Kolkata, June 17 (IANS) In a major success for the West Bengal police, top Maoist leader Shakuntala Mahato alias Pushpa surrendered before Kolkata Police on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

She had fled from the Saranda forest in Jharkhand during the operation by the joint forces.

Amid speculation about her hiding in West Bengal, the Maoist leader and CPI (Maoist) zonal committee member on Wednesday surrendered at Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar along with arms and 46 rounds of bullets. She had a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on her head.

According to the police, Pushpa was the mastermind of several Maoist operations. While surrendering, she said, “Those of our party who are still isolated should try to return to the mainstream. The current government is doing a lot of good work. It is good for everyone to give up arms and join the development.”

Shakuntala hails from Mechua village of Belpahari police station area in West Bengal’s Jhargram. After joining the Maoist group, she was known by several names, like Pari, Barsha, and Pushpa. Although she had four names in the Maoist squad, she was known as ‘Lutun’ near her home. There was talk that she might surrender.

She had joined the Maoist camp at the age of just 10. Although she was admitted in the fifth grade, she did not set foot in high school. While singing and playing in the Naxalite organisation, she picked up a gun. During the Left Front regime, the police were desperately looking for Shakuntala. So she was sent to the Pareshnath hills in present-day Jharkhand. Later, she was brought back to Bengal for organisational work.

In 2003, while in the squad in Jhargram, she met Area Commander Atul Mahato. In 2004, the CPI (Maoist) was formed. In 2005, Shakuntala got married to Atul in the Tamar jungle of Jharkhand. Then, for organisational work, the Eastern Regional Bureau of the CPI (Maoist) sent her to Belpahari in Jhargram, Dalma, Ghatshila, Gotashila, Parshnath Pahar, Bundu-Tamar, Saranda, and other places.

During the Left era, she worked with Kishanji in the Lalgarh movement in Jhragram. After 2012, the Bengal Brigade of the CPI (Maoist) entered Jharkhand, but they were cornered there too.

The Centre had launched a massive operation to eradicate Maoist and Naxal activities from India. Several Maoists were either arrested, killed, or surrendered during the operation. Shakuntala, one of them, who had been roaming the jungle, finally gave up the path of violence and returned to the mainstream of society.

–IANS

sch/skp