Hummingbird News Desk
BANKURA, 25 APRIL: Two young Maoist cadres were intercepted by the Bankura district police from Bolpur in Birbhum last night and they have been charged for attempting to wage war against the state, collecting deadly weapons for operation and sedition.
The police have also recovered 31 Maoist posters from their possession. The arrests were significant in the wake of recent tip off by the Central Intelligence agencies about a possible Maoist attack on the policemen within a fortnight in the South Bengal Junglemahal corridors of Bankura, Purulia, Jhargram and West Midnapore. The police already had suspended the entire leave petitions of the policemen after the ‘lead’ was forwarded.
The police arrested the cadres – Arkadeep Goswami and Mustafa Kamal alias Tipu Sultan from their hideouts in Bolpur. They were transported to Bankura under special police surveillance last midnight. The ACJM Court in Khatra today ordered eight days police remand for them. Charges under sections- 121, 121 A, 122, 123, 124 A and 120 B (attempting to wage war, collecting deadly weapons, sedition and criminal conspiracy) have been slapped against them.
Tipu and Arkadeep were first arrested by the police in Goaltore in West Midnapore in 2018 for their alleged involvement with the Maoists. In 2019 and 2021 Tipu was booked by the West Midnapore and Jhargram district police and was charged under UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Amendment Act, 2008) pertaining to a complaint registered against him in 2016. Both were released on bail.
The Bankura district police claimed that both were still in league with the Maoist squads and were preparing for an attack on the policemen. SP, Bankura, Dhritiman Sarkar said: “We’re holding a detailed investigation on the activities of the youths. They will be quizzed to help unearthing further plannings of the squads, if any.”
Both Tipu and Arkadeep, according to the police, were frequenters to the Junglemahal corridors and in recent times attended several ‘secret’ meetings in Barikul PS area. In last January, the Barikul PS officials raided a computer centre and arrested two cadres – Mongal Hansda and Shibu Murmu and recovered several Maoist posters and literatures from the computers.
Shibu and Mongal hailed from neighbouring Sarenga PS area. They allegedly were holding a ‘secret’ meeting inside the computer centre. “We could arrest two persons but some of their ‘friends’ gave a slip however and had vanished in the jungles. During repeated interrogations, Shibu and Mongal referred the names of Arkadeep and Tipu,” said a senior police officer in Bankura today.
Though in bail, Tipu and Arkadeep never detached themselves from the Maoist activities, the police claimed today. The officials though denied to comment on – whether the arrests were linked to the recent intelligence tip offs. Kamaluddin Ahmed, Tipu’s father meanwhile claimed in front of Khatra court today that he never had any link with the Maoists.
Tags: #Maoist #BankuraPolice #Bolpur
