Misir Besra, a senior Maoist leader in Jharkhand with a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head, was arrested on Tuesday in a joint operation involving the Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA), an elite unit within the Central Reserve Police Force. Besra’s arrest is seen as a significant blow to Maoist activities in Jharkhand and neighbouring regions.
Apart from Besra, four men, including two other Maoists identified as Tumba Manjhi and Biren Hansda, were also arrested. The police have refused to disclose where Besra would be interrogated, but details about the Maoist network he ran are expected to emerge after his interrogation. CoBRA personnel, trained in guerrilla tactics and jungle warfare, were instrumental in the operation.
Besra has been linked to at least two major attacks that killed 55 security personnel. His arrest comes a day after 16 Maoist fighters, including a regional leader, surrendered to Jharkhand Police in Ranchi. The 16 Maoists had been active in the Kolhan-Saranda forests and Latehar district, and worked with teams led by Besra and central committee member Asim Mandal.
Misir Besra, born in the village of Madnadih in Giridih district, was known by several aliases, including Sunirmal, Bhaskar, Sagar, and Pradhan. He was among the senior-most Maoist leaders in the state and a member of the CPI (Maoist) Politburo and Central Committee. Besra entered the Maoist movement in the mid-1980s and rose through the ranks over nearly four decades, playing a key role in building the organisational and armed structure in Jharkhand.
In recent years, Besra was believed to be active mainly in the Kolhan and Saranda regions and, for the last few months, in the Parasnath hill area. His arrest is expected to derail Maoist activities in the region, and the police hope to gather more information about the Maoist network after his interrogation.
