'Kishenji's death news a ploy to dilute anti-Naxal ops'

Jharkhand police today said the recent poster, recovered in West Bengal, alluding the death of CPI (Maoist) leader Kishenji could be a ploy of the outfit to dilute the operations against the rebels.

Jharkhand police on Sunday said the recent poster, recovered in West Bengal, alluding the death of CPI (Maoist) leader Kishenji could be a ploy of the outfit to dilute the operations against the rebels.

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"I do not not rule out the possibility that it could be a Maoist ploy to divert the ongoing operation," DIG (Kolhan) Navin Kumar Singh said.

Had he been died, it would have attracted reactions within the outfit like it did when its top-ranking leader Azad was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh, Singh said.

The poster recovered from Lalgarh police station area on Friday referred Kishenji as 'Saheed' (Martyr).

"One of the Maoist politburo members, who was arrested in West Singhbhum district recently, has not said anything on Kishanji during interrogation," he said.

The DIG, who led anti-Naxal operation for five days in Saranda forest of West Singhbhum in September where an encounter took place, denied that Kishanji was present there.

A second-ranked Maoist leader Prasant Bose alias Kishan'da was present and leading his men against the securitymen, he said.