Jailed Jharkhand Maoist's demand puts officials in a spot

Ranchi, Nov 5 (IANS) The demand of a jailed Maoist leader to celebrate the Russian revolution has put the jail administration in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district in a spot, an official said Wednesday.

Pramod Mishra, a politburo member of Communist Party of India-Maoist, has demanded that he should be allowed to celebrate the Russian revolution Friday.

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He has also demanded that all arrested Maoist rebels should be allowed to participate in the celebration.

'It is difficult for us to reject or accept his demand. If we reject the demand, then Mishra will start an agitation inside the jail. But we cannot accept his demand,' an official of the Dhanbad jail administration told IANS.

Mishra was arrested in May this year and kept in central jail of Hazaribagh district.

He was shifted to Dhanbad jail to be produced in cases lodged against him.

When Mishra was in Hazaribagh jail, he demanded facilities to prisoners according to the jail manual. His demand was supported by other prisoners.

The jail officials said Mishra organised the prisoners and provoked them against the jail administration by raising various issues.

Officials suspect that Mishra's latest demand is intended to start an agitation.

He has, however, been kept in a separate cell. Mishra loudly sings revolutionary songs to attract the attention of jail inmates. His songs are provocative and instigate the other jail inmates against the government and the jail administration, an official said.

According to the official, the Dhanbad jail administration has informed senior officials in Ranchi about the demand.

The October revolution in Russia began with an armed insurrection in Petrograd Oct 25, 1917 in Julian calendar, which is Nov 7, 1917 in Gregorian calendar. It was the second phase of the overall Russian Revolution of 1917, after the February Revolution the same year. The revolution overthrew the Russian Provisional Government and gave the power to the Soviets dominated by Bolsheviks. It was followed by the creation of the Soviet Union in 1922.