VISHVENDU JAIPURIAR
Hazaribagh, Feb. 22: Even communists do not seem immune to caste. Recent successes of the police in nabbing several underground Maoist rebels are attributed to the raging caste-war among the comrades.
While police sources gloss over the influence of caste among the rebels, knowledgeable sources claim that the outfit has been weakened considerably by caste conflicts, giving police the upper-hand. The fissures in the ranks, they say, led to the arrest of yet another zonal commander of the rebels, Bhagirath.
Police had earlier been successful in arresting Sunil Ganjhu and Tilak Ganjhu, both top-ranking leaders of the rebels in Giridih. Security forces had also claimed to have eliminated another Maoist leader, Nripendra, in an encounter.
The reverses apparently fuelled the rivalry rather than bridge the growing differences between groups.
Police officers admit receiving more credible intelligence about the movement of the rebels now. With the Maoists having allegedly split into three factions, each faction appears willing to pass on information about the rivals. The three factions have emerged on caste lines and seek the allegiance of Yadavs, Ganjhus and Mahtos, respectively.
Hazaribagh SP, Praveen Kumar Singh, admitted that Bhagirath’s arrest was a major breakthrough and was pulled off following accurate information. The Maoist leaders had arrived at Bundu village for a tryst with a woman close to him and was asleep when security forces caught the rebels bu surprise.
