Lalgarh naxalite leader Chhatradhar Mahato to walk free next

Chhatradhar Mahato, a top naxalite commander, who made an abortive bid on the life of the then West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in 2008, got a major reprieve on Thursday from the Calcutta High Court, which commuted his life sentence to 10 years in prison.

A division bench of the court comprising Justices Mumtaz Khan and Jay Sengupta also made an identical reduction in the sentences of three of his associates, while it acquitted two others in several cases of bomb and landmine blasts.

Mahato was the face of the tribal movement in Lalgarh in West Bengal's Jangalmahal region against alleged police atrocities.

The naxalite leader had united the local tribal population which had virtually 'liberated' Lalgarh and forced security forces to vacate their camps and retreat.

He was arrested by the state's CID in an undercover operation from Pirka village on September 26, 2009.

The Lalgarh agitation had started after police raided tribal homes and made ...