New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) Saturday arrested Chhatradhar Mahato, a popular tribal leader and Trinamool Congress member, from his residence in Amliya in connection with the alleged hijacking of the Delhi-Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani Express in West Bengal in October 2009.
“Mahato was arrested from his residence and produced at a special NIA court,” an NIA officer said.
The hijacking is believed to have been carried out by members of the Peoples Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA), described by NIA officials as an alleged overground Maoist outfit. The armed hijackers allegedly abducted the driver and his assistant, and asked the passengers to vacate the train.
According to the NIA, the hijacking was aimed at securing the release of Mahato, who was in jail at the time. Bengal Police, which was probing the case earlier, had alleged the same motive.
In April last year, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) asked the NIA to investigate the case and probe the role of PCAPA and Mahato. A case under sections 121, 121A (waging war against the nation), 506 (criminal intimidation), 341 (wrongful restraint), 148 (rioting) of the IPC, and under the Railways Act, was registered. Subsequently, the NIA also invoked the anti-terror Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) as the case dealt with “hijacking of persons to threaten sovereignty of India”
The incident
On 27 October 2009, hundreds of PCAPA members, along with armed Maoists, allegedly hijacked the Delhi-Bhubaneswar Rajdhani Express near the Banstala station at Jhargram. The suspected hijackers allegedly painted graffiti on the train in praise of Mahato, who had been arrested a month before, and demanded his release.
The driver and his assistant were taken hostage, while the suspected hijackers asked passengers to get out of the train.
A brief exchange of fire took place between the suspected Maoists and personnel of the Railway Protection Force who were on the train. The stand-off lasted nearly five hours, before the alleged hijackers fled upon the arrival of a CRPF contingent.
Who is Mahato?
Mahato, the leader of the 2008 Lalgarh movement, a popular uprising of adivasi villagers allegedly supported by the Maoists, was first arrested on 26 September 2009 by the state CID from Jhargram for allegedly attempting to kill former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in Kantapahari area of West Midnapore district on 2 November 2008.
He was also accused of building a movement against the CPI(M) with the help of the outlawed Maoist party. He was convicted in 2015 and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Mahato was released on 1 February 2020, after the Calcutta High Court commuted his life term to 10 years.
He joined the Trinamool Congress in July last year.
(Edited by Neha Mahajan)
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Alleged hijackers, suspected hijackers, allegedly supported by villagers, allegedly abducted, alleged hijacking? So what did actually happen? Sorry, allegedly happen?
Are you a reporter or an alleged reporter? Is theprint.in media or alleged media publication? Is Shekhar Gupta the editor or suspected editor or alleged editor?