Abducted cop's family meets West Bengal CM

Kolkata: The family of an abducted West Bengal police officer met Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Wednesday, hoping the government would take no steps that would put his life in danger.

The family members of Atindranath Dutta--officer-in-charge of Sankrail police station in West Midnapore district who was kidnapped Tuesday--including his wife Indrani, father Ashok and mother Chhanda spoke to Bhattacharjee for about 45 minutes at the state secretariat Writers' Building.

"We had a comprehensive discussion with the chief minister. He gave us a patient hearing. He said he will keep in mind whatever we have said. He said he will consider everything," one of Dutta's relatives, Sanjib, told reporters after the meeting.

"We are satisfied after meeting him. We hope he won't take any steps which Kishanjee (a top leader of the Communist Party of India-Maoist) will not like," Sanjib said.

In a daring strike Tuesday, around 50 Left-wing rebels riding motorcycles abducted the Sankrail police station officer-in-charge Dutta at gunpoint from his quarter and brought him to the police station. There, the Maoists shot dead sub-inspector Dibakar Bhattacharya and assistant sub-inspector Swapan Roy and looted 19 firearms before whisking away Dutta to their hideout on a motorcycle.

CPI-Maoist leader Kishanjee had spoken to Dutta's father and wife Tuesday night over telephone and asked them to go to the Writers' Building on Wednesday to brief the Chief Minister about the outfit's demands.

Describing Dutta as a "prisoner of war", Kishanjee on Tuesday sought the release of arrested CPI-Maoist women members in the 40-60 age group and those who have children at home as the condition for setting the police officer free.

Asked whether they would make any fresh appeal to the Maoists, Sanjib said: "I want to tell Kishanjee that we have conveyed his views to the chief minister. I hope Kishanjee will also now see to it that he (Dutta) remains safe."

The family is yet to take a decision on going to the Maoist hideout to meet him, as per Kishanjee's request.