Maoist poster raises questions about Kishenji’s fate

KOLKATA - The recovery of some posters of a yet unknown Maoist group in West Bengal’s West Midnapore district Friday, terming top Maoist leader Kishenji as “martyr Kishenji”, has raised questions about the elusive rebel leader being still alive.

“One of the three posters - of the ‘Tribal Platoon, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-Maoist) - recovered by the security personnel from a Maoist hideout in Punnapani and Lakshanpur after a brief gun battle with ultra left rebels, reads: ‘We will not allow anybody to use martyr Kishenji for serving his interest,” said a senior police officer.

Terming Mansaram alias Bikas - one of the second rank Maoist leader active in Lalgarh - as a traitor, another poster reads that he has forgotten his own community and people will punish him while the third poster said ‘We won’t allow Marshall (champion in tribal language) to be insulted’, the officer said.

After a gunfight between security forces and rebels in Hatiloth forest in the district March 26, there were rumours that Kishenji was either seriously injured or dead. The state government, however, neither confirmed Kishenji’s death nor that he was alive.

After the March 26 incident, several recorded statement believed to be made by Kishenji have reached different media houses, but the elusive leader has not made any public appearance.

West Midnapore Police Superintendent Manoj Verma said: “The posters don’t significantly prove that Kishenji is dead but it is also true that from April onwards we have no information about the top Maoist leader”.

“In last eight months the media has received two video recordings (of him) but after checking the details we are sure that one of the video recording was shot much before and in another video someone else is posing as Kishenji,” Verma told IANS over phone.