Ranchi, October 06: Jharkhand police inspector Francis Induwar, who was abducted by Maoists a week back demanding release of three of their arrested leaders, including Kobad Ghandy, in exchange for the officer, has been beheaded by the Naxalites, an action the Centre condemned as unacceptable. The body along with the severed head of 37-year-old Induwar, who worked in intelligence wing of the state police, was found early this morning near Raisha Ghati under Namkom police station area, about 12 km from here, Superintendent of Police (Ranchi Rural), Hemant Toppo, said.
Induwar, who is survived by his wife and three sons, was kidnapped on September 30 by the Maoists from Hembrom Bazaar in Khunti district, about 70 km from here. The Maoists later demanded release of three rebels — Ghandy, Chhatardhar Mahato and Bhushan Yadav — in exchange for the officer.
The demand was said to have been conveyed to the authorities by the outfit”s South Chhotanagpur Committee Secretary Samarji by a telephone call to a local newspaper. Union Home Minister P Chidambaram, however, said there had been no demand from the Maoists for any swap of the arrested Naxalites but termed the beheading as not acceptable.
“The cold blooded murder is simply not acceptable. I condemn it.
” Asked whether this Maoist action came ahead of a full fledged crackdown against them by the Centre, he said, “We have not announced anything, we have not said anything. These are media speculation.
“All we have said is that following our assessment that the Naxalite threat is a grave threat to internal security, the Centre will provide support to the state police forces to continue their operations against the Maoists,” he said.
—–PTI–