The latehar police have three unsought guests in three horses which they have caught in jungles in different time span but with one most great regularity that all these horses are of the CPI Maoists who had left these horses to fend for themselves when the cops found them and brought back to the security base. The cops, however, did not mount these horses.
Two horses are now in latehar while one is in Betla. Two horses were caught in the year 2013 while one horse has been captured this February.The SP Palamu Michael S Raj has confirmed the capturing of all the three horses who said one horse was caught in latehar, other in Betla and the latest one in Kumandi forest. Michael agreed that these horses are of the Maoists as poor cannot afford it besides the rich now go for stylish bikes.
There was one thing most common in all these three caught horses. None had any saddle on it. Michael said as the horses’ back was sans any saddle it meant the Maoists were using it as cargo vehicle transporting their rough goods like tentage, carpet, food stuff etc from one place to other.
“Chowkidars have been asked to take care of these horses. Despite weeks elapsing from the day these horses were so caught, no owner or claimant has ever turned up so far,” added Michael. He said sarcastically, “Maoists do not come to us to claim their things be it their weapons that we recover or these horses”.
A source close to the CPI Maoist outfit said as in jungles of latehar especially the core and buffer ones of the Palamu tiger reserve there are wild life like tigers, leopards, hyena, monkeys, elephants, langurs, bison riding a horse is much safer than goin on foot in the jungles as nobody can vouch if one will not encounter any rowdy elephant on the way.
However, the source close to the Maoist admitted that in these days keeping or riding a horse is bound to arouse enough suspicions the Maoists are no any wiser to use this four-footed animal for any purpose be it transporting goods (not weapons and ammunition) from one jungle to another here.