Aiming to turn over a new leaf, Maoist leader, wife surrender

Top Maoist leader Ranjit Pal and his wife Jharna Giri surrendered themselves to the police on Wednesday with an aim to return to the mainstream of life.

Both Ranjit and Jharna handed over their arms to the Director General of Police Surajit Kar Purkayastha in the presence of the Commissioner of the Kolkata Police Rajeev Kumar, ADG (Law and Order) Anuj Sharma and DC of the city police's Special Task Force Murli Dhar.

Both Ranjit and Jharna were involved in Maoist activities for the past 15 years. Ranjit carried out armed revolution in Bankura, Purulia and Jharkhand. He was also given the responsibility to lead the Ayodhya Squad. He was suspended for getting engaged into a relationship with a woman going against the party's rules and regulations. He was later given the responsibility of Bankura district. But there too he had got engaged into a dispute with Maoist leader Bikram.

Ranjit was also involved in mass killing in Jhalda and had killed two policemen. The Maoist leader was also involved in the Lalgarh Movement.

Purkayastha said: "Both of them want to return to the mainstream of life. I would like to urge those who have joined hands with the Maoists by mistake to come back to the mainstream of life."

"In the past two years, 213 Maoists were arrested and 219 surrendered themselves to the police," he said.

Sources said that the police feel that they could get to know about other top Maoist leaders and their activities from Ranjit and Jharna. The information would help them to arrest the Maoists.

It may be mentioned that the Maoist leader Panchanan Mahato, who was known to be close to Ranjit, was arrested recently and in April 2016, top Maoist leader Bikash and his wife Tara had surrendered to the police. Surrender of the two Maoists couple within nine months was a success of the Special Task Force of the Kolkata Police and Criminal Investigation Department.