2 Maoists arrested in Uttarakhand

Two Maoists, including one carrying a cash reward of Rs 10,000 on his head, were arrested today for allegedly trying to stoke labour unrest in Udhamsingh Nagar district and adjoining areas of Uttarakhand.

Police teams from Kichcha and Nanakmatta nabbed the Maoists from Anandpur mod following a tip-off, Udhamsingh Nagar SSP Sadanand Date said.

One of the arrested Maoists who carries a reward of Rs 10,000 on his head was involved in nine back-to-back Maoist attacks in Bihar also known as ‘operation dhamaka’ 13 years ago, the SSP said.

Banned Maoist literature, books and pamphlets have been recovered from the possession of the duo.

The Maoists have introduced themselves as Ramesh Bhatt alias Manish Master alias Diwakar alias Bhatt who hails from Halduchaur in Lalkuan of Nainital district and Manoj Kumar alias Arvind who comes from Haldua village of Chandauli district in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh.

The two men, who were active members of the maoists’ Uttarakhand zonal committee, had gone underground and changed their names to run Maoist activities, the official said.

Of late these Maoists were trying to “instigate” labourers working in factories based in the plains of Uttarakhand including State Infrastructure and Industrial Development Corporation of Uttarakhand Ltt (SIDCUL), the SSP said.

Several cases were registered against Ramesh for alleged maoist activities against Ramesh at Nanakmatta police station between 2004 and 2007, the SSP said.

They maoists revealed during preliminary interrogation that they had escaped from police raids at a Maoist camp in Chorgaliya area of Nainital district in 2003-2004, Date said. Ramesh is charged with indoctrinating people and instigating them against the establishment while Manoj Kumar alias Arvind was an expert in running Maoist camps.

The SSP said Ramesh Bhatt was involved in nine back-to-back Maoist attacks known as ‘operation Dhamaka’ in Madhuban police station area of East Champaran district in Bihar in 2005. The strikes involved 300 Maoists, the SSP said.

Police teams which arrested the Maoists will get 10,000 each from the ADG and the IG and Rs 5,000 from the SSP.