Kolkata, May 17: Maoists are flexing their muscles yet again by calling for a 48-hour long general strike across the country starting from May 21. This time around they are demanding the release of three Maoist central committee members - Pulendu Sekhar Mukherjee aka Sahebda, Varanasi Subhramanyam alias Sukant and Vijay Kumar Arya alias Jaspalji.

The key committee members were arrested along with four other regional leaders on Apr 29 from Bihar"s Barsoi village of Katihar. The bandh (strike) call was made by Maoist central committee spokesperson, Abhay in six states of Andhra Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and in Bengal.

Maoists had upped their ante and there are possibilities of attacks near the borders of Bihar and Jharkhand. With an idea to increase the pressure on the government, there are reports that they might attach government establishments and security forces especially in Bihar and Jharkhand. There are also intelligence reports which suggest that senior leaders are camped in the area leading the comrades from the front and liaising with leaders in Orissa and Bengal.

The Maoists have already carried out deadly attacks in the Bihar-Jharkhand area that led to the death of 11 police men and causing physical harm to a poll officer in Bihar.

OneIndia News