Maoist strategist held in Bengal

Kolkata, July 17 (IANS) Bikram alias Arnab Dam, a state committee member of the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist), considered its top strategist after the late Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji, has been arrested in West Bengal, police said Tuesday.

The security forces have been looking for Bikram who headed a Maoist squad and is accused of being involved in several incidents of violence.

"Bikram alias Arnab Dam was arrested late Monday night close to the Biramdihi railway station in a jungle near the Purulia-Jharkhand border. He is suspected to be involved in many violent activities," said Midnapore Range Deputy Inspector General L.N. Meena.

Bikram, secretary of the CPI-Maoist Bihar Jharkhand Orissa Regional Border Committee, was considered the party's top strategist in West Bengal after its politburo member Koteshwar Rao alias Kishanji, who was gunned down last November.

A massive manhunt was launched by the security forces after intelligence inputs pointed towards Bikram's presence in the area.

"An AK-47 rifle, some ammunition and a still camera have been seized from him. He has been produced before a court and we have sought his custody," said Meena.

The son of a retired judge and an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur dropout, Bikram led the Ayodhya Hills squad of the Purulia district and was active along the West Bengal-Jharkhand border in Purulia.

Bikram is wanted by police forces to stand trial in over 80 cases in various districts of West Bengal and Jharkhand.

He was also entrusted by the CPI-Maoist of communicating with the outside world.

In a letter written in 2011 and signed by him, Bikram had claimed that the Maoists had participated alongside the Trinamool Congress in the protest movements in Nandigram, Singur and Lalgarh.