Didi begins shifting Maoists

KOLKATA: Five years after the CPI(Maoist) machinery was virtually demolished in Bengal, the Mamata Banerjee administration is transferring all the Maoist leaders to a high-security prison in Kolkata as a measure of abundant caution to prevent them from getting in touch with the Bhangar land agitation that is being led by a Maoist outfit.

The land agitation that is easily the biggest embarrassment so far for the chief minister, who is champion of farmer rights, is being led by CPIML (Red Star) with alleged support from a section of ultra-Left sympathiser students of Jadavpur University.

There are about 100 Maoist leaders and cadres in different Bengal jails. Thirty nine of them have been brought from different jails in the districts to Presidency Jail in Kolkata, and the process of transfer will continue.

“The Maoists undertrials and convicts are being brought into high security jail as a security measure. They are kept in cells unlike other inmates who are kept in wards. Apart from 24-hour CCTV surveillance, we have doubled the number of guards. Their movement inside the jail is completely restricted,” said a senior jail department official.

“We had information that Maoists are planning to stoke farmer agitation in parts of Bengal. Intelligence reports also indicated Maoists could have a hand in the Bhangar agitation that began to crystallise towards the end of 2016. We took no chance and kept the leaders in jail under tight security and surveillance,” said a senior state home department official.

Officials told HT that frontal organisations are being used to build a base among farmers in Bhangar