With the death of Sidhu Soren, the Maoist-backed tribal body — People’s Committee against Police Atrocity — has been rendered headless. All the founder members of this outfit that spear-headed the Lalgarh movement in November 2008, have either been arrested, killed or are absconding. If the arrest of Chhatradhar Mahato, who was the convener of the PCPA, was the first blow, the killing of Sidhu on Monday was virtually the last nail in the coffin.
PCPA that had been holding rallies and moulding public opinion against the alleged police atrocities since November 2008, received its first jolt with the arrest of Chhatradhar Mahato in September 2009. With Mahato, the treasurer of the outfit — Sukhshanti Baskey was also arrested. That was the first time that charges of corruption — specially against Mahato had cropped up. In a damage control mode, the body was quick to fill the vaccum and Asit Mahato, a senior member of the PCPA was named as the next convener of the outfit. However, since then, the vice-president Santosh Patra had been on a run, fearing arrest. PCPA president Lalmohan Tudu’s death in an encounter (which the PCPA claimed as fake) in February 2010, left the tribal body dismantled. But what broke the outfit’s backbone was the Gyaneswari Express mishap that claimed 148 civilian lives. Apart from the arrest of the eight PCPA members, including Bapi Mahato, who masterminded the train accident, Asit Mahato was named as an accused — an announcement that cornered Asit. Faced with a crisis, Sidhu was given the responsibility to carry on with the PCPA programmes. “Sidhu’s death is certainly a big blow to the PCPA. But it is just a frontal organisation working for the Maoists. The kind of arms that were recovered from their them is just another example that exposes their lie that theirs is a democratic outfit that is engaged in a peaceful movement against the alleged police atrocities,”said state DGP Bhupinder Singh. The sagging morale of the PCPA became more evident as a member of the body surrendered before the Jhargram court on Monday, hours after Sidhu’s killing. Jiten Giri, a resident of Muraboni in Jhargram, is also suspected to be involved in the Gyaneswari Express sabotage. Jiten is the first in the PCPA to have surrendered before the court.
Jiten can be linked with many incidents of loots and murders that were executed by the PCPA. He was remanded to 14 days of judicial custody.
The PCPA has called for a two-day Bangla Bandh on August 4 and 5 in protest of the killing of their leader Sidhu Soren.