Jharkhand Police to seek remand of surrendered Maoists

The East Singhbhum district police will seek the remand of Maoists Ranjit Pal alias Rahul and his wife Jharna Giri, who surrendered today before the STF in West Bengal in connection with the gunning down of JMM Member of Parliament Sunil Kumar Mahato.

The duo had surrendered in the presence of Director General of Police, West Bengal, Surajit Kar Purakayastha and Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajeev Kumar.

Mahato had been assassinated by armed Maoists while he was watching a football match organised on the day of Holi on March 4, 2007 in Baguria under Ghatsila sub-division.

Among others, Pal, who was a 'Commander' of the Bengal-Jharkhand-Odisha border committee of the Maoist outfit, was named as an accused in the incident, in which Mahato's two bodyguards and JMM local leader Prabhakar Mahato were killed.
 

Over 16 Maoist-related cases were pending against Pal, mostly under Ghatsila police station, the police said.

Following his surrender, Pal told the Kolkata Police that he was associated with the Maoists for the last 17 years.

Pal was carrying a reward of Rs 25 lakh announced by the Jharkhand government.

CBI had also declared a reward of Rs 10 lakh on Pal after the Jharkhand government had referred the case of Mahato's killing to it.

Reacting to the surrender of Pal and Jharna, Senior Superintendent of Police Anoop T Mathew said the district police would seek remand of Pal as several cases including the JMM MP's murder were pending against them in the district.

Mathew said Pal had no option but to surrender as the squad led by him was under tremendous pressure due to intensified anti-Maoist operation launched by the district police, which had three encounters with Pal's squad last year and some squad members were killed.

Former JMM MP Suman Mahato, the widow of Sunil Mahato, who is also the general secretary of JMM Mahila Morcha Central Committee, said the CBI should interrogate Pal thoroughly to unearth the conspirators behind her husband's murder.