Confusion over change in leadership in Saranda

With Maoist movement ‘seriously curtailed’ in their operational hub, Saranda forest along Odisha-Jharkhand border, confusion prevails over the outfit’s leadership status in the region amid recent dramatic developments.

A leadership transition had reportedly clandestinely taken place in the Eastern Regional Bureau (ERB) of the outfit. At least two Saranda-based tribal leaders are learnt to have been elevated and shifted elsewhere for safety following increased police action in the area.

According to Jharkhand and Odisha police, Saranda has been the ERB headquarters of the outlawed CPI (Maoist) outfit, comprising Jharkhand, Bengal, Bihar, part of Odisha and north-east states, with ageing

Maoist leader Kisanda alias Prasant Bose at the helm of affairs.

Sources said rumours were rife about death of the spokesperson of Jharkhand Regional Committee and chief of Dakshin Chhota Nagpur Zonal Committee, Samarjee alias Anmol Hembram, from a gunshot injury during June last. However, later it proved to be a ploy. Reports said Samarjee instead recently handed over charge of spokesperson to his old aide, Sandeep. 

Rourkela-based IGP (WR) YK Jethwa said police never corroborated Samarjee’s death in the absence of substantial evidence. 

Quoting intelligence sources, a Jharkhand cop confided that Samarjee and another tribal leader Kanhu Munda now head the ERB’s political wing.

Unlike in the past, there has been no communication from the outfit to local mediapersons. One reason behind Maoist leaders going underground is unprecedented presence of security forces to ensure proper implementation of Saranda Action Plan.

However, a top cop did not rule out the possibility of the outfit going offensive.  With no violence reported in the past one year in areas bordering Sundargarh district, Jethwa said, “We are working in coordination with Jharkhand Police to check any subversive activities of the outfit.”