Left Front partner wants probe into Azad’s killing
By IANSTuesday, August 24, 2010
KOLKATA - West Bengal’s ruling Left Front partner Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) Tuesday demanded an enquiry into the killing of Maoist leader Cherukuri Rajkumar alias Azad, saying suspicion has crept into the public mind regarding his death.
“Azad’s death is mysterious to me and my party and we think a proper enquiry should be made about the death as there is suspicion among the people. Azad was an emissary for the negotiations ahead of peace talks,” state Public Works Minister and senior RSP leader Kshiti Goswami said.
Gowami’s remarks are virtually a replay of Left Front’s arch-enemy Mamata Banerjee’s comments at a rally in West Midnapore’s Lalgarh Aug 9. Suggesting that Azad was killed in a fake shootout, Banerjee had then condemned the “manner” in which he was killed at Adilabad in Andhra Pradesh July 2.
“I feel the way Azad was killed is not right. … What happened is not right. Azad had reposed faith in the democratic process,” Banerjee had said, triggering sharp criticism in parliament from the left and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The central government has said that Azad was killed in an exchange of fire with the security forces.
When it was pointed out that Left Front major Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) shared a view different from him regarding Azad’s killing, Goswami replied: “Evaluation on different issues sometimes may differ although we are in the same Left Front”.
Asked to react to Goswami”s comment, Left Front chairman and CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose said the issue was not discussed at the meeting. “I don’t have the habit of commenting on the remarks of other Left Front leaders had made,” Bose told reporters.
