India: Terror Disrupted In Jharkhand – Analysis

By Deepak Kumar Nayak

On October 10, 2024, two top cadres of the Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee/Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TSPC/TPC) – a splinter group of the Communist Party of India (CPI-Maoist) – Harendra GanjhuakaRamdas BhoktaakaSuresh GanjhuakaGhumeshwar GanjhuakaNetaji, the ‘sub-zonal commander’ of the outfit, and his associate Ishwar GanjhuakaGhutari Ganjhu, were killed in a Police encounter in the Ganiotri Forest of Chatra District in Jharkhand. The two were involved in the ambush and killing of two Chatra District Force personnel, Sukhan Ram and Sikandar Singh, on February 7, 2024. The Police recovered an AK-47 rifle, a country-made firearm, three live AK-47 bullets, a motorcycle, and four mobile phones from the encounter spot. Harendra Ganjhu had 48 pending cases against him, lodged in various Police Stations of Chatra and Hazaribagh, while Ishwar Ganjhu had about a dozen.

On May 25, 2024, a father and son were killed by TSPC/TPC cadres at the Hindikala village in the of Kunda Police Station area of Chatra District, for being alleged ‘police informers’. The rebels barged into the home of Chhedi Birhor (48), accusing him and his son Pankaj Birhor (30) of collaborating with the Police. The victims were subjected to a severe beating before being fatally shot.

On March 10, 2024, A TSPC/TPC cadre was killed while several others were injured and three of them arrested, following an encounter with the Security Forces (SFs) in the Ureej Forest under Barkagaon Police Station limits in Hazaribagh District.

According to partial data collated by theSouth Asia Terrorism Portal(SATP), at least seven fatalities, including two civilians, two SF personnel, and three TSPC/TPC cadres, have been recorded in TSPC/TPC-linked incidents of killing in Jharkhand since the beginning of 2024 (all data till October 13). During the corresponding period of 2023, as well as in the remaining period of 2023, no fatalities related to TSPC/TPC were recorded. Three fatalities (all TSPC/TPC cadres) were recorded in 2022. Significantly, since the formation of TSPC/TPC in 2002, a total of 99 TSPC/TPC-related fatalities (24 civilians, two SF personnel, and 73 TSPC/TPC cadres) have been documented.

Since the formation of TSPC/TPC in 2002, the outfit had not been found involved in the killing of any SF personnel, before the February 7, 2024, incident in which two personnel, Sikandar Singh and Sukan Ram, of the Jharkhand Police were killed and another, Aakash Singh, sustained bullet injuries in an exchange of fire between TSPC/TPC cadres and SFs in the Bairio Forest between Sadar and Basisthnagar Jori Police Station areas in the Chatra District. The security personnel were returning from an operation when they were attacked by TSPC cadres.

It bears mention that, in the October 10, 2024, encounter, SFs shot down the two cadres, Harendra Ganjhu and Ishwar Ganjhu, involved in the ambush and killing of the two Chatra District Force personnel on February 7, 2024. Reiterating that such operations would continue to keep a check on the activities of criminals, Director General of Police (DGP) Anurag Gupta, observed, on October 10, 2024,

Jharkhand was now free from extremism, and those remaining are criminals. Ganjhu was creating trouble for people from different sections of society. With the killing of Ganjhu, Chatra's burden was reduced. I would say that those operating as extremist outfits are now criminals who have palatial houses. Those who fired upon the police team had got a befitting reply and got killed.

In their action against the TSPC/TPC, SFs had arrested at least 34 cadres in the current year (all data till October 13, 2024). During the corresponding period of 2023, 26 TSPC/TPC cadres were arrested. A total of 34 TSPC/TPC cadres were arrested through 2023. Since 2002, when TSPC/TPC was formed, at least 363 TSPC/TPC cadres have been arrested by the SFs.

Moreover, 11 incidents of arms and ammunitions recovery have been reported in the current year, in addition to nine such incidents reported through 2023. A total of 95 such incidents have been reported since 2002.

Meanwhile, mounting SF pressure has led to the surrender of three TSPC/TPC cadres in 2024 (data till October 13). During the corresponding period of 2023, one TSPC/TPC cadre had surrendered, and there were no further surrenders through 2023. Since 2002, at least 12 TSPC/TPC cadres have surrendered and joined the mainstream.

TSPC/TPC has been on a continuous decline. Nevertheless, the group’s disruptive activities continue to linger on, albeit at the margins.

On July 27, 2024, two coal-loading trucks were set ablaze allegedly by around 15-20 TSPC/TPC cadres at Laat village in the TasuPanchayat(a village-level local self-government institution) under Herhanj Police Station limits in Latehar District. The TSPC cadres left a pamphlet at the incident site, threatening that ‘organizational action’ would be taken if work on coal transportation was done without meeting the group’s demands.

Indeed,earlier,had noted that TSPC/TPC activities were predominantly linked to their ‘levy’ demands and collections from businessmen, contractors, and coal traders, and the outfit is more of a criminal gang than an ideologically driven Left Wing Extremist (LWE) movement.

Taking action against a top cadre of the outfit on February 21, 2024, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) charged-sheeted Bhikhan Ganjhu, the TPC ‘zonal commander’ in connection with a 2019 case related to the interception and seizure of prohibited arms and ammunition in Purnea, Bihar, which had been smuggled into the country via the Myanmar border. The Bihar Police initially registered a First Information Report (FIR) on February 7, 2019, after the contraband of illegal weapons, including Under-Barrel Grenade Launchers (UBGLs), and a large number of 5.56 x 45 mm ammunition meant for supply to the Maoists and members of organized criminal syndicates for carrying out terror attacks in various parts of the country, was intercepted. The NIA in a statement disclosed, “Bhikhan Ganjhu was procuring arms and ammunition from his co-accused to strengthen TPC’s foothold in Jharkhand and to commit acts to spread terror and violence.”

Significantly, Bhikhan Ganjhu, was on a lookout notice by the NIA in the terror funding case related to Ashoka of Piparwar and Magadha and Amrapali coal projects at Tandwa in Chatra District. He was arrested from an unspecified location under Sadar Police Station limits in Ranchi District on March 16, 2022. A resident of Piparwar in Chatra, Bhikhan was accused of collecting ‘levy’ (extortion money) for TPC, from coal projects.

Further, on March 30, 2024, the NIA court Special Judge MK Verma rejected the bail plea of Anshish Ganjhu, who has been in jail since June 6, 2020, in connection with a 2018 NIA Terror Funding case from the Magadha and Amrapali coal project located at Tandwa in Chatra. During the hearing, the NIA told the court that the accused collected money illegally, through extortion, from the coal mining sector, for the banned TPC.

Though the SFs have significantly weakened the TSPC/TPC, lingering concerns remain, as is evident from the group’s continuing disruptive activities. Besides, six top ranking cadres remain elusive, including Brajesh Singh GanjhuakaGopal Singh BhoktaakaSarkar, the ‘supremo’ of the organization, carrying a reward of INR 2.5 million on his head; Akram GanjhuakaAkram jiakaRavindra Ganjhu, a ‘regional committee member (RCM)’, with a reward of INR 1.5 million; Arif jiakaShashikant aka Sudesh jiakaSuresh ji, a ‘zonal committee member (ZCM)’ carrying an INR 1 million reward; Prabhat GanjhuakaSudesh GanjhuakaSukhdev Ganjhu, a 'special zonal member' (SZM), with a reward of INR 500,000; Karim jiakaGulab ji aka Gulab Ravidas, an ‘area commander’ of the organization, with a reward of INR 200,000; and Sahendra YadavakaNaryan, a Local Guerilla Squad (LGS) member, carrying a reward of INR 100,000 on his head.

TPC/TSPC has been considerably contained, but remains a source of local disturbances, particularly in view of its criminal exploits and efforts to engineer disruptions in its area of operations. As long as the residual leadership elements remain outside the SFs’ dragnet, the outfit will remain a challenge for Jharkhand.

• Deepak Kumar Nayak
  Research Associate, Institute for Conflict Management