The Centre has asked West Bengalgovernment to immediately amend a law that grants politicalprisoners status to Maoists in the state.
Following a Kolkata High Court order allowing the statusof political prisoners to People's Committee Against PoliceAtrocities (PCPA) leader Chatradhar Mahato and six allegedMaoists booked under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, theHome Ministry had in a letter written on October 8 this yearasked state government to amend the West Bengal CorrectionalServices Act, 1992.
The Home Ministry told the state government to move theSupreme Court and amend the Act as the August 8 High Courtorder has "pan-India implications" and would provide grist toCPI(Maoist) propaganda machinery.
In the absence of any move by the state government tochallenge the High Court order, the Centre is upset thatthe status quo is also being taken advantage by Aftab Ansari,convicted in American Center terror attack case, to also claimthe political prisoner status under the same law passed by thestate in 1992 but enforced eight years later.
Following the footsteps of Mahato and V VenkateshwaraReddy, alias Telugu Dipak, who were granted the status ofpolitical prisoners, the 2007 American Center shootoutmastermind Aftab Ansari, who is on death row at Kolkata'sAlipore Central Jail, has also demanded political prisonerstatus for himself.
"It is a very worrying development. Despite asking WestBengal government more than a month ago, there is no action.
Since it is a state law, the central government cannot act orinterfere. The state government has to act fast to amend theAct," a Home Ministry official said.
According to the West Bengal Correctional Services Act,1992, which came into force in April 2000, any offencecommitted or alleged to have been committed in furtherance ofany political or democratic movement or any offence arisingout of an act done by an individual with an exclusivepolitical objective free from personal greed or motive shallbe considered as a political offence.
The 'political prisoner' status entitles prisoners tospecial treatment, including separate cell, chair, table,access to books and periodicals, home-cooked food etc.