E-Paper
NIA files case against CPI(Maoist) commander
Krishna Hansda was arrested by Jharkhand Police on January 16 from Lucio forest area in Dumri village in Giridih district when he was travelling with an associate to allegedly collect levy
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has registered a case against Krishna Hansda, alias Saurabh Da, a regional commander of banned outfit CPI(Maoist), to probe an alleged conspiracy to extort levy from businessmen and contractors in Jharkhand for organising violent activities, people aware of the matter said.
The Maoists often collect levy from contractors and businessmen engaged in developmental projects in Jharkhand, and invest the money in dubious shell companies to purchase arms and other logistics for operations against security forces.
Hansda was arrested by Jharkhand Police on January 16 from Lucio forest area in Dumri village in Giridih district when he was travelling with an associate to allegedly collect levy.
According to a first information report (FIR) filed by NIA on June 30, “a credible input was received by Jharkhand police that a naxal cadre of proscribed terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist) - Krishna Hansda alias Saurabh Da, regional commander of CPI (Maoist), along with his squad, had gathered in Lucio forest area of Dumri police station, Giridih, to collect levy and carry out an untoward incident”.
The agency said that Hansda was arrested while his associate managed to escape. A US-made pistol, six live rounds of 7.65 mm, ₹2 lakh cash and naxal literature were recovered from the Maoist, the agency added.
“Krishna Hansda was extensively questioned by NIA in May after which it was decided that the case be handed over from Jharkhand Police to NIA which is already probing several Maoist funding-related cases,” a senior NIA official said, seeking anonymity.
“A larger conspiracy in the collection of levy will be probed,” the official added.
NIA has a separate division to speed up probes related to Maoists. This division has taken up 55 such cases in the last six to seven years.
As reported by HT last month, the ministry of home affairs (MHA) has adopted a three-dimensional strategy – controlling extremists, better coordination between the Centre and affected states, and development works – to curb Left Wing Extremism (LWE).
According to data shared by MHA, while 13,315 violent acts were recorded in LWE areas under the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government between 2006 and 2014, the figure dropped by 50%, to 6,552, between 2014 (National Democratic Alliance government came to power) and 2022. Similarly, LWE-related deaths, which were recorded at 5,289 between 2006 and 2014, were reduced by 66%, to 1,754, between 2014 and 2022.
Besides, the number of Maoists who surrendered also rose from 2,428 during 2006-2014 to 5,816 during 2014-2022.
Currently, reports of LWE-related violence are limited to only 45 districts in nine states, i.e, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, down from 96 districts across 10 states in 2010, according to the data.
Since 2019, security forces have opened 108 camps inside core LWE-affected areas. Besides, four new joint task forces have been established for special operations and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF)’s battalions have been re-deployed, depending on the influence of the Maoists.
