People's Democracy

CPI(M) Leader Killed By Maoists Of Jharkhand 

COMRADE Anil Mahato, secretary of the Shilda local committee of the CPI (M) in Midnapore west and a kisan, was gunned down by a group of Maoists and few Jharkhandis on 20 September late evening.

State secretary of the Bengal unit of the CPI (M) Biman Basu and Midnapore west district secretary of the Party Dipak Sarkar have condemned the killing in strong terms. Biman Basu said that a united resistance by the people must continue to frustrate the killings being perpetrated by a group of ideologically bankrupt lumpens.

A bandh was observed in the Binpur-Belpahari area on September 21 with protest marches taken out throughout the district. 

A strongly-built Comrade Anil Mahato had just recovered from an earlier attempt on his life by assassins of the ilk that finally succeeded in murdering him. Then, Comrade Anil, shot in the stomach, had to struggle for his life with a long stay in a hospital before recuperating.

Comrade Anil Mahato was on his way back to his hutment in Eragoda from a Party meeting at Shilda Township in a bus when the killers struck. Travelling in the same bus that carried Comrade Anil, the assassins sprang up and held guns on Comrade Anil, on his bodyguard, and on the bus driver forcing the vehicle to stop. This was on the very lonely stretch near the Kishorigarh jungle area. 

They then shot to death the bodyguard constable Dinesh Baskey in the bus and took away his sten gun. They then forced Comrade Anil Mahato to alight and proceeded to pump twelve bullets into his chest and abdomen. Comrade Anil collapsed and died on the spot in a pool of blood, before the eyes of the 20-odd terrified bus passengers. The murderers then ran away towards the Jharkhand border, five kilometres away. No arrests have been made till date.