Though it is yet to be confirmed officially that dreaded former CPI (Maoist) Area Commander Kundan Pahan has surrendered, senior police officials believe that it will have a far reaching impact on the local tribals who were lured by the outfit to join the outfit.
With a bounty of Rs 15 lakh on his head, Pahan is accused of being the architect of several cold blooded crimes like beheading special branch officer Francis Induwar in 2009, murdering then Tamar MlA Ramesh Singh Munda and Bundu DSP Pramod Kumar Gupta and looting over Rs 5.07 crore in cash along with 1.2 kg of gold from security van of ICICI van, all in 2008.
Apparently, Pahan surrendered before Ranchi police at least seven days back somewhere in Odisha and was being interrogated by it at an undisclosed location. Police, however, are tightlipped on the issue and asked the media to wait for a couple of days.
Pahan, after defecting from CPI (Maoist) on the issue of dispute over cash distribution, created his own gang in 2013 and started running on his own, involving itself in rampant loot, murder and levy collection.
“Although he had been in this area and was inactive in the organisation from quite some time, he was like a thorn in our flesh. After his surrender, we hope that most of their cadres will desert the organisation as it will remind the futility of their exercise,” said a senior police official requesting anonymity. “There are many people who are carrying their baggage merely for Rs 500-700,” he added.
The official further added that Pahan’s surrender was going to have a far reaching impact on the tribal population who are still in the Maoist fold as many of them had joined their cadres after getting motivated by him.
“He belonged to the priest class in Munda Tribe who are highly respected in their community. We believe that it will have solitary effect on innocent tribal population, who joined their ranks after getting lured by the Maoists, and will dump the organisation as most of them had joined the cadre after getting inspired by Pahan,” the official said.
He further said that the actual leadership is in the hands of Yadavs of Bihar and a handful of others coming from South, while the bulk of the cadres are locals who belong to Jharkhand itself. Pahan’s surrender will make the local cadres realize that they were into the party without any reason and hence the base of the party will gradually weaken in the State, the official added.
“What would the handful of people do on the top when the very base of the party gets vanishedIJ Hence, Pahan’s surrender means a lot to the ongoing Naxal campaign which will further accelerate the process of eradication of these groups from this State,” the official said.
Pahan, said to be in his 40s reportedly had left with few people in his gang towards Jharkhand-Odisha borders and was in contact of Ranchi Police for quite some time after his brothers-cum-aides, Dimba surrendered in January and Shyam, wanted in 36 Naxal cases, was arrested from Yamunagar in Haryana in February this year.
Speculations, however, are also rife that Pahan surrendered under the state government’s surrender and rehabilitation policy on his own terms.
A member of Bihar-Jharkhand-North Chhattisgarh special area committee of CPI (Maoist), Pahan was zonal commander of Panch Pargana zone which includes Khunti district, Rahe, Tamar, Bundu of Ranchi district and parts of Saraikela-Kharsawan.