According to police, both Kajal Pramanik, the 19-year-old who joined the Maoists two years ago, and Rakhal Ruidas (30), a Bhimpur resident, were operating in Jharkhand.

Birbhum SP R N Mukherjee said following a tip-off from the Jharkhand police that the two had crossed over to West Bengal, a joint police team raided a village near Bhimpur railway station and arrested them.

East Midnapore SP Bastav Baidya said he has also sent a team of police officers to interrogate Kajal.

According to the police, the Maoists had a strong base at Nandigram and played a key role in the agitation against the proposed chemical hub in 2007. They said local young boys and girls were hired by Maoist outfits for money.

Kishenji slams govt’s ‘gag’ order on babus

Top Maoist leader Kishenji today criticised the state government for allegedly asking authorities not to speak to him.

“The state home secretary said to all government employees not to speak with Kishenji, but they cannot throttle the voice of people in this way,” Kishenji said over phone from an undisclosed location.

The Maoist leader was referring to the West Bengal government’s cracking the whip on its officers after he had spoken to the environment secretary K L Meena. Ahead of tomorrow’s bandh in the five states of West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand and Chattishgarh, Kishenji said he had only spoken to Meena about the government initiative to check pollution caused by sponge iron factories in and around Jhargram.