From Our Correspondent
Guwahati: The Assam Police on Friday arrested two top Maoist leaders in Jorabat area on the Assam-Meghalaya boundary in the outskirts of the city along with arms and ammunition while they were travelling from Goalpara in western Assam to Meghalaya.
One of the arrested Maoist leader was identified as Aklanta Rabha alias Maheshji who is the lone central committee member of the CPI(ML)-Liberation from the entire Northeastern region.
Rabha, along with Siraj Rabha alias Bijoy Rabha, chief training instructor of the Maoists for Jharkhand state, were traveling in a car when the police intercepted them on the basis of specific inputs.
The police recovered from their possession one .22 Spanish-made pistol and 240 rounds of ammunition, apart from four mobile handsets.
Aklanta Rabha was wanted by the Assam Police since 2011 in connection with case no SOU/1/2011 of the Special Operations Unit of the state police.
Assam Police IGP (Law and Order) LR Bishnoi said, the duo was heading to Meghalaya to address some motivational meetings in East Khasi Hills district.
Both the Maoist leaders belong to the Rabha community in Assam.
Aklanta Rabha (41) hails from village Borgom under Dudhnoi police station in Goalpara district, and Siraj Rabha from Boko in Kamrup district.
“This is definitely a big catch because Aklanta Rabha is the lone central committee member of the CPI(ML)-Liberation from Assam and the Northeast. He has at least five other aliases within the organization apart from being popularly known as Petla and Goonda-raja among his followers,” the police official said.
Aklanta Rabha joined the Maoist rebel group in 1996 and is permanently based in the Northeast. He visits Jharkhand on two occasions a year to attend the central council meetings. Siraj Rabha was in Assam for the first time since 2007 when he had shifted to Jharkhand.
Aklanta Rabha, a BA final year drop-out had earlier in 1991, formed a rebel group called Rabha Security Force, which was subsequently disbanded in 1996. He then joined the Maoist group that elevated him to a central committee member in 2002, the IGP said.
Aklanta Rabha was the chief organizer for the Western Assam region while Aditya Bora, another wanted rebel leader, looks after the eastern Assam region.