Release Maoists for cop's life, Koteshwar Rao asks Govts
Kolkata:
Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao on
Thursday asked both the West Bengal and the Union Governments to halt police action
or risk harm to kidnapped police officer Attendranath Dutta. Maoists, who shot
dead two other officers on Tuesday, abducted Dutta from a police station. The
ultras who came on motorbikes, also looted over Rs. nine lakh from a nearby State
Bank of India branch before escaping. Rao issued this threat while speaking to
a private news channel from an undisclosed location. Rao who is also known as
Kishanji among the Maoist cadres said that if Dutta is killed it is not the Maoists
responsibility as clearly the Centre and the State Government has no value for
the life of the hostage. Rao also said his group would produce the Dutta soon
and added that Dutta's family is free to meet him anytime. A day after the red
ultra's killed two policemen and kidnapped another officer Attendranath Dutta,
Maoists in West Bengal's Midnapore District remained firm that they would not
release Dutta until their cadres arrested in Lalgarh are freed. However, they
also said that they are going to treat the officers as Prisoners of War and would
not hurt them. On Wednesday, State Government declared that they would get the
kidnapped policemen released at any cost.
