Lalgarh: Tribal outfit blames CPM for its workers’ killing

The Jharkhand Party (Naren) has accused the CPM of killing its supporters in the Lalgarh and Binpur area.

Chunibala Hansda, Jharkhand Party (Naren) legislator from Binpur, alleged that CPM cadres in the name of Maoist resistance committee — which was formed by the ruling party in various villages — killed six of her party supporters since a joint operation of Central and State security forces was launched in the Lalgarh area to flush out the Maoists.

Criticising the role of the police, Hansda said that every time a party worker was killed, the administration blamed it on the Maoists.

Yesterday, CPM activists attacked Anando Mahato, a leader of JP(N), at Madhupur village but he was able to escape, she said.

A group of armed CPM activists killed Asim Soren, Shaktipada Murmu and Budhu Hansda — three party activists — at Aankro village, about 25 km from Lalgarh on August 4, she alleged.

CPM activists dragged them out from a local cold storage where they were employed and killed them before dumping their bodies in a nearby field, she added.

Hansda said that her party supporters in the Lalgarh area had joined Chhatradhar Mahato-led People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) last year as it was formed to organise a tribal movement. But soon after the Lok Sabha elections, the situation gradually changed. Armed Maoists used to demand food from the villagers and they were forced to feed them out of fear, she said. The police used to torch the houses of the villagers allegedly for assisting the Maoists, she added.

Manoj Verma, SP of West Midnapore, refused to comment on the allegations and said: “Investigations into the killings (of JP(N) supporters) have not been completed. So it is not possible to say who were responsible.” said Verma.

Meanwhile, the CPM district committee secretary of West Midnapore, Dipak Sarkar also refused to comment. IE