Naxalite leader Chhatradhar released from prison

Kolkata: Chhatradhar Mahato, a top naxalite leader who was arrested on charges of abortive bid on the life

of the then Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in 2008 was released

from prison after a span of ten years.

The Calcutta High Court on August 2019 had commuted his death sentence to 10

years of imprisonment. Mahato was released as he had completed his prison term, as per the judgement of the high court.

Chhatradhar Mahato who was the face of the tribal movement in Lalgarh in the Jangalmahal region was arrested by the state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) from Pirka village on September 26, 2009.

Chhatradhar Mahato was one of the prime accused in the landmine blast at Salboni on November 2, 2008, in which the then Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and the then Union ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada had a narrow escape.

The Midnapore court in May 2015 had sentenced Chhatradhar Mahato, who was the convener of Police Santrash Birodhi Janasadharaner Committee (People's Committee Against Police Atrocities), and five others to life imprisonment after holding them guilty under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their alleged links with Maoists.