Top Maoist leader Roy dies at 78

Sushil Roy (78), a politburo member of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), died Wednesday at AIIMS in Delhi. He was suffering from cancer for the past three years and was undergoing treatment at the hospital after being granted bail by a Jharkhand court in 2012.

In keeping with Roy’s wish, his body was donated to AIIMS. According to police sou-rces, Roy was one of the important leaders of the Maoist think-tank. Roy, who had more than 50 criminal cases including murder, arson and abduction against him in West Bengal Bihar and Jharkhand, was arrested from Konnagar in Hooghly in 2005. He was initially lodged in Presidency Jail and later granted bail. He was, however, arrested the same year by the Jharkhand Police and taken to Ranchi. He was released for treatment on bail bond in 2012 when his physical condition deteriorated.

Sushil Roy’s brother Dr Shyamal Roy, 75, said, “Our family began meeting Sushil following his arrest in 2005. He never kept any contact with the family before that.”