Fate of CITU leader and SAIL employee still unknown

The fate of CITU leader and SAIL employee Thomas Munda remained unknown till Thursday following his abduction by armed Maoists from Kalta mines area in Orissa’s Sundargarh district on January 25.

38-year-old Mr. Munda, an employee of SAIL’s Kalta mines, was abducted in full view of his fellow workers by a 60-member group of ultras accusing him of being a police informer.

Family members of Mr. Munda who stay in Toda, have appealed to the Maoists through the media to set him free unharmed as they had earlier released three others - Ananda Masi Horo, Harinath Munda and his brother, Narendra Munda - after their abduction.

Meanwhile, CPI(Maoist) Zonal committee secretary of South Chhotanagpur, Samarjee, in a telephonic message to a local newspaper office here on Wednesday night said that Thomas Munda has been awarded death sentence by a ‘Praja Adalat’ (Kangaroo court).

Mr. Munda failed to heed several warnings by the Maoists and continued his CITU activities and remained a police informer, Mr. Samarjee claimed in his message.

CPI(M) leader, Biman Maity said they were still hoping for Munda’s safe return even after the telephonic message by the Maoists.