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Bihar is known to be
a very densely populated state. This state is denser with respect to the police
stations, outposts, camps etc. Especially Magadh region, the bastion of the
revolutionary movement, is perhaps one of the most densely policed areas. The
police here have twin duties. One is to curb the revolutionary movement. Another
is to protect the reactionaries and even the most heinous and barbaric feudal
murderous gangs like the Ranvir Sena. The state has set up many camps in the
Ranvir Sena strongholds especially after they have carried out a massacre so
that they are protected from the attacks of the revolutionary forces.
Lodipur is one such
stronghold of the Ranvir Sena in the Konch PS area of Gaya district. A police
camp was set up here also with two dozen police. The Ranvir Sena murdered two
persons in the adjoining Shahganj village, a stronghold of the CPI (ML)
Liberation. In order to smash the Ranvir Sena it is also essential to destroy
these camps.
The Magadh divisional
committee of CPI (ML) Peoples War decided to raid this camp to achieve the twin
aims of arming the PGA with enemy’s weapons and of destroying the police –
Ranvir Sena nexus. In a daring raid on the night of 18th March (Holi) 60
guerillas (including a number of militia) encircled the camp and at exactly 11pm
started an intense attack. As soon as this camp was attacked the police from Mau
bazaar outpost, situated one and half kilometers away, tried to come to their
aid. But when another batch lying in ambush near the outpost fired on them and
blasted a claymore mine they ran back into the outpost building and continued
intermittent firing from inside the camp. Meanwhile the police in the camp were
terrorized by the attack and fired some shots in panic. The guerillas from the
beginning warned them to surrender and also promised them that no harm would be
done to them if they surrender. They reminded them about the Bara raid conducted
a month earlier in which all the police who surrendered were let off without
doing any harm. Assured about their safety, they started throwing down their
arms and surrendered. The whole operation lasted about 25 minutes. Then the
injured policemen were given medical treatment and they were explained the
revolutionary policy of the party and contrasted this treatment to that of
arrested revolutionaries. They were also explained as to how the ruling classes
are using them to protect the barbaric Ranvir Sena instead of finishing it off.
Hearing about the
raid, reinforcements started coming from Tekari police station situated at about
7 km from Lodipur. The district magistrate and a senior police official who were
there by chance in Tekari at the time also started off towards Lodipur in four
vehicles. Another team who lay in ambush cut a tree to block the police and when
they approached it they triggered off a claymore mine. The DM immediately turned
back his vehicle and ran away. A fierce encounter then ensued between the rest
of the police and the ambush party. There were further reinforcements by three
more vehicles. But by this time the main operation and seizure of weapons was
over. Getting a signal from the raiding party, they retreated safely. In this
raid PGA guerillas got 15 0.303 rifles and more than 800 rounds of ammunition.
There was another
interesting aspect in this raid. When the raid began, the villagers were
confused. The Ranvir Sena thought that the raid was on them. The general people
thought that the Ranvir Sena has come to attack. The repeated announcements by
the guerillas soon clarified the matter. Then the villagers most of whom were
sympathizers of Liberation started raising slogans against the Ranvir Sena. The
guerillas, before retreating, explained to the villagers about the meek
surrender of the Liberation to the Ranvir Sena and asked them to join hands with
true revolutionary parties like Peoples War and MCCI to smash the Ranvir Sena
and to eradicate feudalism and imperialism from India. Dozens of them earnestly
heard these words and even invited the Peoples War to come and organize them.
They enthusiastically raised slogans denouncing the RS-police nexus along with
the guerillas. The guerillas retreated with the promise of returning soon.
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