Archive · 17 Sep 2026
Maoist Leader Asim Mandal Arrested in West Bengal
Police in West Bengal arrested a senior Maoist leader named Asim Mandal.
He is also known by the name Akash.
The arrest happened in Lalat, in the Patashpur area of Purba Medinipur district.
Police said he had avoided law enforcement for more than 15 years.
He was wanted in almost 55 cases across three states.
Rewards totaling more than Rs 2.20 crore had been announced for information leading to his arrest in Jharkhand and Odisha.
Officials said he was an important member of the CPI(Maoist).
Suvendu Adhikari said the government would work to stop extremist violence and protect people.
Mandal was described as the ideological successor and former junior colleague of Kishenji, who died in a police encounter in 2011.
Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force arrested Maoist leader Asim Mandal in Purba Medinipur.
Mandal, also known as Akash, was captured in Lalat in the Patashpur area.
Authorities identified him as a CPI(Maoist) central committee member and state committee secretary.
He was wanted in nearly 55 cases across three states and carried more than Rs 2.20 crore in bounties.
Suvendu Adhikari said West Bengal would not tolerate a revival of “red terror.”
- Who
- Kolkata Police’s Special Task Force arrested Asim Mandal, also known as Akash, a senior CPI(Maoist) leader.
- What
- Mandal was arrested and accused of being wanted in nearly 55 cases across three states.
- When
- The arrest and statement were reported on Thursday; no specific date was provided.
- Where
- Mandal was arrested in Lalat, in the Patashpur area of Purba Medinipur district, West Bengal.
- Why
- He was wanted in multiple cases, and the West Bengal government said it sought to prevent a revival of Maoist-linked “red terror.”
Government and Security Forces
Maoist Movement
Security and public order
Government and Security Forces
Suvendu Adhikari said the government would not allow the revival or expansion of “red terror” and would take strict legal action.
Maoist Movement
The article provides no statement from Asim Mandal or the CPI(Maoist) responding to the arrest or the government’s claims.
Significance of the arrest
Government and Security Forces
Adhikari described the arrest as evidence of the police force’s operational competence and credited technical intelligence.
Maoist Movement
No opposing account was provided about how the arrest occurred or Mandal’s alleged role in the cases.
- Arresting agency
- Special Task Force of Kolkata Police
- Arrest location
- Lalat, Patashpur area, Purba Medinipur district
- Suspect
- Asim Mandal, alias Akash
- Maoist position
- CPI(Maoist) central committee member and secretary of the West Bengal State Committee-I
- Cases
- Nearly 55 cases across three states
- Bounty
- More than Rs 2.20 crore in Jharkhand and Odisha
- Police assessment
- Mandal had evaded law enforcement for more than 15 years across inter-state forest belts