Women at Karaili village in Munger mourn the death of their family members. Picture by Amit Kumar

Karaili (Munger), July 2: A group of over 250 armed Maoists dressed in the uniform of the Central Reserve Police Force today mowed down six persons in a dawn swoop on a village in Munger district which they suspected was home to informers.

The rebels also took hostage 11 youths of Karaili village nestled in the Kharagpur hills, 24km from the district headquarters of Munger and nearly 300km southeast of Patna.

Many of the villagers served as informers, or “special police officers”, who have, of late, become the soft target of the rebels. Instead of carrying out attacks on security personnel, the Naxalites are now targeting these “friends” of the police, who are finding it difficult to protect their sources of information in the Maoist-hit belt.

The villagers gave vent to their anger by taking hostage the deputy inspector-general of police (Munger), Anil Kishore Yadav, who they blamed for ignoring their repeated requests for security.

The guerrillas, armed with AK-47s and other sophisticated assault rifles, swooped down on the village around 4 in the morning and started firing on the villagers. Those killed have been identified as Ram Dev Roy (50), Narayan Koda (32), Congress Koda (30), Sunil Roy (40) and Siven Roy (35). Naresh Rai (45) succumbed to his injuries at the Munger sadar hospital. All of them were daily wage farm labourers.

The firing and assault continued for about one-and-a-half hours, after which the Naxalites disappeared into the hills, taking with them 11 youths, all in the age group of 13 to 27. Eyewitnesses said the youths were tied up and beaten before being dragged into the waiting vehicles in which the Maoists had come.

The marauders had descended on the village in groups from the Kharagpur hills, surrounding it from all sides to execute their “well-planned” operation.

“I was going to a mosque nearby to attend the morning prayers around 4am when I noticed two groups comprising 25 young boys and girls wearing the uniform of police jawans, rifles slung across their backs. They were packed in two jeeps parked near the bus stand,” said Md Farook, a resident of neighbouring Bangawla village.

“The local people thought they were police jawans. But soon, I heard the sound of guns roaring at Kairali,” he added.

Police said their main target was Ashok Koda, a former Naxalite who had now joined the mainstream.

His wife Sulo Devi, a two-time mukhiya of the Bangalwa panchayat of which Kairali is a part, said: “We have escaped by the grace of god. They (Maoists) had come to kill my husband, Ashok Koda, who was on their hit-list. We woke up to the sound of gunfire coming from the hills. We bolted our door from inside and hid in our storeroom. That is how we saved ourselves.”

The police, who reached the village around 8am, flew into a wave of resentment. The villagers were enraged that the police use them as informers but ignore their security and they blamed DIG Yadav for their plight.

“Former SP Sunil Naik, who engaged many youths as SPOs, had recommended a police picket in the village, but the DIG, Munger, objected to it. More than 23-25 people have already applied for licence for rifles. But only six rifles have been given by the district administration so far,” said Ashok Koda.

Munger district magistrate Kuldip Narayan admitted the lapses by the police. “Adequate compensation will be paid to the victims’ relatives soon,” he said.