Hyderabad: The arrest of senior Maoist politburo member Misir Besra in Jharkhand has narrowed the ranks of the Communist Party of India (Maoist)’s top leadership, with Ashim Mandal alias Akash, a ₹1 crore-reward Maoist leader active along the Jharkhand-West Bengal border, emerging as one of only two central committee members still at large, Telangana intelligence sources said.The other senior leader evading arrest is Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathi, the outfit’s former general secretary from Telangana, who is believed to be in hiding and reportedly battling age-related health issues.According to intelligence inputs, Mandal is currently moving through the dense forested belt along the Jharkhand-West Bengal border. Recent reports suggest he was spotted in the Patamda forest area of East Singhbhum district, near the West Bengal border, accompanied by seven armed cadres.Police have also initiated court-directed proceedings at his native village. Notices requiring him to appear before authorities or surrender were pasted at his family residence, and attachment proceedings were initiated after he failed to respond.The arrest of Besra, regarded as a key figure in the Maoists’ eastern regional bureau, is being seen as a major setback to the outfit’s operational leadership. Security officials say the development has intensified efforts to track Mandal, who is now among the most wanted Maoist leaders in the country. Intelligence agencies are closely monitoring forest corridors linking Jharkhand and West Bengal in an effort to locate and apprehend him.Mandal was earlier associated with the squad headed by Besra, who was also known by aliases including Bhaskar, Sagar, Sunirmal and Pradhan Da, and operated in the Saranda forest region. Following Besra’s arrest at the end of July, security agencies believe Mandal has shifted to a more decentralised operating pattern to evade capture.Mandal, 68, is known by several aliases, including Akash, Aakash, Timir Mandal, Manoj and Deepak. Police records identify him as the son of Kartik Mandal and a native of Uttar Phulchak village in West Midnapore district of West Bengal. Some official dossiers spell the village’s name as Uttar Fullchak.A Telangana police dossier identifies Mandal as a member of the central committee and links him to the Maoist organisational network in West Bengal. Authorities have announced a reward of ₹1 crore for information leading to his arrest.The dossier describes Mandal as coming from a poor economic background and notes that his education was acquired through ‘party education‘. It states that he is fluent in Hindi and Bengali and continues to maintain his permanent address in his native village.Publications of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) indicate that a leader using the name Akash was functioning as a member of the party’s West Bengal state committee by 2010. A statement issued in the name of Akash on behalf of the committee surfaced in 2016, suggesting he was actively involved in organisational activities and public communications before rising to the central committee.Wanted in Mahato murder caseMandal is among the absconding accused in the March 4, 2007, killing of Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader and Jamshedpur MP Sunil Mahato. Mahato and three others were killed when Maoists attacked a football tournament at Baguria near Ghatshila in East Singhbhum district.According to East Singhbhum police, Mandal faces more than 24 criminal cases linked to Maoist activities across the Jharkhand-West Bengal border region.
