Patna, Aug. 21: Four persons having close association with the banned CPI(Maoist) were sent to jail today, a day after 29 suspected Naxalites were arrested from Shivaulia Akhraha village under Rajepur police station in East Champaran.

East Champaran superintendent of police (SP) Ganesh Kumar said four of the detainees, including Munna Yadav of Mehsi, had close link with the banned Naxalite outfit. “The antecedents of others are being verified,” he said. The rest would be released if found innocent during verification.

The police last evening conducted a raid on a meeting of Janvadi Vikas Majdoor Sangh, a frontal organisation of the CPI(Maoist), in a litchi orchard and arrested the suspected rebels. A large number of activists of the organisation were present in the meeting.

The police said the cadres had assembled there to chalk out strategy for a major Naxalite operation against the security forces in East Champaran and its adjoining districts.

The arrest of the suspected rebels sparked off protest in the district. The supporters of the organisation staged a dharna and disrupted the movement of trains near Mehsi railway station on Muzaffarpur-Motihari route from 11am. They squatted on the railway tracks demanding immediate release of those taken into custody. They claimed that those arrested were innocent and had no connection with the Naxalites.

The SP, however, said Munna and three others had close links with the banned CPI(Maoist).

Kumar said: “After the CPI(Maoist) was declared a banned outfit, the Maoists formed Janvadi Vikas Majdoor Sangh to carry out its subversive activities.”

He said the Sangh leader, Munna, claimed that it was a democratic outfit, but the police had enough evidence to substantiate its subversive activities.

“The Sangh has been entrusted with the task of motivating people to join the outfit and extending its base in the area,” Kumar said.

The SP said the involvement of the Sangh members in Naxalite activities cannot be ruled out because the area under Rajepur police station is under the influence of the CPI(Maoist). The leaders of the Sangh were giving provocative speech at the meeting when the police team headed by additional SP (operation) Sanjay Singh conducted the raid, Kumar said.

The SP said over 50 leaders, including zonal commanders, sub-zonal commanders and area commanders, had been arrested from the Naxalite-affected areas of the district in the past one year. A huge cache of arms and Maoist literature had also been seized, he said.

The police achieved a significant breakthrough when three hardcore Maoists identified as Munchun Sah, Shiv Pujan Rai and Ram Krishna Ram were arrested and three illegal firearms and ammunition were seized from Pipra village on July 25. Two other active members of the organisation — Shailendra Mahto and Indradeo Prasad — were nabbed from Panchpakri and Ujhilpur villages, the SP said.