Jailed Maoist leader Prashant Bose, also known as ‘Kishan da’, dies at 80 in Ranchi

Prashant Bose, a top Maoist leader better known as ‘Kishan da’, passed away on Friday at the age of 80 in Ranchi. Bose had been lodged in Birsa Munda Jail for the past four years and died during treatment at the state-run Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS). Ranchi police stated that his health had deteriorated earlier in the day, though the exact cause of death is yet to be confirmed.

Bose, who also used aliases ‘Manish’ and ‘Buddha’, was arrested along with his wife Sheela Marandi on November 12, 2021, from Seraikela-Kharsawan district. At the time of his arrest, he carried a bounty of ₹1 crore on his head, announced by the Jharkhand government in 2018, with other states also declaring rewards for his capture.

He was a central figure in the banned Communist Party of India (CPI) (Maoist), serving on the central committee, politburo, and central military commission. Bose was believed to have masterminded over 100 incidents of attacks and arson across several states, including Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra, and operated from the Saranda forests in eastern India.

Authorities highlighted that Bose’s influence spanned multiple states and that his arrest had marked a significant development in counter-Maoist operations. His death brings to a close a decades-long chapter of Maoist insurgency planning and strategic leadership in eastern India, where he had played a pivotal role in orchestrating coordinated actions across multiple regions.