Mahato arrested, Maoists call nationwide shutdown Oct 3

LALGARH - Tribal leader Chhattradhar Mahato, chief of a Maoist-backed group at the forefront of a violent agitation in this trouble-torn belt of West Bengal, was arrested Saturday.

Mahato, leader of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), was nabbed from Birkara near the headquarters of Lalgarh block of West Midnapur district, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Surajit Kar Purkayastha told IANS.

Following his arrest, the Maoists called for a nationwide shutdown Oct 3.

Apart from protesting the “unethical” arrest of Mahato, Maoist leader Kishanjee also voiced his anguish at the central government “refusing to give medical aid” to Kobad Gandhi, a top leader of the outfit who has a heart ailment.

Gandhi, in charge of spreading the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist’s influence in urban areas, was arrested in New Delhi Sep 21.

Kishanjee said the shutdown was also against the atrocities by the security forces at Sundargarh and Koraput of Orissa, and the torture of locals by the CRPF’s elite unit Combat Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) in Chhattisgarh.

He also protested against the central government’s plans to deploy special forces against the Maoists.