Security forces obstruct devolopment works in Lalgarh

Maoist School in Chhattisgrah

MIDNAPORE: Bikash, CPI (Maoist) leader in charge of Lalgarh, denied that any hardcore Maoists had been arrested. “We had said earlier also that the joint forces could not arrest even a single active CPI (Maoist) leader or any member of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army. All they could do was arrest some leaders of the People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA), who had led the movement against police atrocities,, and members of a few other organizations.”

Bikash also challenged the home secretary to give examples of cases where Maoists stood in the way of development projects.

“On the other hand, the joint forces stopped the construction of our health centre at Chakadoba in Belpahari,” the Maoist leader said. “How dare police and jawans threaten common people who voluntarily joined construction projects? They were threatened that they would be booked as Maoists if they did not continue to work. Police are also trying to create problems at Bhulageria and

Gohamidanga, where people have started temporary schools and are trying to build an irrigation dam.”

The central paramilitary forces will stay in Lalgarh till September 4, but the Bengal government will request the Centre to further
extend their stay if the situation does not improve.

State home secretary Ardhendu Sen said this in Midnapore on Thursday after chairing a meeting of police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officials to chalk out a strategy for the second phase of operations.

Director-general of police Bhupinder Singh and CRPF inspector-general P M Naiyer attended the meeting.

It may be recalled that chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, on a trip to Midnapore earlier this week, had expressed reservations about the success of police operations in Lalgarh and had advised that the security forces change their strategy.

“The operation will continue by day and also by night,” Sen told newspersons after the meeting. “At the same time, the administration will try to execute development programmes with a given priority, as recommended by a committee of secretaries that had visited the troubled area. It is sad that Maoists are creating disturbances in our efforts to speed up development projects. We have identified several public health engineering projects that the Maoists have not allowed to progress. Now, the administration will lay emphasis on these projects. Local BDOs and SDOs are trying their best to keep in touch with common people.”

The home secretary claimed that police had arrested 67 people from the entire area of operations. Of them, about 25 were hardcore Maoists. “It’s a success of the operation of the joint forces. We have changed our strategy in this phase, but we cannot reveal it as that will compromise the success of the operation.” During the day, Maoists tried to stall police operations in Bhulageria, Chandabila and Tarki by opening fire and exploding IEDs.

Sen promised that the administration would vacatewithin a week’s timeseven schools that have been occupied by police and CRPF personnel. Police forces had set up camps in 12 schools of the district, but now some barracks could be constructed.TOI