Maoists choose new state secretary

8 December 2011

biswabrata goswami
MIDNAPORE, 8 DEC: Sabyasachi Panda, secretary of Orissa state organising committee of CPI (Maoist), has been selected as the party’s new organising secretary in West Bengal.
He has replaced the acting state secretary, Ashim Mondol alias Akash, against whom some party insiders have raised fingers for “conspiring” with police to track down their top leader Kishenji who was killed in an alleged encounter with the security forces at Burisole forest in West Midnapore on 24 November. Intelligence agencies have already informed the state government and the Centre about this new development.
Sources close to the Subsidiary Intelligence Branch (SIB) said: “Panda will basically work as a secretary of the party’s border regional committee of West Bengal and Orissa with the additional duty of organising secretary of the party’s West Bengal unit.”
“The central committee leaders of Maoists have already investigated the killing of their politburo leader Kishenji and they have come to a decision that Akash had kept contact with the leadership of Trinamul Congress even after confrontation developed with them. He could have passed information about the whereabouts of Kishenji who had sneaked into Junglemahal to observe the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) week in December,” an SIB officer said.
A Maoist leader who declined to be named said: “A meeting was held at an undisclosed location in Jharkhand on 19 November where Kishenji and his brother Venugopal, along with some other senior leaders, were present. In that meeting, they decided to replace Akash from his post as he was found guilty of conspiring with police to track down the slain leader Sasadhar Mahato. They then selected Sabyasachi Panda as the party’s next organising secretary of West Bengal.”
Sources close to the Maoists also said that the party has already cornered Akash and Sumon, a squad leader who used to move in the Nayagram area of West Midnapore, soon after the killing of Kishenji and sent them to some undisclosed locations of Orissa.
“They have been asked to work there and the party has posted some key cadres to keep a vigil on their work round the clock,” sources said.
Akash, who was given temporary charge as the party’s state secretary following the arrest of former state secretary Sudip Chongdar alias Kanchan in December 2010, had developed “a sharp difference of opinion” with Kishenji. After realising that his political fate could be sealed, Akash tipped off police about Kishenji’s whereabouts, a rebel told The Statesman recently.
Meanwhile, security forces have launched a search operation in the forests bordering Orissa to track down Venugopal and his squad members as the Intelligence Branch officials had reported to the state government that the rebel leader had managed to sneak into Junglemahal and is currently camping at Kanaisole forest in West Midnapore.
Other source close to Central Intelligence agencies, however, believe that Venugopal is hiding at Gatasila forest in Jharkhand.