One of the seniormost Maoist leaders in West Bengal was picked up by the police early Saturday, a pro-rebel civil rights group has claimed.
Sudip Chongdar, more popularly known as Kanchan, alias Batas, secretary of the state unit of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), was nabbed by the Special Task Force of the city police, said Choton Das of the Bandi Mukti Committee.
There was, however, no police confirmation. Repeated phone calls to city police commissioner Gautam Mohan Chakraborty and Special Task Force chief Rajeev Kumar went unanswered. Condemning Kanchan's detention, Das demanded "immediate arrest of the political leader".
Chongdar was one of the prime accused in the landmine blast allegedly triggered by the Maoists on chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's convoy at Salboni on November 2, 2008.