Click to play videoKolkata: The abduction drama of police officer Atindranath Dutta ended on Thursday night. It is alleged that the West Bengal government had to strike up a deal with Maoists to enable this transfer.
Two days days after he was abducted, Dutta was finally set free by the Maoists. He was handed over to media persons at Bholagara in West Midnapore in a dramatic fashion by Maoist leader Kishenji.
The strain of his ordeal showed clearly on the police officers face but he had some kind words for his abductors.
"They were co-operative with me, that much I can say. Beyond that, if situation is otherwise, how aggressive they will become or what they will do, I cannot say," Dutta said to mediamen.
The release came just hours after the Midnapore court granted bail to 22 Maoist supporters, 14 of them women.
The state government hadn't opposed their bail plea, which to many clearly suggests a deal with the Maoists.
Naxal leader Kishenji however denied this, saying the release was a goodwill gesture. He also said his party would review the murder of Jharkhand police officer Francis Induvar.
"The bail plea of the arrested people had been put up on September 13 and on that day itself the court had given October 22 as the date of the next hearing. It is a co-incidence that the people have been relaesed on this day. The government pleaders did not oppose the bail application and that is why they were released," Kishenji said.
The Maoists also used the occasion to remind the government about the families of other arrested Maoist supporters.
The mother of an arrested Maoist worker Jawahar Mahato, Kamala Mahato said, "We are poor people, we just earn our daily bread. My son is now in jail, how will we survive?"
Media persons handed over Dutta to the Jhargram SDPO from where he left for his home in Kolkata late in the night.
Police officer Atindranath Dutta is free but the Maoist domination in the Jangalmahal area of West Bengal now seems stronger than ever before.
The state and the Centre needs to think hard on how to weed out the Maoists from people's hearts before launching any drive to finish them completely.
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