When inspector Francis Induwar was murdered by Maoists almost a fortnight ago, it was claimed to be in response to the arrest of Kobad Ghandy, the politburo member of the banned CPI (Maoist). But investigations by the Jharkhand police have revealed that the murder was engineered by a local Maoist leader to avenge the intelligence crackdown on his men.
The police have squarely blamed Kundan Pahan, a notorious self-styled Maoist commander in Khunti district, about 40 km from Ranchi, who has more than 30 cases of murder and loot registered against him, for Induwar’s murder. “We have found that the murder was not related to the arrest of Ghandy, but in retaliation to the crackdown on Pahan,” SN Pradhan, the inspector general of police, Jharkhand, told DNA.
The beheaded body of 52-year-old Induwar was found on October 6, seven days after he was abducted by five unidentified gunmen from a market in Khunti district. Although the police carried out two encounters and arrested two Maoist members, they could not reach the spot where Induwar was held.
Pradhan said that in the past three months alone, 15 members of the Pahan group were either arrested or killed in encounters. “All the 12 arrests and the three encounters with the Pahan gang happened in Khunti district where inspector Induwar was posted. There are many more intelligence officials who are gathering information on Maoist movements. Pahan believed that intelligence officials were behindthe crackdown by Jharkhand police. So, he decided to strike on one of them and send a strong message,” Pradhan said.
“The message sent to us is very clear. He wants to convey to us that if we can hit him, he, too, can strike back. That is the only reason why he decided to abduct an intelligence officer in Khunti district and kill him. It was a cold-blooded murder,” said Pradhan, who is one of the senior officers heading the anti-Maoist operations in Jharkhand.
Sources in the paramilitary and the police revealed that although local Maoists commander and senior members don’t like Pahan’s style of functioning, no one dares speak against him since he is extremely influential and it is only his orders that are followed in Khunti district.
“He is too powerful for anyone to speak against him. He operates on his own,” Pradhan said.
