In a significant legal development, a special court in Rampur, Uttar Pradesh, has handed down a 10-year prison sentence and a fine of Rs 10,000 to 24 law enforcement officers, which includes two personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and 22 police officers. The case pertains to the supply of arms to Maoist insurgents in Chhattisgarh back in 2010.
The incident in question had grim consequences, as it was associated with the tragic loss of 76 CRPF personnel and the death of eight Maoists in Dantewada, Chhattisgarh, during April 2010. The Special Judge (EC Act) Vijay Kumar had pronounced the accused guilty on Thursday, culminating a decade-long trial. Notably, a primary accused in the case had passed away during this prolonged legal process.
The additional district government counsel (criminal) in Rampur, Pratap Singh Maurya, disclosed that all the convicts were taken into custody promptly after being found guilty by the court. The case dates back to 2010 when the superintendent of the UP Special Task Force (STF) in Lucknow received intelligence about the illicit supply of cartridges, arms, and ammunition to Maoists and terrorists in Chhattisgarh. This supply chain was traced from Rampur through an individual based in Allahabad, now known as Prayagraj.
On April 29, 2010, the STF made arrests in the form of three individuals: Yashonandan, a retired sub-inspector of PAC, along with Vinod Paswan and Vinesh Kumar from Rampur. Vinod and Vinesh were serving as havildars with CRPF’s Rampur center. During these arrests, the STF seized a significant cache of cartridges, Insas rifles, and a sum of cash. This verdict underscores the gravity of the arms supply operation and serves as a reminder of the severe consequences for those involved in such illicit activities.
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