Top Maoist Leader Arrested in Bengal, CM Says Govt Won’t Tolerate ‘Red Terror’

The Kolkata Police Special Task Force has arrested a senior CPI(Maoist) leader in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district, with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari asserting that the government will not allow any attempt to revive the network of “red terror” in the state.

The arrested person has been identified as Asim Mandal alias Akash, a Central Committee member of the CPI(Maoist) and secretary of its West Bengal State Committee-I, according to Adhikari.

Mandal was apprehended from Lalat in the Patashpur area of Purba Medinipur district, the chief minister said in a social media post on Thursday.

Adhikari commended the Kolkata Police STF for tracking down the Maoist leader, saying he had allegedly managed to evade law enforcement agencies for more than 15 years while operating across inter-state forest belts.

He said the arrest was made on the basis of technical intelligence, which, according to him, demonstrated the operational capabilities of the state police force.

“I want to make it categorically clear that the West Bengal government will not tolerate any attempt to revive or expand the network of ‘red terror’ within our state borders,” Adhikari said.

He added that no extremist ideology would be permitted to jeopardise the safety and security of people or hamper the development of West Bengal.

The chief minister further said the law would take its strictest course against attempts to revive extremist networks in the state.

The arrest comes amid continued efforts by security agencies to track Maoist networks and their senior functionaries. The CPI(Maoist), designated as a terrorist organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, has faced sustained security operations in several parts of the country.

Further details about the circumstances of Mandal’s arrest and any cases pending against him were not immediately available in the information provided.