‘Reds face shortage of explosives’

RANCHI: Maoists are facing a shortage of explosives in Jharkhand where security forces continuously comb the forests and find explosives and ammunition hidden by the Maoists, Sanjay Ganjhu, chief of CPI(Maoist) central technical committee (Jharkhand) has revealed to the police.
Explosives crunch has weakened Maoists’ ability to inflict damage on the forces, police said. In 2013, only 387 left wing extremist incidents took place in Jharkhand as compared to 742 in 2009.
Ganjhu, arrested during an encounter with police on the border of Simdega and West Singhbhum districts on Thursday, is a technical expert and used to gather fabrication material in Saranda forest and make IEDs with the assistance of his technical team. In 2014 (till September), Jharkhand police has found 5,767 explosives, two times more than what they found in 2013 and 2012, thus worsening thecrunch facing Maoists. Police have also destroyed several technical units of the Maoists in the forest.
DGP Rajiv Kumar claimed that Ganjhu was the key person to manufacture explosives and supply it to the Maoists. “Now it is almost impossible for the Maoists to get explosives. We have blocked all arms, ammunition or explosive supply chains. Without him (Ganjhu), it will be difficult for them to develop explosives,” said Kumar.
Cops have interrogated Ganjhu but refused to disclose details. A bullet hit his right thigh when police opened fire at him during the encounter in the forest. The cops brought him to RIMS where under treatment he has been put into tight security cover. Sources said Ganjhu has established technical centres in dense forests where Maoists manufacture improvised explosive device (IED) to attack cops. The centres reportedly function in Saryu forest of Latehar and Parasnath hills of Giridih and in areas along Jharkhand-Chhatisgarh border.
Chaibasa SP N K Singh said: “Whatever he has so far is classified information. We have not been able to interrogate him due to his poor health.” A confessional report of Maoist leader Nalla Bichapati who was arrested from Warangal district in Andhra Pradesh in 2010 says: “Police foiled our bid to organize a technical camp in Saranda where the entire technical unit had gathered in 2007 and two of our technical aides Snirmal and Nirbhay were arrested. In 2008 and 2009, Ganjhu held two technical camps in Saranda where we manufactured several mortars and bombs.”
Now Maoists do not easily get supply of explosives from stone crushers and mining contractors. “W are keeping vigil over crushers and mining units,” said Kumar.
Since November, police has found 1,745 detonators, 154 pressure cookers, four quintals of urea, gunpowder, three Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) and loose explosives in Latehar. Major discovery of explosives have been made in Khunti, Palamu, Giridih, Bokaro and other districts also.