By IANS,
Kolkata : The West Bengal government Monday sounded a high alert in three Maoist-affected districts following the arrest of People’s Committee against Police Atrocity (PCAPA) leader Chattradhar Mahato Saturday.
“We’ve alerted the police and the district administration and asked them to be prepared for any untoward incident and retaliation by the Maoists extremists,” West Bengal Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty told reporters here.
He said a high alert had already been sounded in all three Maoist-infested western districts – Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore.
Posing as journalists, police had sneaked in on Mahato, and arrested him from Birka near the headquarters of Lalgarh block in West Midnapore district.
The tribal leader had been eluding police ever since he went underground after the central and state governments launched a joint operation to flush out the Maoists.
Meanwhile, suspected Maoists Monday set fire to a bus at Dahijuri area of West Midnapore.
According to police sources, a group of Leftwing rebels stopped the vehicle and asked all the passengers to get down. After emptying the bus, the Maoists set it on fire.