Maoist Leader Ranjit Pal Surrenders In Bengal, Asks Other Maoists To Do The Same

Kolkata: A top Maoist leader and his wife have surrendered to the police in West Bengal, dealing a severe blow to Left wing extremism that is one of India's biggest internal security threats.

Bengal-Odisha-Jharkhand area commander Ranjit Pal and his wife Jharna Giri alias Anita Pal surrendered to the police and appealed to other Maoists to do so as well.

"I ask for forgiveness from those to whom we have caused pain. I appeal to other Maoists to surrender as the problems we were fighting are being addressed," Ranjit Pal said at a press conference at Bhabani Bhavan, the West Bengal Police headquarters in Kolkata.

Ranjit Pal, a senior leader of the CPI (Maoist), an outlawed organization appeared before reporters in the presence of West Bengal Director general of Police Surajit Kar Purakayastha and Kolkata Police Commissioner Rajib Kumar. Pal said the problems they were fighting have largely been addressed by the state government. The couple says that violence has not helped Maoists in achieving any goals and it's better to return to mainstream.

After Maoist leader Kishanji was shot in an encounter, Ranjit Pal was running the Maoist activities in the area, according to the police. He had evaded arrest so far and was engaged in recruiting and strengthening the Maoist cadre in the area.

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Police officials say, Pal is also wanted by the CBI in connection with the killing of Jamshedpur MP Sunil Mahto.

In April last year, the Special Task Force of the Kolkata police had arrested Mansaram Hembram alias Bikash and his wife Tara in Kolkata. Bikash, had declared that the Maoists wanted to assassinate then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and an attempt had been made to blow up Bhattacharjee's vehicle in November 2008 at Salboni in West Midnapore district. Tara, a woman squad leader had abducted a police officer, officer-in-charge of Sankrail police station in October 2009.

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