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Maoist leader Guha to be quizzed by Maha and Chhattisgarh cops
A top Maoist rebel who was active in three states for nearly two decades and named in more than 200 cases, will be questioned by the Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh police, officials said on Wednesday.
A top Maoist rebel who was active in three states for nearly two decades and named in more than 200 cases, will be questioned by the Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh police, officials said on Wednesday.
Guha was arrested by MP police in May last year
Diliip Uikey alias Guha, who was arrested by the Madhya Pradesh police in May last year, will be questioned by the Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh police in connection with cases registered against him in the two states, police said.
Guha was active in three states for nearly two decades
Guha, who hails from Matte village of Balaghat district, was active in the three states for nearly two decades, before he was arrested from the jungles in Songudda of Balaghat by the Madhya Pradesh police.
He carried a total of Rs 35 lakh cash reward on his head and was wanted in the three states for over 200 cases, including 19 murders in Balaghat.
According to police, Guha was a member of the Malajkhand dalam (a local unit of Maoists) in the mid-1990s and later became the deputy commander of a special guerilla squad before becoming the divisional commander of Gadchiroli-Balaghat-Gondia committee of Communist party of India (Maoist) in 2008.
Police took him into custody following a tip-off about his movement in the jungles of Songudda. While other Maoist rebels managed to escape, Guha was nabbed by police.
Guha was involved in orchestrating attacks, loot of weapons, murders and landmine blasts: ASP
Neeraj Soni, Balaghat additional superintendent of police, said Guha was wanted in connection with 130 cases in Madhya Pradesh alone, including 19 murders. “Since his arrest, interrogations have revealed important information about the structure, and workings of the rebels and various unsolved cases. We also managed to cipher the codes they were using to contact each other,” he said.
The Gondia police in Maharashtra had moved an application in the local court seeking his remand so that they could question him in connection with cases which have been lodged against him in the state, he said.
“The Maharashtra police was granted his remand few days back till January 29. Guha was taken from here on January 16. But given the large number of cases against him, his remand is likely to be extended.”
Guha was involved in orchestrating attacks, loot of weapons and landmine blasts, besides 30 to 50 murders cases in the three states, he said.
Shashi Kumar Meena, Gondia superintendent of police, told Hindustan Times over phone that after they moved an application for Guha’s remand, he was brought to Gondia from Balaghat a few days back.
On the number of cases lodged against Guha, he said the exact number would be clear once they question him.
Asked whether they would seek extension of Guha’s remand, he said it would depend on information police gets from him on various cases. “If we feel more time is required, then we would demand extension of his remand,” he said.
The Chhattisgarh police too said they will seek Guha’s remand and question him. YP Singh, additional superintendent of police, Rajnandgaon in Chhattisgarh, speaking to HT over phone, said after the Gondia police questions Guha, they would seek his remand so that he can be brought to Chhattisgarh and questioned.
