The arrest of Manoj Mahato, acting general secretary of People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), in West Midnapore might be a trigger for political disquiet in Maoist-affected area.
The arrest of Manoj Mahato, acting general secretary of People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), in West Midnapore might be a trigger for political disquiet in Maoist-affected area.
The arrest of Manoj, who was picked up on Friday from his home in Birkand, a village under Lalgarh Police Station in the West Midnapore District, seemed to have left people confused. And quick to react, his party called a 24-hour bandh in the Lalgarh area on Saturday.
The action created confusion, because the new government has just formed a special 10-member committee to examine the cases of political prisoners, who are to be set free if the charges against them are proved — as is alleged by several non-government human rights organisations - to be fake.
Incidentally, Manoj was released about 10 days before the last Assembly election in Lalgarh after the founder-convenor of (PCAPA) Chhatradhar Mahato announced his candidature to contest from the Lalgarh (ST) seat as an independent candidate even though he has been in jail since September 2009.
Manoj, who was sent to police custody for seven days was alleged to have been involved in an abduction case of a local CPI(M) leader in September 2009. Mahato was arrested under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.
Though neither police nor any one in the Government gave any reaction on the issue, Choton Das, a top office-bearer of Bandi Mukti Committee (Prisoners’ Release Committee) told DNA: “We see in this arrest a political provocation. Despite the new government having promised dialogue as the only means to settle all problems, we see that nothing of the sort is happening.”
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