(Top) People at Karaili village in Munger after Saturday’s attack and (above) Ashok Koda, the husband of Bangalwa panchayat mukhiya Sulo Devi, in Munger. Pictures by Amit Kumar

Bangalwa (Munger), July 4: Intelligence reports have indicated that Maoists had plotted the Karaili attack in April this year contrary to the conception of the police that it was in retaliation of the death sentence awarded to four of their comrades by Giridih court in Jharkhand on June 23 in the Chilkhari massacre case.

Sources said the rebels had planned the Karaili strategy and issued black warrants against special police officers (SPOs), the police informers, in the region almost three months ago (The Telegraph carried a report on the incident on April 19, 2011). The organisation had identified two dozens SPOs in the region and of them, Ashok Koda was their prime target.

It was a never-ending nightmare for 34-year-old Ashok, the husband of two-time mukhiya of Bangalwa panchayat, Sulo Devi. The rebels raided Karaili hamlet for Ashok in the wee hours of July 2 and killed six innocent villagers, two of them SPOs, and snatched one licensed rifle of an SPO, Siven Rai after killing him.

Ashok denied being an SPO but sources said the man was quite close to former Munger superintendent of police M. Sunil Naik who also played an important role in enrolling more than six Karaili villagers for the post of SPOs.

The intelligence had alerted Munger police on providing security to Ashok. Sources said two incidents had infuriated the rebels who wanted to teach Ashok’s men a lesson.

“The rebels had opposed and even warned us on several earlier occasions not to take part in the flag hoisting ceremony on Republic Day and Independence Day. For the past five years, we have been seeing the black flags hoisting by the rebels on those days. On January 26 this year, Sulo Devi, hoisted the Tricolour 26 at Bangalwa panchayat Bhavan after a gap of five years. Former SP M. Sunil Naik had played an important role in it,” said Bindo Rai, another SPO in the village. Binod narrowly escaped from the rebels on July 2.

Sources from the rebels’ camp, however, alleged that last February, Munger police, with the help of the SPOs, had allegedly torched the houses of Abdesh Yadav and Guhan Yadav at Bangalwa village for their alleged nexus with the Maoists. “The police and SPOs also raped some women of the Yadav community in the village,” the sources alleged but they admitted that following the two incidents — hoisting of flags and attack on the Yadavas —the organisation issued black warrants against Ashok, Sunil Rai (killed on July 2), Bidesh Sah, Bhola Koda, Yogeshwar Koda (Katjatiya village), Raju Koda (Taradehi) and Bhargu Koda (Barmasiya).

“Arrest of our top-ranking leaders, death sentence for four of our comrades by Giridih court in the Chilkhari massacre and many government-sponsored incidents have compelled us to take revenge on Karaili village. The organisation would punish all such SPOs and others who conspired a lot to suppress the voice of the poor,” the sources from the rebels’ camp said.

Senior cops like additional director-general of police (DIG) P.N. Rai and K.S. Divedi, inspector-general of police (operations), who have been camping Munger since July 3, admitted the lapses on the part of Munger police.