Maoists Release Three Abducted Bihar Policemen

Mangalore Today News Network

Lakhisarai/ Patna, September 6: Maoists on Monday released the three abducted Bihar policemen in Lakhisarai district, bringing an end to the nine-day-old hostage crisis.

 

The three policemen - Abhay Prasad Yadav, Rupesh Kumar Sinha and Ehshan Khan, who were taken hostage on August 29, were freed by the ultras this morning on the border of Kajra-Chanan forests and hills, about 165 kms from the state capital.

The Maoists had earlier killed one of the captive policemen, Lucas Tete. His body was found on Friday.

"All the three kidnapped policemen have been released by the Maoists from the Kajra-Chanan forest in Lakhisarai district after the police sealed the escape routes of the ultras in the forests and hills," Director General of Police Neelmani told PTI.

Sub-Inspector of Police and Station House Officer of Manikpur police station Yadav, SI Sinha and BMP Havildar Khan were with the Superintendent of Police (Lakhisarai), Ranjit Kumar Mishra, he said.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who had offered talks with the ultras on the hostage crisis and even expressed the state government’s readiness to provide them safe passage for talks, heaved a sigh of relief after Neelmani informed him about the development.

Seven Maoists, including a self-styled area commander and mastermind of the Lakhisarai incident Pintu Das, have been arrested in the last few days during the intense search operations that were launched by the security forces in the hills and forests of Munger, Lakhisarai, Jamui, Banka and Kaimur districts. 

Families of the three policemen had an agonising wait yesterday when the Maoists had claimed to have released them but the state government said it had no information about them.

The Maoists had last night again stated that the hostages would be freed today.

Seven policemen were killed and ten others injured during a fierce encounter with Maoists in Sitlakodasi forest under Kajra police station in Lakhisarai district on August 29. The ultras had also kidnapped the four policemen.

The Maoists had on Tuesday issued an ultimatum to the state government that they would kill hostages if it failed to release their eight jailed colleagues -- Jai Paswan, Vijay Chourasia, Prem Bhuiyan, Pramod Barnawal, Ramvilas Tanti, Ramesh Tirkie, Arjun Koda, and Rattu Koda.

Avinash, a self-proclaimed spokesman for the Maoists, had then informed media offices that the ultras had killed SI Abhay Yadav following expiry of the deadline, but the police had recovered the bullet-ridden body of BMP ASI Tete from Singrishi dam’s Smra Tari forest in Lakhisarai district.

It had forced the Chief Minister to offer safe passage to the representatives of the Maoists coming for talks on the crisis.

Kumar convened an all-party meeting on Saturday that had evolved a consensus asking the Maoists to release the three hostages unconditionally.

Avinash had soon after the appeal from the all party meeting, told local media offices in Jamui that the central committee of the ultra-left wing had rejected the offers for talks and decided to release the hostages unconditionally on "humanitarian considerations". PTI

I’m Alive Because Of God’s Grace, Says Freed SI Rupesh Kumar

Lakhisarai: "I am alive because of God’s grace and blessings of my parents and family. I am extremely happy." 

This is what Bihar Police Sub-Inspector Rupesh Kumar Sinha, one of the three abducted policemen, said after being released by the Maoists on Monday morning.

Voicing similar sentiments, Rajni Devi, wife of Abhay Prasad Yadav, another released Sub-Inspector, said, "God heard my prayers and I thank him. I thank my Maoist brothers also, who released my husband. 

"And I’m desperately waiting for my husband to return. I also thank the Bihar administration who considered my husband as their son. On behalf of the entire village, my children, I thank the Bihar government. I will be indebted to my Maoist brothers till the time I’m alive," she said. 

The three policemen -- Yadav, Sinha and Ehshan Khan, who were taken hostage on August 29, were freed by the ultras this morning on the border of Kajra-Chanan forests and hills, about 165 kms from the state capital. 

The Maoists had earlier killed one of the captive policemen, Lucas Tete. His body was found on Friday. 

Superintendent of Police, Lakhisarai, Ranjit Kumar Mishra said all those involved in taking the policemen hostage will be brought to justice. 

"Those involved in it will be brought to justice. We will take action," he said.

Senior doctor of Lakhisarai hospital Dharam Dev Singh said all the freed policemen were in good health.

"They are alright. They all are normal and fit," he said. 

The hostage crisis began on August 29 when the four policemen were kidnapped after an encounter, which left seven policemen dead and ten injured. 

Two days later, the Maoists issued an ultimatum to the state government that they would kill the four hostages if it did not release the eight jailed Maoists by 10:00 AM next morning, which was later extended to 4:00 PM on Thursday. PTI