Chandrakona: For nearly 38 years, the police listed Asim Mondal—known in Maoist circles as ‘Akash’—as an absconding operative facing multiple charges, including sedition, across Bengal, Jharkhand and neighbouring states.Authorities regularly raided his ancestral home in Phulchak village, Chandrakona in West Midnapore, leaving surrender notices and questioning his family late into the night.Yet, his family insists they lost all contact with him nearly four decades ago. A Mathematics undergraduate at Garhbeta College, Mondal vanished from home one day, only for his family to discover his involvement in the Maoist movement when police arrived at their doorstep.Mondal is the sixth of seven brothers. While three brothers have passed away, two reside at the ancestral property. “We have had no contact with him for 38 to 40 years,” said his brother, Ramkrishna Mondal. “Various agencies continuously harass us. We are simple working people; they should stop disturbing us and telling us to persuade him to surrender,” he added.His sister-in-law, Anima Mondal, said: “He has no fixed address. What can we do if he is arrested? I haven’t seen him since I married into the family 30 years ago.”
