Maoists to call people’s court, Bihar cops’ families in despair

PATNA - As a second deadline expired Thursday, Maoists said the fate of four Bihar policemen held captive by them would now be decided by a ‘jan adalat’ or kangaroo court. The families of the cops are desperately pleading with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for help.

Maoist spokesperson Avinash called up local TV channels and said they would hold a jan adalat Thursday. The Maoists had said that the rebels - who were abducted after a gunfight in Lakhisarai district Sunday - would be killed unless eight jailed Maoist leaders were released.

Avinash has said the state government would be responsible for whatever happens.

Even as operations by joint security forces are on in the hilly terrains in Lakhisarai and its adjoining Jamui and Munger districts to rescue the policemen, their families are in despair.

Abducted policemen Abhay Yadav’s wife Rajni was staging a sit-in outside Nitish Kumar’s residence, but she had to be hospitalised Thursday morning due to ill health.

“I and my family members are praying to god for my husband’s safe release,” she had earlier told IANS while trying to control her tears. “The chief minister assured me that my husband and three other policemen held captive by Maoists would be released safely,” Rajni said.

However, local TV channels that claim to be in touch with the Maoists say the condition of one abducted cop, Rupesh Kumar Sinha, has deteriorated in captivity and he is being treated.

His mother, Manju Sinha, has fainted thrice in the last two days. She fell unconscious Wednesday also when she came to meet Nitish Kumar with a plea to get her son released.

Maoist spokesperson Avinash said after the deadline to release their jailed leaders expired at 10 a.m. Thursday, top leaders of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) had been informed about the decision to hold a jan adalat.

The guerrillas had earlier set a deadline of 4 p.m. Wednesday. But Avinash later told local Hindi news channels they had decided to extend it till Thursday in view of appeals by the family members of the abducted policemen.

The rebels had abducted the policemen in a six-hour gunfight in Lakhisarai district Sunday. The gunbattle left seven policemen dead and 10 injured. Maoists claimed the gunfight was in retaliation for the killing of their leader Azad and a journalist.

Avinash had Tuesday said he had communicated their demand for releasing eight Maoists to the chief minister’s official residence. “In case the government fails to release them, we will be compelled to kill the four policemen,” he said.

The Maoists have also warned the Bihar government of more violent attacks if the operations against Maoists were not immediately stopped.

However, Bihar Director General of Police Neelmani said security forces would rescue the policemen soon. According to an official source, Nitish Kumar is supervising the rescue operations himself.

The families of the policemen are feeling helpless.

The family members of Ehsan Khan, another kidnapped policeman, stopped the preparations for celebrating Eid, hardly 10 days away, after they got information about the abduction.

“We never expected such bad news in the month of Ramadan but are praying to god for his safe release,” Ehsan’s father Mohiuddin Khan said.

The fourth abducted policeman is Lukas Gete.