‘4 missing students may have joined Naxal groups’

C N Rawal,principal,Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce,who attended the meeting,said,“We were told that Naxal outfits try to get in touch with students through cultural groups and similar activities.”

In the meeting presided over by Police Commissioner Meeran Borwankar,the police told them to provide information about any suspicious movements that may come to their notice.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (special branch) Makrand Ranade told Newsline,“Four college students from Pune who had come into contact with Naxalite outfits have been untraceable for the last two years,as per information we have. We suspect Naxalite organisations are training them or they may have joined some Dalam…”

Ranade added,“We have come to know that these organisations had gone to big colleges to indoctrinate students but failed to get enough support. So they turned towards colleges having students from the economically and socially backward classes in majority. These four are from such institutes in Pune.”

In April,the state ATS arrested six from the backward classes,including Siddhartha Bhosale of Kondhwa,a former MA Economics student of Fergusson College,for alleged Naxal links.

The other five were Angelo Sontakke,wife of Naxal leader Milind Teltumbde,whose hand was suspected behind the February 2009 attack that killed about 15 policemen,Sushma Ramteke alias Shraddha Gurav,arrested from Pirangut in Pune,Mayuri Bhagat (23) alias Jenny,Jyothi Chorghe (19) and Anuradhadha Sonule (23),all the three arrested from Shivajinagar area of Pune. Among the material ATS seized Naxal literature,cash,laptop and cell phones were among the items seized from suspects.

Investigators had revealed that Bhagat,from Chandrapur,was an Arts graduate who shifted to Mundwa in Pune to work with Sontakke. Chorghe and Sonule,also an Arts graduate,stayed in a small room in Bhosari and allegedly worked as couriers for the group. Bhosale is believed to have been recruited as part of the Golden Corridor Committee formed by Naxals to target students and labourers in the industrial areas of Gujarat and Maharashtra,like Pune,Mumbai,Thane and Nashik. Bhosale was trained in Gadchiroli for a few months. He was believed to be on the payroll of Naxalite organisations to carry out the task of grouping youngsters to spreading their ideology.