The interlocutors appointed by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee to broker peace between the Maoists and the state government quit Monday. The peace process initiated by her in Jangalmahal is thus the first casualty of the
killing of Maoist leader Koteswara Rao, better known as Kishenji, by the joint forces on November 24. The head of the six-member mediators’ team, Sujato Bhadra, wrote to the CM to inform her of their decision.
“The prevailing situation in Jangalmahal does not allow us to carry forward the pe-ace process,” they said in a statement, adding they told Ms Banerjee of their “helplessness”.
Mr Bhadra acknowledged one interlocutor, Debashis Bhatta-charya, had not agreed with the decision to pull out of the talks.