States » EastPosted at: Sep 17 2026 5:19PM


Last of Bengal-Jharkhand-Odisha Commanders: CPI (Maoist) Akash held

Midnapore, Sep 17 (UNI) Four decades of hiding in forests and moving under multiple aliases ended in a Bengal village today when CPI (Maoist) Central Committee member Asim Mandal alias Akash was ‘detained’ from Patashpur in East Midnapore by the Special Task Force (STF) of Kolkata Police, closing in on one of the last surviving senior Maoist commanders operating across the Bengal-Jharkhand-Odisha belt.
The 64-year-old Maoist leader, carrying a combined reward of Rs 2.20 crore from Jharkhand and Odisha, was picked up in the early hours from his in-laws’ house at Patashpur, according to police sources. Jharkhand Police Headquarters, however, described the development as Mandal’s surrender before the police.
The development came days after it was reported that Akash was likely to surrender before the police, based on inputs that the ageing Maoist commander was seeking an opportunity to give himself up. The report had also highlighted the possibility that he could surrender in Bengal, where he was originally from.
The conflicting descriptions apart, his capture marks a major breakthrough for security agencies that had been tracking Mandal for years.
Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari confirmed the arrest of CPI (Maoist) Central Committee member Asim Mandal alias Akash in a social media post today, asserting that the state would not allow the return of “red terror” or extremist left-wing violence.
In a post on X, Adhikari said the Maoist leader had managed to evade law-enforcement agencies and the police for more than 15 years before being arrested. He described the operation leading to Mandal’s arrest as a demonstration of the police’s capabilities.
Mandal, a native of Phulchak in West Midnapore’s Chandrakona, had reportedly reached his in-laws’ home recently in disguise with the help of an associate. Police said two bags, books and electronic equipment were recovered from him.
Known variously as Akash, Timir, Manoj, Deepak and Rakesh, Mandal entered the extremist movement in the 1980s and became associated with the People’s War Group. His operational area stretched from Sarenga and Goaltore in Bengal to Ghurabandha in Jharkhand’s East Singhbhum and the Saranda and Kolhan forests.
After the CPI (Maoist) was formed in 2004, Mandal rose rapidly through its ranks. Police sources credit him with a key role in the Lalgarh movement; subsequently, he became secretary of the outfit’s West Bengal State Committee in 2010 after the then party's state secretary Sudip Chongdar was arrested. He later held a senior position in the Bengal-Jharkhand-Odisha regional structure and became a Central Committee member after the death of Maoist commander Kishanji.
But the Maoist network that once gave Mandal a formidable cover has steadily collapsed under sustained security operations.
More than 50 members of his squad had reportedly taken shelter in the Saranda forests. On 22 January this year, 15 members of the squad were killed in a gun battle with joint security forces, forcing Mandal to shift to the Dalma forests, where he operated under the alias Manoj.
The Jharkhand government had announced Rs 1 crore for his capture, while Odisha had declared a Rs 1.20-crore reward.
Mandal has figured in investigations into several attacks and encounters involving security forces in Jharkhand, including the January 2023 Tumbahaka encounter in which nine 209 CoBRA personnel were injured. Investigators are also examining his alleged links to other attacks in Chaibasa.
Now in custody, Mandal is being questioned primarily about Maoist arms, ammunition and explosive dumps hidden in forest areas, besides the outfit’s remaining network along the Bengal-Jharkhand-Odisha border.
His detention comes as security forces intensify efforts to dismantle the remaining Maoist infrastructure in the region. UNI BG NST
Tags: #Last of Bengal-Jharkhand-Odisha Commanders: CPI (Maoist) Akash held
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