Midnapore/Bankura: A Maoist was killed in
an encounter in West Midnapore district with security forces
looking for a kidnapped teacher, whose fate is still unknown
even as the 48-hour deadline for his release ended Sunday.
The Maoist identified as Gurcharan Hembram was killed in
the encounter with the security forces at the Bhalukbasa
forest in West Midnapore district which adjoins Bankura,
Superintendent of Police, Bankura, Vishal Garg said.
Acting on a tipoff that the abducted teacher and also
CPI-M leader Ranjit Duley had been taken to the forest,
security forces surrounded the Maoists at Goaltore, when they
were fired upon, sources said.
Thirty-seven persons, most of them stated to be members of
the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA), were
detained following the encounter, which lasted from 10.30 am
to 3.30 pm, for obstructing security forces, the sources said.
Local women demonstrated before the Goaltore police
station for some time claiming that the detained villagers
were innocent and demanded that they be released immediately.
Villagers claimed that five Maoists were injured in the
encounter, but were taken away by their comrades.
The Maoists have demanded release of six of their cadre
arrested following the killing of Sarenga police station in-
charge Rabi Lochan Mitra on February 25 to set Duley free.
They had set a 48 hour deadline for release of their cadre.
Duley was abducted from the Barulia Madhyamik Siksha
Kendra in Sarenga area at gun-point when he was invigilating
the secondary examination on February five.
In October 2009, Maoists had used the same tactics of
kidnapping and releasing Sankrail Officer-in-Charge
Atindranath Dutta in West Midnapore, for release of a dozen
arrested women Maoists sympathisers.
PTI
First Published: Sunday, March 07, 2010, 20:48