In a major success for the Special Task Force of Kolkata Police ‘most wanted’ Maoist leader Ranjit Pal laid down his arms on Wednesday. His surrender literally breaks the last hope of an ultra-leftist revival in Bengal.
Pal surrendered before State DGO Surajit Karpurakayastha and Kolkata Commissioner of Police Rajiv Kumar along with his wife Jharna also a top Maoist leader along the Bengal-Jharkhand border mostly in Purulia district.
Arguably the most “potent” leader of the Maoist movement after the death of Kishenji, the surrendered Maoist leader was a CPI(Maoist) State committee member. He remained elusive for the past more than a decade despite repeated attempts made by the security forces to nab him.
Both Pal, 45 and Jharna alias Anita surrendered with a self-loading rifle (SlR).
“There are several cases against him,” said the DGP adding, he was involved in some major Maoist raids including the Jhalda attack. “He has realized that armed insurgency has no future and that development can be achieved only through peaceful means,” the officials said.
Pal’s surrender is considered as a major success for the Mamata Banerjee Government as the Chief Minister had vowed to bring back peace in Jangal Mahal area comprising three districts of the State. With Pal still at large the desired peace process still remained elusive.
Pal was the 219th militant who surrendered ever since Banerjee came to power. After his surrender the only major Maoist leader who is still on the loose is CPI(Maoist) State secretary Akash.
“I am surrendering before Kolkata Police STF and beginning a new life and appeal those who are wrong path to join the main stream,” Pal, who wore a black outfit read from a statement. He added, in past 17 years he had realised that taking up arms was not a solution to people’s problems and the issues had been sorted out in Bengal to a large extent.
Pal’s sudden surrender indicated that the Maoists were under immense pressure in Jharkhand too, experts said adding “demonetisation might have gone a long way in getting the militant’s surrender.”