Sanchita Chatterjee, BS News Agency: Her identity will leave you stunned. Following the change of government in the state, the administration has achieved a series of successes. The Kolkata Police has garnered attention for its achievements in case after case. Now, yet another female Maoist leader has been netted by the police; she surrendered to the Kolkata Police yesterday. The leader goes by the aliases Pushpa, Varsha, and Shakuntala. Originally a resident of Belpahari in Jhargram, she surrendered with an SLR rifle, a magazine, and 37 rounds of ammunition in her possession.
Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nanda announced the news of the Maoist leader's surrender at a press conference this Wednesday morning. According to the police, she moved to the Saranda forests in Jharkhand while she was still a sixth-grade student. She was a member of the Zonal Committee of the Dalma Squad—a Maoist militant organization—and remained active along the borders of Bihar, Odisha, and Jharkhand. Her operations were primarily centered in the Saranda forests. She was a member of the squad led by another Maoist militant leader, Mishir Besra, and served in the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA). Commissioner Nanda stated that she eventually returned to the state; pleased with the government's initiatives, she laid down her arms and decided to surrender.
Maoist leader Shakuntala—also known as Pushpa or Varsha—said, "This movement is no longer right. I am pleased with the government's work. That is why I have laid down all my weapons and returned to the mainstream." Shakuntala faces several cases in this state, while the remaining cases against her are reportedly in Jharkhand. Another Maoist militant, Shraddha Biswas, was arrested a few days ago. A resident of Kalipur in Chakdaha, Nadia, Shraddha is currently 55 years old. Since 2005, she—also known as Bela—had been involved in militant activities within the Saranda forests of Jharkhand. She was a member of the Maoist organization's regional committee and belonged to the group led by Maoist militant Mishir Besra. A bounty of ₹15 lakh had been placed on her head. She had recently arrived from the Saranda forests and was arrested in Bhangar, South 24 Parganas.
On Tuesday, Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Nanda held a press conference stating that the Special Task Force (STF) conducted a raid following a tip-off. Shraddha was arrested in the North Kashipur area of Bhangar, South 24 Parganas. He mentioned that police from Jharkhand would arrive to interrogate her. Commissioner Nanda further revealed that Shraddha faces over 20 cases in Jharkhand. There was also a case against her in Garhbeta, West Bengal; however, after securing bail from the court in 2004–05, she had not returned to the state. The police are currently investigating her other connections. Notably, Mishir Besra was a Politburo member of the Maoist militant organization. He was arrested in September 2007 near Kuthi, Ranchi, at which time a large quantity of detonators was recovered from his vehicle. The militant leader is also known by the aliases 'Bhaskar' or 'Sunirmal'. Mishir Besra was the mastermind behind several horrific attacks in Jharkhand. However, in 2009, during an attack by Maoist militants at the Lakhisarai court complex in Bihar, Besra managed to escape from Bihar Police custody while being brought for a court appearance.
Even after nearly two decades, the 66-year-old Maoist leader Mishir Besra remains at large, evading security forces. Among the other Politburo members of the organization, some have surrendered, while others are in Chhattisgarh, Telangana... They were killed in encounters in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.