo court on July 21 night, three were banned from leaving their villages two days later,” a source said.

Outgoing Latehar SP Kuldeep Dwivedi, transferred to Bokaro, could not be contacted while new district police chief Kranti Kumar will take charge only tomorrow.

Barwadih DSP A.K. Sinha and Latehar DSP Ajit Peter Dungdung remained tight-lipped. “I do not have any information in this regard,” Sinha said. Dungdung hinted at a possibility though. “The information is in the air. I have not yet verified it,” he said.

Sources, however, quoted North Koyal Sankh zone spokesperson of the CPI(Maoist) Deenbandhuji. “Those punished were branded as paid police informers who helped in Operation Parakram against Maoists from July 2 to July 7, in which a training camp and a gun factory were destroyed,” he was quoted as saying.

It is further maintained that the place where the rebels held court is surrounded by steep hillocks. “The location was almost inaccessible for Latehar police,” a source said.

On why the Maoists killed two and let off three, the source said: “The relaxation was given as it was their first mistake committed under police pressure.”

A joint team of CRPF and state police had carried out Operation Parakram in Gotang, 30km from the district headquarters. Hand grenades, guns, IED tool kits, lathe machines, Maoist literature and medicines had been seized.