The Saranda jungle again came to the limelight as an area of fast developing Red political struggle. This time again, the PLGA guerrilla forces of the MCCI successfully entrapped a large number of highly armed police and paramilitary forces in a daring ambush in Saranda jungle on April 7, 2004. The forces were returning from a long range patrolling in search of MCCI led PLGA Guerrillas. But they themselves were entrapped by the guerillas at 5 pm near village Baliba situated in the Gua P.S. of west Singhbhum district of Jharkhand. These police forces were led by SP Praveen Kumar. They were returning with half a dozen vehicles. When they reached the spot selected by the PLGA guerrillas the SP jeep and three other police vehicles were blown up through land mines, laid out by them. At the same time many of the police forces were caught in the firing range of the guerrilla forces. Thereafter an intense battle also took place between the remaining police forces, and the guerrillas. This fierce fighting continued for more than one hour. But in this close and face to face fighting the police forces were forced to retreat and they fled away. In this daring ambush and face to face fighting at least 29 policemen including the Nuvamundi P.S. in-charge Ram Sagar Singh were killed on the spot and near about two dozen policemen were seriously injured. Many policemen, including some of the injured fled away by hiding themselves through the thick jungle. In this daring ambush the PLGA guerrilla captured near about three dozen weapons and a large number of ammunition, from the police forces.

This was the second largest but more daring ambush conducted by the PLGA guerrillas. No doubt the guerrilla forces had to pay some prices also yet the nature of this battle raised the overall level of guerrilla war qualitatively. Most remarkable feature of this battle is that the fighting spirit and the planning capability of the PLGA guerrillas have touched a new level. Moreover, the peoples support and their active participation in various forms have considerably increased.

After the first major ambush by the PLGA guerrillas conducted on 20th December, 2002 the ground situation in the Saranda jungle area has undergone a sea change. People of the area have been largely relieved of the exploitation and operation of the officers of the forest department. They have started ploughing large tracks of forest land which was lying unused previously because of the fear of forest officers. The movement of the police in smaller formation has stopped. They started moving only in large formation just as long range patrolling. Even the time of this patrolling has been decreased. After 2 pm they generally started retreating to their camps or headquarter. Police forces from the smaller out posts have been largely withdrawn. After their retreat the PLGA guerrillas continue to control the area. That is why the people heaved a sigh of relief under their surveillance.

People have started organizing themselves in the revolutionary peasant committees. These committees are emerging as an embryonic form of new democratic people’s political power centers in the villages. These peasant committees are being organized, helped and led by the MCCI. These committees helped the people in organizing and developing the production along with raising their standard of livelihood. A large number of people are coming forward to join people’s militia and local guerrilla squads to protect themselves. All these activities of the people are in turn helping in strengthening and enlarging the PLGA guerrilla forces, thereby laying a more and more fertile ground for advance and raising the level of armed agrarian guerrilla war. The aforesaid Saranda battle is one of the major outcomes of this overall development. Not only that the formation of PLGA has reached the level of company. Moreover, a considerable number of women are coming forward to join the PLGA and even the party. A women’s organization is also developing.

As a whole, the April, 2004 Saranda battle has emphatically pointed out that the red political struggle of Saranda has reached a new height. This battle is the indication of tactical counter-offence by our guerrilla forces in this stage of strategic defence. Just before this the people’s war led by the PW has also reached to a new height with the Koraput raid conducted by the PGA on February 6, 2004. In this raid PGA guerrilla simultaneously captured not only the Koraput district headquarters in Orrisa but also nine other P.S. and siezed at least 510 weapons along with 20,000 ammunition. This military action has proved to be a historic action.

These struggles are directly concentrated on both the question of land and political power. Saranda struggle is developing as a part of the overall armed agrarian revolutionary struggle in the form of protracted people’s war developing in Jharkhand, Bihar and their adjoining areas. These struggles are directed against imperialism, feudalism and the comprador bureaucrat capitalism i.e. against neo-colonial type of semi-colonial semi-feudal ruling system. As a result this struggling area is fast emerging as a new and shining area of red political struggle in the Indian landscape. The lofty aim of developing PLGA into a full-fledged PLA and the establishment of, red base areas by developing the, guerrilla zones and guerrilla bases is not far off. Saranda battle has already highlighted this message in the sky.