Two more Maoists lay down arms

Nishat Parvez,SP of Birbhum district,said,“Das is involved in several cases including murder and sedition. He was involved in cases of murdering village guards,blowing up mobile towers and railway tracks since 2007. We have recommended his name to the surrender committee for the rehabilitation package.”

Das reportedly responded to the appeal of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Maoists to lay down arms,and the rehabilitation package offered by the state government.

In Kolkata,police detained the youth from Purulia who claimed to be a Maoist.

The person,identified as Dipak Singh Sardar. reached Mamata’s residence late in the evening and reportedly told the security personnel that he had come to surrender. The police have detained him in Kalighat police station.

According to police sources,Sardar is accused in a murder case lodged in Manbazzar police station in Purulia. The verification process is going on.

Significantly,Prakash Acharya,a sqaud member from West Midnapore,also came to surrender at the CM’s residence last month. He was handed over to the Special Task Force for verification,after which he surrendered to the Inspector General of Intelligence Bureau.

Today’s incidents included,a total of eight Maoists have surrendered across several districts in West Bengal in the six months since the new government came to power.

According to top police officials,a number of rebels have been lined up to be paraded in a similar fashion,or with slight variations,at opportune moments. The exercise is aimed at breaking the morale of the Maoists,who have come under sharp attack from Mamata for a new phase of bloodshed.

Top officials said that at least 10-12 squad leaders and top Maoists cadres had either been grounded or expelled in the past six months. A number of them had surrendered to the police unofficially and had been kept in safe houses. They were helping to build bridges with the grounded Naxalites while in hiding,the officials added.