Maoists Ranjit Pal and wife Jharna Giri virtually confirmed that they operated at Nandigram in 2007
Could the formal surrender of a Maoist couple in Kolkata on Wednesday be a double-edged sword for the ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal?
The Bengal-Odisha-Jharkhand area commander Ranjit Pal and his wife Jharna Giri alias Anita virtually confirmed that they operated at Nandigram in 2007 as they surrendered with a self-loading rifle at Bhavani Bhavan, headquarters of West Bengal Police.
At that time, the Trinamool Congress, which was leading a huge protest against Left Front government's land acquisition policy, strongly denied the presence of Maoists there, despite intelligence reports.
Ranjit Pal, who was a frontline Maoist commander at Nandigram, when asked about his role there, smiled broadly and refused to say anything beyond his written statement.
"I have said what I had to say," the Maoist leader said.
"I ask for forgiveness from those to whom we have caused pain. I appeal to other Maoists to surrender as the problems we were fighting against are being addressed," Pal said at the press meet where the Director General, West Bengal Police, and Commissioner, Kolkata Police, were briefly present.
But Jharna Giri confirmed she was from Nandigram and had joined the Maoists there during the 2007 movement against land acquisition.
Both read out written statements. Both were dressed in brand new uniforms and caps, something that has raised some eyebrows. The two had surrendered. Did they have to be dressed in fatigues? When Maoists had surrendered earlier, they usually wore civilian clothes.
After Maoist leader Kishanji was shot in an encounter, Ranjit Pal was running the Maoist activities in the area, according to the police. He had evaded arrest so far and was engaged in recruiting and strengthening the Maoist cadre in the area.