Ranchi, May 17: Principal secretary of state home department S.K.G. Rahate today said the state government "was not averse to revisiting" provisions of the surrender and rehabilitation policy for rebels in the light of public outrage over former CPI(Maoist) zonal commander Kundan Pahan's Sunday surrender.
Introduced in 2001, the policy was amended in 2003, 2009, when it was first named Nayi Disha, 2015 and 2016. It was flexible even today, the principal home secretary said after chief minister Raghubar Das deputed him and ADG (operations) R.K. Mallick last night to talk to Tamar MLA Vikas Kumar Munda, who had been on a hunger strike since Sunday against Pahan's so-called "golden handshake" surrender.
Vikas, whose father Ramesh Singh Munda, then sitting MLA, was allegedly killed by Pahan in 2008, was asked by Rahate and Mallick to call off his fast around 11.30pm.
"There have been a series of amendments in the state's surrender and rehabilitation policy since it was introduced in 2001. It is a dynamic process. We aren't averse to revisiting it again. This is what I told Tamar MLA last night," Rahate told this reporter today.
Vikas had on Monday and Tuesday written letters to the chief minister and Union home minister Rajnath Singh demanding a judicial review of the surrender policy be held and Pahan's pending cases be heard in fast-track courts.
"I stopped my strike after being assured that the government would amend the surrender policy, cases against Pahan be heard in fast-track courts, families of victims of Naxalite violence get due honour at the earliest and a CBI probe into behind-the-curtains developments that led to Pahan's surrender be considered," Vikas claimed today.
But, going by Rahate's carefully worded statement, the state has only decided to "revisit" the policy. It also rejected a CBI probe into the dynamics behind Pahan's surrender, ADG (operations)-cum-police headquarters spokesman R.K. Mallick said.
On the fast-track court demand, Rahate said it was already in practice. "Cases against rebels who have surrendered or been arrested are usually heard in fast-track courts. But, ordering CBI probe or judicial review is the state government's prerogative," he said.
Mallick said Vikas's demand of a fresh probe into his father's murder was accepted. Munda Senior was at a public event in a Bundu school when he was sprayed by bullets.
"We will grill Pahan. If he reveals anything new or significant in the Munda murder, fresh inquires would begin under Clause 8 of Section 173 of CrPC. We will request Ranchi district and sessions judge to refer Pahan's cases to fast-track courts," Mallick said.
The state spent Rs 2.61 crore in 2016-17 and Rs 2.98 crore in 2015 in reward money to police in Naxalite-related breakthroughs and to surrendered rebels.
