Calcutta/Midnapore, Feb. 25: CPM leaders in districts known to be Maoist-hit have been warned by the Intelligence Branch about possible strikes to avenge Somen’s arrest and told to stay away from home for some time.

“CPM local committee leaders in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia have been asked not to stay in their houses,” said an officer.

Dahareswar Sen, a West Midnapore district secretariat member of the CPM, confirmed having received the advisory. “The Maoists will obviously like respond to their top leader’s arrest with murder. We are cautious and taking all sorts of measures to prevent that,” he said.

Sleuths have asked CPM leaders believed to be on the rebels’ hit list to stay in places protected by police or in groups.

A leader from West Midnapore said: “We have also asked our local leaders not to organise meetings or travel alone after sunset and not to disclose the place where they will stay at night.”

Leaders in Nadia and Murshidabad have also been alerted as Somen had managed to spread the CPI (Maoist) network beyond the known strongholds.

According to the police, Maoists have killed 74 people — 45 of them CPM supporters and 27 policemen — in the five districts since 2001.