Calcutta, Feb. 25: If you catch a CID sleuth leafing through a Maoist magazine, don’t think he’s getting into guerrilla garb — he is only preparing to quiz Somen.

The CPI (Maoist) top gun is giving officers of the Criminal Investigation Department a tough time as they have no clue what to ask him.

“Before answering our questions, he is judging our knowledge about his organisation. He has realised our ignorance,” an officer admitted.

The embarrassed sleuths are now burning the midnight oil devouring books and magazines on the Naxalite outfit.

A bunch of books was brought to the CID’s Bhawani Bhavan headquarters today.

The officers are also making use of little magazines seized from a house in Howrah where Somen had allegedly been staying for the past three months.

“We are trying to collect books that have updated information about the organisation. Officers have been asked to read the books thoroughly,” said Rajeev Kumar, special inspector general (operations), CID.

An officer said being well-versed with the organisation’s structure and members of its politburo, central and state committees was a must before questioning a top leader like Somen. “Besides, we must know the history of the outfit. We are also surfing the Internet.”

With only 10 more days to interrogate the Maoist leader before he is produced in court again, the officers have decided to streamline their reading to Somen.

“We are trying know about the power a CPI (Maoist) state secretary wields and how much priority his opinion gets in central committee meetings,” an officer said.

Somen has told the CID that he had been hiding in and around the city for the past four months.