MAOIST INSURGENTS EXECUTE WEST BENGAL COMMUNIST PARTY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CALCUTTA 000109 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PINR ASEC KRIM PHUM PGOV IN SUBJECT: MAOIST INSURGENTS EXECUTE WEST BENGAL COMMUNIST PARTY OFFICIALS REF: CALCUTTA 00105 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: March 4-5 Communist Party of India - Maoist (Maoist) insurgents killed two Communist Party of India - Marxist (CPM) workers in separate attacks in West Bengal. These attacks come just a week after a Maoist-emplaced landmine killed three West Bengal policemen. The recent spate of violence reflects the Maoists' seriousness in following through on their repeated threat to disrupt the April-May West Bengal(WB)state elections (Reftel). Though apparently unrelated to the incidents in West Bengal, more Maoist violence also occurred in the neighboring states of Bihar and Jharkhand. On March 5, three Maoists were killed when they attacked a police station in Bihar's Gaya district. On March 3, more than a hundred Maoists disguised as a marriage party attacked a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) checkpoint, killing five security officers. The number and nature of the latest attacks reflect an increase in the frequency and brazenness of Maoist activity in East India in recent months. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) On March 4, in WB's West Midnapore district, eight Maoists shot local CPM leader Kartik Singh. The Maoists kidnapped Singh with nine other CPM members in Harulia village, held a peoples' court against the CPM officials and as an object lesson, sentenced Singh to death. Singh was taken to the nearby Jhitka forest and executed in a rain of gunfire. Singh's bullet-ridden body was found the next day, tied to a palm tree. A message left near his body read, "The death penalty has been awarded to this police tout." The following day, on March 5 seven armed Maoists entered the home of CPM election worker Gotilal Tudu in WB's Bankura district and stabbed him to death. The Maoists later distributed pamphlets and shouted slogans against the CPM and the state assembly elections. ¶3. (SBU) A Senior Police officer from West Midnapore district of West Bengal told Post that such violence is escalating due to the upcoming elections and the Maoists' desire to work for a "revolution" at a faster pace. He said, "They are no longer Maoists, we should rather regard them as terrorists. On the basis of some warped ideology, they are working in very underdeveloped rural areas and using people who are very poor. These people are actually supported by a section of our intellectuals -- these supporters should think whether this kind of mindless killing deserves support." ¶4. (U) On the same day, March 5, in neighboring Bihar three Maoists were killed and two constables injured as police stopped an effort by the Maoists to loot firearms from a police station in Bihar's Maoist-infested Gaya district. Deputy Inspector General of Police (Magadh range) Arvind Pandey told media that the three Maoists were shot when approximately 100 insurgents attacked the Dumaria police station close to the Jharkhand border. The encounter lasted nearly four hours, with reportedly hundreds of rounds of gunfire exchanged and several small, improvised bombs exploded. In addition to the two injured policemen, Pandey said that the Maoists also were seen dragging away the bodies of their injured. The DIG added that the Maoists had planted landmines and placed felled trees on the Sherghati-Dumaria road, which delayed police reinforcements. Senior police and civil officers are presently camping in Dumaria to supervise pursuit of the insurgents. The injured policemen have been admitted to a hospital, with one in serious condition. ¶5. (U) A few days earlier in Jharkhand, in the afternoon of March 3, approximately 100 Maoists disguised as a marriage party attacked a CISF checkpoint near Bokaro-Jharia (Southeast Jharkhand) area and killed five security officers. In retaliation, the Jharkhand government launched "Operation Thunderbolt" to track down and kill the Maoists. Meanwhile, in Western Jharkhand in Palamu district, the CISF along with the state police managed to kill the Maoist Palamu zonal commander Jagannath Mahato and arrested the Maoist Patan-Chattarpur area commander Vijay Kaushal with three other insurgents. ¶6. (SBU) Comment: As WB's April-May state assembly election approaches, Maoist violence will likely increase in frequency and intensity in the state. Maoist activity throughout East India continues unabated and as many observers note, has grown in intensity and brazenness in the early months of 2006. Law CALCUTTA 00000109 002 OF 002 enforcement officials appear unable to effectively combat the Maoist threat and are reluctant to go into areas with a strong insurgent presence. The Maoists effectively have a free hand in consolidating their position and in conducting attacks with impunity in the remote rural areas of the East Indian states. JARDINE