By Bhupen Goswami

GUWAHATI : Manhunt has been launched against Ritupam Goswami, reportedly a resident of Tinsukia’s Pengeri, for allegedly “planning” to assassinate Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a ‘Rajiv Gandhi-type incident’ during one of his road shows. A plot to assassinate Modi has been revealed in a letter seized from a suspected Maoist, the Pune police told a court on Thursday. The letter was addressed to one Comrade Prakash. As per Pune police sources, Comrade Prakash is the code name for Ritupam Goswami, a known Maoist. He is also known as Naveen. Police have confirmed that he hails from Assam and is presently absconding. The letter, dated April 18, 2017, was recovered from the laptop of one Rona Wilson. Rona was previously arrested in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon caste clashes. As per reports, Ritupom is said to have completed his PhD from the Jawaharlal Nehru University and joined the underground cadre of the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) Liberation [CPI (ML)]. According to police, Ritupom, apart from being a cardholder of the party, is also one of its functionaries. He is a “well known” maoist, as per police. He was “hired” by Delhi University professor GN Saibaba, whose name was also mentioned in the letter. Saibaba has been sentenced to life imprisonment by a Maharashtra’s court in Gadchiroli under various sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the IPC for aiding and abetting Naxal activities. Sleuths of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) are now searching for Ritupom. The letter was addressed to him by someone who signed only as ‘R’, which police suspect to be Rona. Based on intelligence inputs, the CBI searched Delhi-based activist and a member of the group Committee for Release of Political Prisoners, Rona’s house on Wednesday and recovered the letter from his laptop. The letter also talks about raising Rs 8 crore to buy American M-4 rifles and four lakh rounds “to end the Modi-era”. On the other hand, Assam Police sources said that though they have not received any “official notification” about Ritupom but shared that he was arrested for “Maoist activities” and was released on bail in 2013. Rona is among five people arrested on Wednesday for links with the banned Communist Party of India -Maoist. The others are Dalit activist Sudhir Dhawale, lawyer Surendra Gadling and activists Mahesh Raut and Shoma Sen.