FORMER MAOIST LEADER DENIES KILLING TRIBAL OFFICER INDUWAR

RANCHI: Former Maoist sub-zonal commander-turned renegade, Kundan Pahan, accused of nearly 120 cases of violence, is an ever-smiling and sober-looking man whose appearance defies his antecedents.

Hindustan Times (HT) met him last year at his hideout in the jungles of Bundu, his stronghold for the last 18 years.

Though Pahan spoke at length about the rebel organisation, the charges against him, his family and future plans, he requested not to publish the same till a “favourable time”.

Now that he has reportedly surrendered, HT is producing excerpts of the interview.

Among the several crimes Pahan allegedly committed in his 15 years of association with CPI (Maoist), he became a much-dreaded name when he allegedly beheaded special branch inspector, Francis Induwar, a tribal officer in 2009.Induwar’s Taliban style murder — his severed head was found at least 10 feet away from the body on the NH33 — had led to widespread outrage against the Maoist menace across India with the Centre deciding to launch an all-out war against Left extremism in Jharkhand. Several politicians, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, had visited Induwar’s bereaved family in Ranchi.

Pahan, however, denied killing the special branch inspector.

“I did not kill him but the blame went to me as the incident occurred in the area under my control,” he said.

“Platoon commander, Kishore Munda, who reported to me, killed Induwar while keeping me in the dark,” Pahan said. He added that Munda was later killed by security forces in an encounter. Pahan stressed that Induwar’s murder also stirred a debate in the outfit, with several top leaders disapproving such killings.