More than 50 criminal cases, a ₹ 30 lakh reward and nearly two decades on the run marked the fugitive trail of Tritiya Sammelan Prastuti Committee (TSPC) commander Brajesh Ganjhu alias Gopal Singh Bhokta, who was killed in an encounter with the Uttar Pradesh Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) in Varanasi on Sunday morning.
Ganjhu’s prolonged evasion from arrest was reflected in the cumulative reward on his head. The police team returned fire, injuring Ganjhu. He was taken to hospital, where he was declared dead.
The cases cited by the ATS include sections 307, 364, 365, 384, 386, 387, 395, 396 and 120-B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), provisions covering attempt to murder, kidnapping, extortion, putting a person in fear of death or grievous hurt for extortion, dacoity, dacoity with murder and criminal conspiracy. Other entries invoke Sections 147, 148 and 149 for rioting and unlawful assembly, Sections 323 to 326 for causing hurt and grievous hurt, Section 353 for assault or criminal force against a public servant, and Sections 435 and 436 relating to arson and damage by fire. Jharkhand Police had announced ₹ 25 lakh for his arrest, while the NIA separately announced ₹ 5 lakh, taking the total to ₹ 30 lakh. Another TSPC operative, Umesh alias Nageena, described by the ATS as a sub-zonal commander, had earlier been arrested with a ₹ 5 lakh reward on his head.
The Jharkhand-based Maoist commander, according to the agency, had a criminal record spanning several districts of Jharkhand and included allegations of murder, extortion, kidnapping, attacks on police and possession of illegal arms and explosives. The UP ATS said that the “TSPC supremo” was carrying a cumulative reward of ₹ 30 lakh, comprising ₹ 25 lakh announced by Jharkhand Police and ₹ 5 lakh by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and was wanted in cases dating back several years. Deputy Superintendent of Police Vipin Kumar Rai and Head Constable Nitendra Krishna came under fire but were protected by their bulletproof jackets, the ATS said. His alleged associate escaped from the spot and remained at large, according to the ATS.
The cases and allegations remain subject to investigation and adjudication by the competent courts. Ganjhu’s death therefore marks the end of the fugitive trail of a man whom security agencies had been pursuing for years, but the criminal cases attributed to him will continue to be relevant to investigations concerning the TSPC’s levy-collection network, financing channels, recruitment and cross-state operations.
