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TMC leader Chhatradhar Mahato remanded to 2-day NIA custody
The 50-year-old former convener of the Maoist-backed People Against Police Atrocities (PCPA), was arrested by NIA early on Sunday
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Chhatradhar Mahato was remanded to two-day National Investigation Agency (NIA) custody in connection with the 2009 murder case of CPI(M) leader Prabir Mahato by a local court in Kolkata on Sunday, reported news agency ANI.
The 50-year-old former convener of the Maoist-backed People Against Police Atrocities (PCPA), was arrested by NIA early on Sunday, a day after assembly polls were concluded in his bastion of Lalgarh. “He was arrested around 3am when a team of officials almost broke the door and barged into the house. He was almost dragged out and was not shown any papers. He was unwell. Even his security guards were not allowed to come near him,” Niyati Mahato, his wife, told HT.
Mahato has served a 10-year sentence after being arrested in an undercover operation in 2009 and was subsequently charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He was released under parole in February this year after serving 11 years behind bars, since then he has been actively campaigning for the TMC in Lalgarh. Calcutta High Court had granted Mahato and eight other activists the status of a political prisoner in 2012, and a few months later had convicted him under the UAPA.
The high court on Thursday asked Mahato to appear at NIA’s office thrice a week for his alleged role in the murder case. The court cautioned that if he fails to do so the agency can be directed to take him into custody. Mahato had failed to appear before the special NIA court a number of times.
Mahato led the PCPA movement in Lalgarh, which witnessed bloodshed as many CPI(M) party workers and leaders were killed in retaliation against the state government led by the Left party. One such leader was Prabir Mahato, who was allegedly killed by PCPA in Lalgarh’s Dharampur village in June of 2009.
