West Bengal Police arrested top Maoist leader Akash

Asim Mandal alias Akash. Photo: Special arrangement

A team of special forces of the West Bengal Police on Thursday (September 17, 2026) arrested a leading member of the Maoist Central Committee, Asim Mandal alias Akash.

Akash, who joined the Maoist insurgency in the 1980s, served as a central committee member and also secretary of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) West Bengal State Committee-I.

A total reward of ₹2.20 crore has been announced in his name, of which ₹1 crore from the Jharkhand government and ₹1.20 crore from the Odisha government.

Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari stressed that West Bengal maintained a policy of zero tolerance towards any extremist ideology, said the accused was arrested from Patashpur in Purba Medinipore.

“His capture based on sharp technical intelligence, who has evaded law enforcement in inter-state forest belts for over 15 years, shows the exceptional operational capability of our police force. I want to make it categorically clear that the West Bengal government will not tolerate any attempt to revive or expand the ‘Red Terror’ network within our state borders,” he said on X.

According to officials, Akash took charge of the Bengal CPI (Maoist) unit in 2011 after the death of senior commander Kishenji alias Mallojula Koteswara Rao.

Hailing from Paschima Medinipore, Akash has been active in Jharkhand for a long time in the past few years as the insurgent movement in West Bengal gradually declined after Kishenji’s death.

“We have been tracking his movement for a long time. He entered Patashpur in West Bengal a few days ago to hide. Based on our internal information, we arrested him on Thursday,” Kolkata Police Commissioner Ajay Nanda said. Police interrogate Maoist leader to reveal operational details regarding active cadre networks.

The commissioner said the government could consider providing the necessary support for his return to the “mainstream”. He said: “Willingness to return is the paramount condition here. Let his legal proceedings end. If he wants to return to the mainstream, we will support him,” Mr Nanda said.

Coordinated Operations

The Maoist insurgency emerged strongly in the mid-2000s in the Jungalmahal region on the West Bengal-Jharkhand border, including Purulia, Paschim Medinipore and Jhargram. However, it declined after 2011 after Kišenji’s death. The new Trinamool Congress government launched massive coordinated operations with the central government using paramilitary forces and state police to eliminate insurgent strongholds. The government has also launched a program to surrender and rehabilitate Maoist leaders to bring them back into mainstream society.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a deadline of March 31, 2026 to end left-wing extremism across the country.

Akash’s arrest also came months after Jharkhand police arrested another Maoist Central Committee member Misir Besra from Dhanbad on June 28. Another central committee member Patiram Majhi alias Anal Da was shot dead by security forces on January 22, carrying a ₹1 million bounty on his head in Jharkhand.

Published – 17 Sep 2026 22:06 IST