Civil liberties group demands probe after custodial death of Prashant Bose in Jharkhand

By Harsh Thakor*

Prashant Bose, a senior leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), died in custody on April 3 while undergoing treatment at the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences in Ranchi. He had been shifted from jail after reportedly developing severe respiratory problems early that morning and was declared dead at around 10 a.m. Authorities have not publicly stated the precise cause of death.

The civil rights coalition Campaign Against State Repression (CASR) alleged that Bose’s death was the result of custodial negligence and inadequate medical care during his incarceration. According to the organisation, Bose, who was in his eighties, had been suffering from multiple age-related ailments that worsened during his imprisonment. CASR said he had been lodged in Birsa Munda Central Jail after his arrest in November 2021.

Bose had been arrested on November 12, 2021, along with his partner Sheela Marandi. Both were accused in several cases filed by the National Investigation Agency and police forces in Jharkhand, Bihar and West Bengal. CASR noted that journalist Rupesh Kumar Singh was also arrested in July 2022 in connection with the same case. Bail petitions filed by Bose, Marandi and Singh were rejected by the Ranchi High Court in December 2023.

CASR cited doctors at RIMS as saying Bose had been suffering from several age-related conditions and had recently been examined by specialists from multiple departments before being brought to the hospital. The organisation nevertheless alleged “gross medical negligence” and demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the circumstances of his death. It also expressed concern over Marandi’s health, describing her as critically ill, and said Singh was facing both mental and physical health problems.

Bose was among the senior-most leaders of the CPI (Maoist), serving on its Central Committee, Politburo and Central Military Commission after the party was formed in 2004. He had earlier been associated with the Maoist Communist Centre, one of the groups that merged to form the CPI (Maoist), and was considered one of the remaining leaders from the early phase of the Naxalite movement that began in 1967.

Born in West Bengal, Bose was active in Maoist organisations for several decades and worked mainly in parts of present-day Jharkhand and Bihar. He was arrested earlier in 1974 and released in 1978. During the 1990s he served as general secretary of the Maoist Communist Centre and later played a role in efforts to unify different Maoist factions before the creation of the CPI (Maoist) in 2004. In later years, observers described him as less involved in field operations because of his age and health, though he continued to influence the organisation’s ideological and internal discussions.

Bose’s name also surfaced in connection with the Bhima Koregaon-Elgar Parishad case, where investigators referred to documents allegedly mentioning him, although he was not in custody in that case.

His death has renewed debate over the treatment of elderly and seriously ill prisoners. CASR compared the case with the custodial deaths of Stan Swamy, Pandu Narote and Kanchan Nanaware, arguing that these deaths point to a wider pattern of inadequate prison healthcare and prolonged incarceration. Rights groups have called for improved medical facilities, accountability and the release of prisoners with severe health conditions. No immediate response was available from prison authorities, the NIA or state officials.

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*Freelance journalist. Added inputs from CASR statement

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