Kishenji had host of acts lined up, reveal documents

28 November 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 28 NOV: Maoist second-in-command Koteswar Rao alias Kishenji, who was gunned down in an encounter by the security forces at Burisole forest on 24 November, had been camping inside the Parihati forest range in Jamboni for the past 15 days to observe the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) week in December.
This has come to light from the documents recovered by the security forces from the encounter spot at Burisole forest. “A lot of letters, a pen-drive and computer hard discs were seized from the spot which suggest that the top Maoist leader had come from Orissa at least 15 days ago and he was to organise a state committee meeting before observing the PLGA week here,” said Mr Alok Rajoria, additional superintendent of police, Jhargram, who had also taken part in the 24 November operation.
“As the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has started a probe into the “killing” of Kishenji, we have already handed over all documents seized from the site to them and they are now examining the documents,” he said. A senior CID official said: “The PLGA’s week-long celebration starts from 2 December each year. As the party had become quite weak due to the security forces’ massive operations in Junglemahal, Kishenji, who was also the party’s central military commission member, perhaps felt that it would be an ideal period to chalk out offensive strategies against the security forces’ operations.”
In a document seized from the site, Kishenji had written that he had come to convene sessions with the rebels in West Midnapore to strengthen the rank and file of the organisation as part of the week’s programmes, a CID official said.
Two days ago, a Maoist party insider told The Statesman from an undisclosed location that Kishenji had come to attend a state committee meeting which was scheduled for 22-23 November inside the Parihati forest range at Jamboni in which Kushboni and Burisole forests fall. “He was to dislodge the acting state secretary, Akash, from his post and to declare his decision over the inquiry regarding the killing of the party’s leader, Sasadhar Mahato. Akash was blamed of supplying information about Sasadhar to police,” said the party insider.
Besides, another of his important task was to prepare the assassination blueprints of top political leaders, including the chief minister Miss Mamata Banerjee, a state Intelligence Bureau (IB) official disclosed. With these goals in mind, Kishenji had camped in Junglemahal for the past 15 days, he added. Examining the documents, the officials of the state Intelligence branch and  the IB of the ministry of home affairs has come to a conclusion that Kishenji had a plan to show video clippings of “heroic” deeds of their cadres, who lost their lives fighting the security forces, to the tribal people with an eye to garner their support.