Maoists alleged that People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) chief Manoj Mahato was arrested on Friday. Police, however, denied the charge.
Manoj’s father Kalipada said that police had arrested his son from their ancestral home at Birkara village in Lalgarh. “Police had raided our house on Thursday night itself, but Manoj was not at home then. Police then returned on Friday morning and arrested him. Before leaving, they told us that Manoj was being taken to the joint forces at Katapahari,” Kalipada said.
Kalipada said that when he went to the Katapahari camp soon after, the security personnel told him that Manoj has been taken to the district police headquarters in Midnapore.
Police, however, denied that Manoj was arrested. “There has been no such arrest,” West Midnapore police superintendent Manoj Verma said.
Kalipada now plans to file an FIR alleging that his son was kidnapped. Manoj had recently announced that PCPA would field candidates in Maoist strongholds West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia to contest the 2011 assembly polls.
A Maoist spokesperson, however said the development proved that Manoj’s arrest was a ploy to assassinate him like CPI(M) member Azad. “If Manoj meets the same fate as Azad, Lalgarh will be in flames again,” he warned.
