Kidnapped cop’s body found, fate of other hostages unknown (Evening Lead)

PATNA/NEW DELHI/RANCHI - The hostage crisis in Bihar deepened Friday with the bullet-riddled body of Lucas Tete found in a forest and uncertainty continuing about the fate of his three colleagues kidnapped by Maoists along with him five days ago.

The day after rebels claimed to have killed Sub Inspector Abhay Kumar Yadav, another chapter in the Maoist history of bloodshed was written with police finding a body in the Simratali forests of Lakhisarai district, about 150 km from the state capital Patna.

It turned out to be the body of Lucas Tete and not of Abhay Kumar Yadav, as Maoists had claimed Thursday, Munger’s Deputy Inspector General of Police Shah Rukh Majeed said.

There was no confirmation about Yadav or the other two — Rupesh Kumar Sinha and Ehsan Khan - who had been kidnapped Sunday after a six-hour gunfight in Lakhisarai that left seven policemen dead.

Villagers said Maoists had left a handwritten poster near Tete’s body, warning that they would not talk with the government any more.

Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) P.K. Thakur told reporters in Patna that it was unfortunate that Tete was killed, adding that police operations were on to rescue the others.

He said combing operations had been intensified in Lakhisarai, Jamui, Banka and Munger districts.

Another official added that scores of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers were scouring the forests, hoping to find a clue to the whereabouts of the other hostages.

Police officials said the state government had requested three more helicopters from the Border Security Force (BSF) as one helicopter was already engaged in operations against Maoists since Tuesday.

Tete’s body was first taken to a nearby police station and then to the Lakhisarai district headquarters from there to Patna, where his wife Pyari and three teen daughters — Anjela, Majula and Neelam — had arrived from their home in Ranchi.

Maoists had claimed to have killed Yadav around 4 p.m. Thursday, six hours after their second deadline expired at 10 a.m. The killing took place following a decision by a ‘jan adalat’ - a kangaroo court - a Maoist spokesperson said.

Maoists claimed Sunday’s gunfight and kidnappings were in retaliation for the killing of their leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad and a journalist on the night of July 1-2 in Andhra Pradesh.

The rebels said the four kidnapped policemen would be killed unless eight jailed Maoist leaders were released.

The Maoists have also warned the Bihar government of more attacks if the operations against them did not stop immediately.

A senior police official told IANS in Patna that the government seemed in no mood to bow to the Maoists’ demands after Tete’s killing.

Tete’s killing - a year after another police officer from Jharkhand, Francis Induwar, was abducted by Maoists and beheaded - has led to deep concern in New Delhi.

Maoists, said a union home ministry official, were aiming to “demolish the morale” of security personnel.

“It is a disturbing trend. It is a move to demolish the morale of the forces,” the official told IANS.

He said the central government was viewing the Bihar situation against the backdrop of the coming assembly polls later this year.

The news of the killing of Tete, who hailed from a poor tribal family in Jharkhand’s Simdega district, led to shock in his home state.

His wife Pyari had appealed to Maoists through the media to free her husband.

Condemnations and appeals for the release of the other three policemen came in from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM).

“We condemn the killing. The Maoists are turning out to be terrorists. Jharkhand Police want to know what kind of Gandhian ideology is being followed by Maoists who are indulging in killing innocent policemen who are doing their duty,” said Jharkhand police spokesperson R.K. Mallik.

The question marks continue, as does the agony of the families.

Farida Khanam, Khan’s wife, who is posted with the Bihar Military Police, has threatened to commit suicide if her husband is killed. She has appealed to Maoists to release her husband.