Jharkhand Police confirm two top Maoist leaders held

Ranchi Police confirmed that they have arrested two top Maoist leaders. The Communist Party of India-Maoist had called a two-day shutdown in five states to demand the release of the two leaders.

Ranchi Police on Tuesday confirmed that they have arrested two top Maoist leaders. The Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) had called a two-day shutdown in five states to demand the release of the two leaders.

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"Two top Maoist leaders were arrested Monday evening from the Ranchi railway station. The arrested Maoist leaders are Amitabh Bagchi alias Anil and Taufid Mullah alias Kartik," Deputy Inspector General of Police (Ranchi range) RK Mallik told reporters in Ranchi on Tuesday evening.

He denied that the two were arrested Aug 19 as claimed by the outlawed CPI-Maoist. Anil is a politburo member and Kartik, a state committee member of the CPI-Maoist.

Both were presented before a Ranchi court and they have been taken on remand by the police.

CPI-Maoist has called two days strike in five states - Jharkhand, Orissa, Bihar, West Bengal and Chattisgarh to protest the arrest of Anil and Kartik.

Maoist strike affected life in rural parts of the state on Tuesday. No long-route buses were plying in Jharkhand.

Maoist guerrillas are active in 18 of the 24 districts of Jharkhand. Nearly 1,500 people have been killed in Maoist-related violence in the last eight years.