CPI (ML) leaders face harassment

Jharkhand police is trying to falsely implicate CPI (ML) leaders in the landmine blast triggered by Maoists in Garhwa district which killed 13 police personnel on Saturday.

Several prominent party leaders, including elected mukhiya Ramdas Minz,  have been taken into custody and are being subjected to torture.

Police claim that the CPI (ML) leaders helped Maoists to carry out that blast by staging a roadblock near the blast site to attract the policemen.

However, the party members said that its leaders led by Zila Parishad Chairperson Sushma Mahto were coincidentally staging a protest against some local issues in the area.

The CPI (ML) added that Maoists have abducted Sushma Mahto, her descriptionguard, state committee member Akhtar Ansari and a driver but even after a complaint has been registered, police has not made any efforts to rescue the leaders from the captivity of Maoists.

The police and local administration have for some time now, launched a drive to falsely implicate the CPI(ML) leaders , to crush the growing assertion of the party in Garhwa.

They accuse the party leaders, especially from the minority community, of having links with ISI.

The Maoists in Garhwa and Jharkhand are known for their attacks on democratic activists and leaders. Prominent instances include the killing of Comrade Mahendra Singh and social activist Niyamat Ansari.

This time too, they have not only abducted CPI(ML) leaders including an elected woman panchayat leader but their actions have also provided fodder for the police to intensify repression on democratic movements in the region.