Maoists release kidnapped teacher
Ranjit Duley, the headmaster of a school in Maoist-dominated Bankura district abducted by People’s Militia on Friday, was handed over to the media at 1 am on Tuesday.
Ranjit Duley, the headmaster of a school in Maoist-dominated Bankura district abducted by People’s Militia on Friday, was handed over to the media at 1 am on Tuesday.
The release of the hostage took place deep inside a forest as in the case of Atindranath Datta, officer-in-charge of Sankrail police station on October 22, 2009.
A pale Duley appeared unharmed. He was taken to the Lalgarh police station by reporters of a Bengali television channel.
The headmaster was released after his son Raunak criticized the operations by the combined forces on Monday and appealed for the release of the 'innocent villagers' arrested by the police.
Sidhu Soren, leader of Sidho Kanu People’s Militia (extension of the Maoist-backed People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities), along with two Maoist commandoes brought Duley in front of the reporters.
But unlike Kishenji, who released Datta last October, Soren and his two associates had their faces uncovered.
“I wasn’t tortured. Neither did they misbehave with me,” said Duley after his release.
But Duley refused to accept that he was a police informer, the reason offered by the Soren for abducting him.
After abducting him, Soren wanted the government to release six undertrials, held by the police on grounds of being Maoists, within 48 hours.
He threatened Duley would be tried in a people’s court if the government didn’t meet their demands.
But Bankura district leaders of ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) had put pressure on the government not to succumb to the militia demand.
The government had released 14 undertrials in October to secure the release of Datta.
Duley’s elder brother Ramkrishna Duley was killed by Maoists on August 15, 2009.
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