Mahasweta Devi protests meet on Maoists

Kolkata, Feb 9 (IANS) Magsaysay award winner Mahasweta Devi joined a rally here Tuesday to protest Home Minister P. Chidambaram's meeting to coordinate a crackdown on Maoists in West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar.

The protestors demanded the withdrawal of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), which has been used to detain suspected Maoists in the states.

Writer Tarun Sanyal and singer Pratul Mukherjee were among those who took part in a protest march that began at College Square and ended at the Metro Channel in the heart of the city.

The rallyists burnt an effigy of West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.