The first time The Indian Express team met Bapi Mahato, the prime accused in the Jnaneswari train attack case — about a week before the train attack — it was inside a dilapidated school building.

For one and a half hours, he and his men kept the Express team confined in the building to find out if we were cops posing as journalists. His men seized the team’s cellphones and scrutinised belongings and even pictures taken by the photographer.

The Express team argued with Bapi and his men that it was with the permission of Asit Mahato, the convenor of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, that they had entered the area. Bapi’s men sternly declared: “To come here, one has to take Dada’s (Bapi) permission. Asit Mahato’s writ doesn’t run here.”

Bapi, in his early ‘20s, ruled over a vast area — Banstala region of Jhargram, covering 20-odd villages under Lalgeria panchayat. It was mid-May; a landmine blast triggered by Maoists had killed five CRPF men. One could reach Bapi’s village, Rasua, only after crossing difficult hurdles — from blocked roads to Bapi’s own intelligence network.

The road to Bapi’s village branches off from Sardiha railway station, where Jnaneswari Express and a goods train derailed on May 28. The red coloured mud road is always blocked with uprooted tree trunks.

Before one entered the stretch, the local panwala at Manikpara cautioned: “Why do you want to g Banstala? Coming from the city, you do not know the rules of the jungle.”

At RomRoma, the team’s vehicle was gheraoed by 10-15 men armed with traditional weapons. “How dare you remove trees from the road and enter the area without our permission?” they asked. More masked men came out of the woods. The vehicle had to be abandoned and one had to walk to reach the school building. After intense interrogation, one of them said: “Dada (Bapi) is coming.” Bapi’s first question was: “Why did you come here without our permission?” As the team explained that there were reports of torture by the security forces, his mood changed. He took the team to the house of CPM leader Mintu Ali.

The house was completely ransacked and almost demolished. Bapi claimed: “Ali tortured women, murdered several people. He was corrupt. He had a ration shop, but used to sell food grains in the open market with the help of the administration. Bon-party (Maoists) murdered him a week ago and directed us to destroy his house. We ransacked his house but didn’t touch his belongings. We only took out the food grains and distributed it among the villagers.” The next three hours he took the team around the area. “You should leave the area before sunset. My boys will help you to cross the ‘border’ of Manikpara,” he said.