Nagpur: Tusharkranti Bhattacharya, Naxalite leader who was wanted in a 2011 case in Surat, was arrested from Nagpur Railway Station on Tuesday by Gujarat intelligence and police team. His wife, Shoma Sen, is the Head of English Department in Nagpur University.
Bhattacharya had absconded to West Bangal to avoid being arrested by the police. However, according to his wife, he had gone to Kolkata to visit his sister.
As is being alleged, the couple had been involved in Naxalite activities from their Nagpur-based residence. As informed by the intelligence agencies, Shoma Sen was a part of several left extremist organisations, despite working at a reputed position in Nagpur University. The couple had been kept under police surveillance for several years now.
Tusharkranti, was being tracked by the Gujarat police for a case in 2011 and in connection with the naxalite activities in tribal areas of Gangs, Surat and Navsari districts. When the Geetanjali Express reached at Nagpur Railway Station this morning, the awaiting police, along with the help of Nagpur Police, arrested and lugged him to Nagpur airport. He has been taken to Surat to be presented before the court tomorrow.
Bhattacharya was also arrested from Patna in 2007 by Special Task Force (STF) with a large number of arms and ammunitions. They had also recovered a large quantity of explosives, including clamour mines, detonators and grenades from the house he was arrested from. During the period Maoist leader Bhattacharya was the in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarkhand and Uttar Bihar wings of CPI (Maoist).
He was then taken to Andhra Pradesh for his participation in violent activities at Tappalapur village in 1976.
After being released from the Hyderabad jail, he had settled in the city. Security sources also claimed that Sen and Bhattacharya were staunch supporters of convicted Naxalites.
