Top Maoist leader Prashant Bose alias Kishan Da, and his wife Sheela Marandi were arrested by Jharkhand Police on Thursday, 11 November, sources have told The Quint.
Kishan Da was carrying a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head and is said to be among the top rung leaders of the rebel outfit. He had played a major role in the formation of the Maoist outfit CPI (Maoist).
Bose used to head the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) before it merged with the CPI-ML (People’s War) to form the CPI (Maoist) in 2004.
Marandi was reportedly the only woman member of the decision-making body central committee (CC) of the CPI (Maoist).
More About Prashanth Bose & Sheela Marandi
Prashanth is believed to be an active member of the central committee, Politburo, Central Military Commission. He is also working as the secretary of Eastern Regional Bureau of the Maoists party.
75-year-old Bose was reportedly unwell and was believed to be operating from the forests of Saranda in Jharkhand.
His wife Sheela had earlier been booked in 2006 in Odisha but was released from the Rourkela prison in 2016.
Sheela, who is known by various names in central India, reunited with the party and was overseeing the women's wing of the party.
'Release the Two Old & Seriously Ill Political Activists & Others': CRPP Condemns the Arrest
Condemning the arrest of the two – "two above sixty-year-old and sick political activists along with others in a cooked up case" – the Committee for Release of Political Prisoners (CRPP) said:
“We also come to know from media news that political activist Prashanth Bose is more than 75 years old, and because of paralysis he is unable to move on his own. Also because of other health problems he is seriously ill. Political activist Sheela Marandi is also above 65 years of age. She also seriously ill.”
Further CRPP pointed out the Marandi had in 2008 been arrested by Jharkhand police in “several false charges” and was acquitted in most of the cases in 2016. In the remaining few, she received bail.
“Presently, she was associated with mass movements,” the CRPP pointed out.
The organisation demanded immediate and unconditional release of all the four political prisoners in the case.
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