WHILE Congress party leaders have been expressing doubts over ‘urban Naxalism’, the documents in the records of the State Legislature show that the Maoists had conducted a training camp in Pune district in 2009. Interestingly, back then, Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (united and led by Sharad Pawar) alliance was in power in Maharashtra. Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, recently referred to the statement made in the Legislative Assembly by R R Patil, the then Home Minister of Maharashtra. Citing Patil’s reply in the House, Fadnavis had stated that the Maoists had conducted a camp in Pune district. State Legislature proceedings of the time, accessed by ‘The Hitavada’, revealed more details with regard to that reference.

 

In April 2012, Girish Bapat, the then senior BJP legislator, had raised the issue of the Maoists’ camp in Pune district, through Point of Information. Bala Nandgaonkar, then MLA of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, also had participated in the discussion and raised the issue of the Maoist activities in urban areas of Maharashtra. R R Patil, senior NCP leader who was also the Home Minister of the State then, had made a statement in reply. In his reply, Patil had stated that Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) Thane unit had nabbed Angela Milind Teltumbde alias Iskra, Member of CPI-Maoist and Member of Golden Corridor Committee, from Thane Talav Pali area on April 25, 2011. The cops had seized ‘objectionable pamphlets’ and other items, and booked her under various provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. In the course of investigations, total 15 persons were booked of which seven were arrested. During investigation, it was found that Angela operated with several aliases including Iskra, Kavita, Sunita Patil, Rahi.

 

The documents found in the possession of her and others had revealed that they had conducted a 15-day residential training camp and ‘teacher training programme’ at Bangarwadi in Rajguru Nagar (Khed) tehsil of Pune district in October/November 2009. During the camp, information about the Naxalites’ ideology was given to participants, the then Home Minister had informed the Legislative Assembly. One of the arrested accused persons told the cops that all the arrested persons as well as Milind Teltumbde alias Jyotiba and others were present at the said camp. Later on, Patil had stated, the villagers of Bangarwadi, Kude Budruk, Rajguru Nagar (Khed) tehsil in Pune Rural had told the cops that no fresh activities of the Naxalites were reported in the said areas after 2011. It may be mentioned that Milind Teltumbde, Central Committee Member of CPI-Maoist, was killed in an encounter in dense forests of Mardintola in Korchi tehsil of Gadchiroli district in November 2021. He had risen through the Naxalite/Maoist ranks and was made Company Commander in the outlawed organisation in 2005-06.

 

He was known by various aliases including Jiva, Deepak or Bada Deepak, Praveen, Arun, Sudhir, Sahyadri, Podadi. He was a Central Regional Bureau Member, former Secretary of Maharashtra State Committee, and In-charge Secretary of Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh Special Zonal Committee (MMCSZC) of the Maoist organisation. In 2017, he was Secretary of MMCSZC and was also looking after Urban works. In his statement in the Assembly, R R Patil had also informed the members that an ATS team had conducted raid in Dombivali in Thane district on March 1, 2012, and had arrested four Naxalites.

 

The cops had seized cash and Naxal literature from the arrested persons. Firearms and spares and other materials were seized in Neral from a workshop of one of the accused persons. The accused in this case were later handed over to Purada Police in Gadchiroli district for further investigation.