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The Hindu : News / National : Binayak Sen, 2 others sentenced to life

Binayak Sen, 2 others sentenced to life

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Maoists set fire to vehicles, mobile tower in Orissa
Maoist laboratory busted in Bokaro
- R&D in-charge, two others held with RDX, chemicals
SHASHANK SHEKHAR


The three arrested Maoists at Bokaro superintendent of police’s office on Tuesday; and (above) the seized chemicals and RDX. Pictures by Pankaj Singh

Bokaro, Dec. 21: A joint team of CRPF and Bokaro police today unearthed a well-equipped chemical laboratory run by the CPI(Maoist) in Chandrapura industrial area, 30km from Bokaro steel city. The lab prepared and ferried consignments of explosives to Bengal, Orissa and Chhattisgarh, besides rebel-hit Palamau and Kolhan commissionerates in Jharkhand.

Three hardcore rebels of Bihar-Jharkhand, including Maoist R&D wing in-charge and Jehanabad native Ram Kumar Pandit alias Langra alias Sanjay, were arrested from the lab. The raid yielded 3kg of RDX and 10kg of chemicals, including two litres each of sulphuric acid and acetone, 1kg nitric acid (70 per cent concentrated) and 5kg of sulphur powder. Most of the chemicals were kept in sealed bottles and neatly packed in vegetable oil cartons while the sulphur powder and RDX were kept in plastic wrappers. According to police, the quantity of chemicals hauled is potent enough to blow up an entire township. The packets have been sent for forensic tests.

Superintendent of police (SP) Saket Singh said they had been hot on 41-year-old Langra’s trail since November. The Telegraph had also published reports of influx of central Bihar Maoists in Bokaro. CRPF deputy commandant Somjit led the operation this morning along with Bokaro police inspectors Ram Naresh Kunwar and Balendra Kumar.

The explosives lab was being run for at least two years in private quarters, which sources claimed belongs to DVC, rented by Langra in Chandrapura. Senior member of CPI(Maoist) central military committee Dev Kumar Singh alias Arvindji was a frequent visitor to the lab.

The two others arrested have been identified as Devendu Singh (54) alias Anandji alias Subodhji and Jai Prakash Singh (53) alias Dinesh. Like Langra, who is chief zonal commander (technical) of the CPI(Maoist), the duo hails from villages under Karauna police station of Jehanabad district of Bihar and has been associated with the outlawed organisation for more than 20 years. Besides chemicals, 14 wireless sets made in China, one big dry battery and six amplifiers were seized from the lab.

According to SP Singh, Devendu was released from Patna jail on November 18. He had been arrested with a levy of Rs 15 lakh from Kankarbagh in the Bihar capital in January. Devendu had joined the red outfit in 1979 and was instrumental in killing more than nine civilians and dozens of policemen in Hussainabad and Chatarpur blocks of Palamau, Gumla (both in Jharkhand), Vishrampur in Chhattisgarh and Rohtas in Bihar.

The SP said after 32,000 live cartridges were seized from Bari Co-operative in Bokaro steel city on November 10, 2009, police had sniffed Devendu’s presence. On his trail again after his recent release from jail, police chanced upon Langra. “We were aware of Devendu Singh, known as the secretary of CPI(Maoist)’s state area committee, and were tracking him since his release from Patna jail in November this year. He visited Palamau, Daltonganj and other places before coming to Chandrapura, where he hoped to meet Arvindji through Langra,” the senior police officer said.

Jai Prakash, another aide of the technical chief, ran a stationery shop at Chandrapura as cover. He, however, was not aware that Maoist top gun Arvind frequented the lab and Langra was his personal courier and confidant.
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