OPERATION Lalgargh and Our Marxist Friends Entrapped to INVOKE President Rule in Bengal playing on Opposition and Centralised Manusmriti Hegemony Tune, NOT Learning Anything from NANDIGRAM Lesion! And the PROVOCATIVE Flirting of Media as well as Intellige

OPERATION Lalgargh and Our Marxist Friends Entrapped to INVOKE President Rule in Bengal playing on Opposition and Centralised Manusmriti Hegemony Tune, NOT Learning Anything from !NANDIGRAM Lesion! And the PROVOCATIVE Flirting of Media as well as Intelligentsia

Troubled Galaxy Destroyed Dreams: Chapter 261

Palash Biswas

Bengal leaders on Lalgarh violence

Lalgarh: Trinamul competes with CPI-m in brutality

By Shiba Nanda Bose
Now it is proved that Trinamul congress is no less capable than the CPI-M in savagery. There seems to be a shift in power in 2011 assembly election.

Trinamul instead of acting responsibly after the Lok Sabha mandate becomes more aggressive. The reminiscent of the coin transfer analogy is not only evident in Khejuri but also in various parts of Kolkata. The recent violence in Behala is a latest example.

If parties, bereft of their political lineage, cultivate the culture of ‘takeover’ and ‘capture’ with barbarity, the greatest sufferer would be none other that the state.

Trinamul success lies in that it successfully stirred the red bastions to end oppression and bring peace. But it should be careful that its expression of euphoria is not violence. The dire consequence of eye for an eye is known to us.

If Trinamul has to assume central power in the state then it needs to shun matching reprisal because with great power comes great responsibility.

Courtesy: YouTheJounalist

Related Stories
Central forces begin operation against Maoists in Lalgarh
Mamata says no to Tata cheque
Mamta Banerjee praises Congress
W.Bengal poll verdict is vote against Left: Mamata Banerjee
Left takes a hit in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress-Congress alliance leading
Mamta Banerjee leads in South Kolkata
Congress-led coalition will form govt, says Mamata Banerjee
Mamta Banerjee rules our Left support to Congress
Congress in damage control mode over Mamata
Mamata warns Congress to choose between TMC or Left
http://www.duniyalive.com/?p=36403

Security forces begin ops to free Lalgarh from Maoists
18 Jun 2009, 1930 hrs IST, PTI

PIRAKATA: Security forces on Monday cracked down on Maoists to end the four-day siege of Lalgarh facing little resistance as they moved in to

Central Force jawans flag march at Piraghata Chawk outpost for the final operation against Maoists at Lalgarh in West Midnapore. (PTI Photo)
reclaim areas taken over by the armed tribals.

A 600-strong mob of tribals armed with batons, axes, spears, bows and arrows blocked the road when the forces arrived and shouted at the police to "apologize" for "atrocities" committed.

A police officer warned Maoists, who formed a human shield, to disperse within two minutes. Armed police, CRPF and riot police then fired teargas shells and baton charged as the mob cleared the road within 10 minutes.

Police said it was one of nearly 100 blockades that the securitymen would have to face en route to the Lalgarh police station area. The tribals belonging to the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities started regrouping further down the road. A tribal injured in the police action was arrested and taken to a police camp.

The crackdown was announced by West Bengal Director General of Police Sujit Kumar Sarkar.

With the police crackdown on armed tribals at Pirakata near troubled Lalgarh, the West Bengal government appealed to the people of the trouble-hit area to stay away from Maoists who were preparing to use them as human shields.

The appeal, issued by chief minister's secretariat said Maoists, after infiltrating the area, had started using villagers, men, women and children as human shields for their criminal activities.

"Keeping common people in front, the Maoists have been indulging in indiscriminate killings and violence."

The state government appealed to the people to discuss their problems with the administration.

The copies of the statement, published in both Bengali and Olchiki (santhali) scripts, would be airdropped from helicopters in the areas under Lalgarh block on Friday. Officials said that the policemen, entering the areas would also distribute copies of the appeal.

Earlier, security forces moved into the restive Lalgarh region to end the three-day siege of Maoists, who have gone on a rampage targeting CPM cadres and leaders, destroying their homes and party offices and setting up barricades to block police entry. ( Watch )

"Operation at Lalgrah has started this morning. The operation will be mainly done by the state police but we will be adequately assisted by the Central forces," West Bengal Director General of Police Sujit Kumar Sarkar said.

Asked about the number of forces deployed, Sarkar said the details cannot be divulged 'right now'.

"But there are adequate (state) forces to restore peace and normalcy in the area. The CRPF will give adequate back up and if needed they will actively participate," he said over phone from Kolkata.

Agitating tribals of West Midnapore and adjoining areas have been protesting police "atrocities" on them in the wake of the landmine blast at Salboni which was believed to target the chief minister.

The tribals, numbering 2000 under the banner of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, dug up roads amid reports that they were laying landmines to stop the security forces.

"We will try to shed minimum blood," Sarkar said adding I cannot tell you the exact timeframe (of the operation)."

Five hundred CRPF personnel, including 200 personnel of the elite COBRA trained in anti-Maoist operations, have been deployed to deal with the situation.

Meanwhile, Maoist leader Kishanji said, in order to avoid bloodshed in Lalgarh, the Centre and the West Bengal government should apologize to tribals.

Accusing the state and the Central governments of waging a "psychological warfare" against tribals by sending police and Central forces to Lalgarh, Kishanji, a member of CPI(Maoist) politburo, told a news channel that unless they apologised, there could not be any negotiation.

The administration would have to withdraw the police and security forces if they did not want bloodshed, he said. "Then we will try to convince the people to refrain from violence."

He described as "false propaganda" by the state government that Maoists were planning to use women and children as human shields to combat the security forces.

The Maoist leader also denied that they had any link with Trinamool Congress in Lalgarh. "It is wrong to say that. There were some Trinamool activists at Nandigram where we led the agitation," he said.

He, however, admitted that the Maoists had tried to ambush chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee "for his role in Nandigram".

Tribals on warpath in Lalgarh; say can work better than govt

LALGARH (W: Hinting at a state within a state, tribal leader Chhatradhar Mahato said his organisation could build infrastructure in just eight

months in restive Lalgarh, which the state government could not do in 32 years.

"If the state government had done 10 per cent of the work we did, the situation would have been different," Mahato, Convenor of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) said.

"We have laid at least 50 km of gravel path, dug tanks and tube wells and revived irrigation canals with the help of villagers," he said.

Mahato claimed the PCAPA built a 60-feet-deep reservoir at Barapelia, where its headquarters is situated, and planned to revive a canal for irrigation.

A health centre with a doctor was also functioning at Kantapahari, he said.

Though the government built the road to Midnapore town, all link roads were constructed by the PCAPA, he said, claiming that this saved villagers from walking for miles through forests.

Maoists are on the rampage in Lalgarh, in Midnapore district of West Bengal bordering Orissa, targetting CPM cadres and party offices protesting against police "atrocities".
18 Jun 2009, 1246 hrs IST,PTI

Nandigram has just begun amidst the live COVERAGE of Provocative Media, Pressure from UPA Centre Government engaged in Implementing and Executing Mass Destruction Agenda with Ethnic Cleansing of Nature Associate People. A thunderstorm lashed the city on Wednesday evening, offering rare respite from the swelter.If rain brought temporary relief on Wednesday, the government gave students an extended respite by declaring all primary, secondary and higher secondary institutions in the state closed for three days from Thursday.The THUNDERSTORM and the HEATWAVE altogether pounds the Tribal base JUNGLE Mahal lalgarh irrespective of Weather Change or Climate change!

Though, West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhatacharjee on Thursday said the state government was ready to hold talks with tribals on their grievances, and appealed to the Lalgarh villagers not to get provoked by Maoist rebels and not let themselves be used as human shields by the Left radicals.

But the West Bengal government ruled out negotiations with Maoists saying "so long there is violence and obstruction, there cannot be any discussion".

"We have started police action at Lalgarh. Police and CRPF have left Pirakata," West Bengal Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen said.

He ruled out discussion with the tribals "so long there is violence and obstruction. "There cannot be any discussion as the Maoists will not allow it to take place."

Police did not have to fire at Pirakata as teargas shells and baton charges could remove the obstruction put up by the tribals, he said.

"Fortunately, they did not have to open fire," he said adding, "the operation will get tougher and we have to be prepared to face attacks and ambushes."

He said there might have been some injuries due to the baton charges but did not specify the number of people arrested in the operation.

Sen declined to state how long the operations would take. "It is extremely tough. So far there has been no major confrontation but that does not mean it will not occur in future.

"We estimate about 100 armed Maoist cadres are at Lalgarh. Their leader Kishanji is possibly there," Sen said.

The Government has launched an offensive in the restive Lalgarh region to end the three-day siege of Maoists. Security forces including CRPF and the state police this afternoon marched in to the restive Lalgarh region. The movement was initially stalled by a human blockade set up by the Maoists at Pirkata. But police used tear gas to disperse the blockaders. After overcoming the resistance at Pirkata, police had to face another blockade at Bhimpur, where a clash with the PCPA members broke out.While, Trinamool Congress said the violence in Lalgarh in West Midnapore district was an "internal fight of Marxists" and that was why the Left Front Government had not banned Maoists in the state.

The Bengal government looked to the Centre for help, only to be told by Union home minister P Chidambaram that it should use its own police rather than depend on paramilitary forces to tackle the 'law and order problem'.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee ordered a crackdown after a meeting of the Left Front but left it to police to decide the date. Home secretary Ardhendu Sen said state police would lead the assault, with central forces providing the "crucial back-up". A unit of Cobra — the elite anti-Naxalite force in Jharkhand — arrived at Kalaikunda late Wednesday night. Twelve more companies of central forces are coming in phases to Midnapore town, Sen said.

"The Maoists are using innocent villagers, women and children as human shields. Don't let yourself be used like shields. Don't fall prey to their provocations," the chief minister said in a statement as the state and central forces launched an operation to flush out Maoists from Lalgarh in West Midnapore district.

"The government is prepared to hold discussions with the people of the area about their problems," Bhattacharjee said.

"Go back home," he told the villagers, who were seen putting up a human shield in the vicinity of Lalgarh to stop the advancing security forces.

State Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty claimed police have not faced any resistance from armed people.

"The police have gone there to restore peace and rule of law and to protect lives of innocent people," he said.

Four people including a CPM leader and three workers were found dead in the Bablamoni jungle in the Gowaltor region this morning.

Dubraj Soren, Dashrath Soren, Chaitanya Soren and Badal Hait had gone missing since last Tuesday. Hait was the CPM local committee member who, party workers say had been kidnapped along with the three others by the PCPA members and Maoists in the region.

Singur to Nandigram, it rolls FULL CIRCLE to showcase how Democracy works within. It magnifies the GENOCIDE Culture and expose Naked the Majority Population UNARMED and Struggling for just Sustenance as INHUMAN and VICTIMISED by Power Politics. Those who supported Lalgarh Insurrection and Inspired Chhatradhar Mahato from Kolkata, witness the FLUSH Out with Detached Opportunism as the STATE Power with full strike power and AIR Force Aided COBRA Commandos, opts for MILITARY Option with Zero Tolerance.

Although not specific to Lalgarh, the Prime Minister held out a stern warning to Naxalite activists at large on his flight back from the BRIC summit in Yekaterinburg, saying: “It’s a great threat to our policy, its seriousness is fully recognised and appreciated by our government. The home minister has some good ideas…. we have plans, we will take effective action.”

The CPM central leadership held the Trinamul-Congress combine responsible for the Maoist attacks. It also said the state government was ready to talk to any tribal group that did not believe in violence to end the Lalgarh impasse.

The Prime Minister did not elaborate on what those plans entailed, but left little doubt that a comprehensive anti-Naxalite offensive directed at their bases in many states was on the anvil.

On his part, Chidambaram exhorted chief minister Bhattacharjee to act swiftly.

In a loaded shot at the Left government, Chidambaram said: “The impression is that one side of the government is willing to take action, the other side of the government is worried about the consequences. Now it is the judgement the chief minister must make.”

The unequivocal statement came on a day the Left government, unable to take a decision on its own after dithering for over eight months, was looking towards the Centre to share some of the burden of unpalatable decisions an operation will require.

The Centre today sent four units (about 120 personnel in all) of its elite Cobra Force to Lalgarh but the Union home minister again underscored the need for the state government to scramble forces.

It has been always the History. No Insurrection whatever may be grass rooted or strengthened may not match the Striking Power and Killing license privileged. Khalistan Movement failure supported by Global Insurgency and the Kashmir and North east insurgencies prove that. Bengal has witnessed the Naxal Period full of REPRESSION.

But our people, the tribals and OBCs and the dalits residing in the Forest belt known as JUNGLE Mahal in the Chuar Vidroh zone have been IMPOSED an UNWANTED War meaning Total destruction and promised HELP missing. Helpless people have to face the heat and dust of the Fire Power they have never seen. Indigenous armament may Never match the Post Modern weaponry of the Security Forces.

This is an OPEN game to create Chaos in the state leaving no Option but President Rule. Thus, Mamata Bannerjee, the Rly Minister withdrew Police Boycott in Khejury abruptly. NO Intelligentsia or Civil society team rushed to the spot as they reached in Singur and Nandigram! Media is live casting the Operation holding the Marxists and state government totally Responsible. It would further SEGREGATE the Tribals as SIKHS had been once upon a time!

Buddhadeb Bhattachary is the DECLARED Target understandably for Nandigram genocide. Maoists, facing media, announced DEATH Sentence for him. Neither Mamata Bannerjee nor the Opposition or Intelligentsia or the CIVIL Society even condemned it. Rather the Resistance hegemony brahminical stood united with Lalgarh but betrayed the tribal as the War began.

Buddha is in contact with the Centre and trying his best to involve the CENTRE.

I am afraid that it would not help the Marxists as the media blacks out the Centres MAGIC Economics, Flagship Programme, Hundred Days` agenda realities and the segregation of Aboriginal, Indigenous a minorities, the Black Untouchables.

What Lalgarh receives it exposes the failure of the INDIAN Periphery Polity as well as Economy. But inactive Marxists deviating from Ideology could not highlight the most relevant points so far and the Mass Resistance in HIJACKED.

The regimented Cadres could not be physically connected to the people so the Maoists CAPTURED and ESCALATED the Tribal areas. Any Repression would mean further ISOLATION of the Marxists from the Grass Root masses.

It would rather help Ms Mamta Bannerjee to achieve her goal, untimely President rule and Untimely ELECTION to defeat and oust Marxists.

I am afraid , my Marxist friends OBLIGE the Fire Brand Brahmin maid!

Just see the Game Plan chalked out with Surgical Precision and assess the Magnetic Trap Scope to entrap the DUPED Marxists unarmed with whatsoever Ideology. The Police and administration, always faithful for last thirty two years and working as Party wings , DESERTED the Marxist Hegemony smelling the CHANGE Fragrance in the Bengal Environment of Heat and Humidity, AILA continues as the CALAMITIES for our Comrades never end!

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, an advocate of stern action against Naxalism, is learnt to have taken a grim view of the violent Maoist takeover of Lalgarh and of the Left Front government’s inability to restore law and order in the area.

Home minister P. Chidambaram put the ball in the court of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee ahead of the chief minister’s meeting with the Prime Minister on Friday. “Now it is the judgement the chief minister must make,” Chidambaram said, driving home the need to reclaim Lalgarh from the Maoists.

The primary responsibility, sources in Delhi underlined, lay with the state government which “must act before it is too late”.

Amid the spiralling violence in Lalgarh in Midnapore (West) and other areas of West Bengal, the Centre sent a blunt message to the Marxist government there, asserting that it must make all attempts to bring the alarming situation under control and give a “clear mandate” to its own police forces to reclaim the affected areas.

Home minister Mr P Chidambaram told reporters here that he had spoken to chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and told him that the state must move its forces to the troubled areas with clear instructions to tackle the situation.

While, Rattled by the spate of killings and attacks on CPI-M leaders and activists, and vandalism at its party offices in the districts, especially in Lalgarh, Khejuri and other areas, the Left Front asked the state government to take immediate steps to contain the ongoing violence. It is GREEN SIGNAL for the Marxist Government to be ENTRAPPED right into the EPICENTRE of the Turbulence!

In order to maintain synergy in its operation against Naxals at Lalgarh, central paramilitary forces dispatched to the trouble-torn area have been given"functional autonomy"and were working in coordination with the Centre. The functional autonomy has been given in consultation with the state government as the situation in Lalgarh area continued to be tense, a Home Ministry official said. The decision was taken as some parts of Jharkhand and Orissa need to be covered as the Naxals may flee to these areas after security forces mounted pressure on them. Taking a serious view of Maoists controlling the places in West Midnapore district and its adjoining areas, the Home Ministry directed the forces to deal with any situation arising there in close coordination with the state authorities, the official said." Since we consider the situation as serious, the forces are being given functional autonomy,"the official said. However, the special anti-naxal force CoBRA is yet to be deployed for the operations against the naxals and have been kept on stand by.

The PWD minister and RSP leader, Mr Kshiti Goswami, in particular, expressed strong disapproval of the way the administration was handling the situation. At a Left Front meeting today, complained the police were now listening more to the Opposition leaders than to the state government.

Chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told the meeting that he had received information from the Jharkhand government that about 100 Maoists, armed with sophisticated weapons and trained at Chaibasa in Jharkhand, had crossed over to West Bengal to unleash terror. The state government, he said, had already sought Central forces to flush the Maoists out.

Mr Goswami, however, asked the chief minister how the Maoists could be effectively tackled without sealing their border.

Soon after Mr Chidambaram made his comments, the state government said it would launch operations against the Maoists, and that the state police would be in the forefront. Mr Bhattacharjee is also to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Mr Chidambaram on 19 June on the issue.

Mr Chidambaram said there was an impression that while one part of the state government was willing to take action against the Maoists, another was worried about the fallout. “Now, it is the judgement the chief minister must make. They must move the forces to the affected areas and must reclaim the area now dominated by the Maoists,” he said.

“We (the Central forces) are there to assist the state police. The state police must commit its own forces. I don't know how many men they have committed in the area and what instructions they have been given. But in my talks with the CM, I told him that in our view the state police must be given clear mandate and clear instructions,” Mr Chidambaram said. “We have given them an adequate number of paramilitary forces,” he added, pointing out that five more companies have been sent following the state’s request on 15 June.

The Centre also dispatched the specialised Cobra anti-Naxalite force to deal with the Bengal situation. The commandos have been airlifted from Orissa where they are currently based.

After a visit to Midnapore to review the situation, the state home secretary, Mr Ardhendu Sen, said the government is ready for operations at Lalgarh and areas adjoining Jhargram in West Midnapore district. He, however, evaded a question on when the operations would begin. He added that the state police would lead the operations.

The chief secretary, Mr AM Chakrabarti, said the Maoists were planning to use the women and children of Lalgarh as human shields. Urging the villagers not to succumb to the “pressure being exerted by the Maoists”, he said the move was “dangerous, inhuman and illegal”. “The people in the area are faced with severe problems in their daily life and those who are trying to use them as shields are playing a dangerous game,” Mr Chakrabarti said.

My friends, I have calls from South as well North, from Kerala to New Delhi including Mumbai. Professional Journalists, Editors and even the President of Mulnivasi Bamcef, Waman Mesram do try to understand the STAND OFF and the Fall out.

I told Mr Meshram that the CM has to go to New Delhi to interact with the PM and the HOME Minister. Media says that the OPERATION would begin after 22 but I am afraid that the FLUSH OUT may begin anytime. However, officials in Delhi said reports from the ground indicated that the state government was shying away from action and not sending state police forces to the so-called “liberated zone”. “We were told that the police have been instructed to ‘only resort to mild lathi-charge’,” said a central officer.The officer said the reports he received suggested that state police might not venture into Lalgarh for another two days. Delhi sent five companies of the CRPF to Lalgarh from Sindri in Jharkhand yesterday. But paramilitary forces are mandated to act solely under the command of state police, and not using them was nullifying the whole idea of sending them, sources said.

I warned him that INNOCENT Masses have to lose LIFE and property. Apart from Politics, the Non Political and Social organisations should take the initiative to resolve the crisis.

Professor Vijoy Kumar from Trichur woke me up in the morning and OPINED that it is a TOTAL BETRAYAL on the Part of Ms Mamta Bannerjee and her TMC.

I replied that it is a JOINT Front of all Brahaminical forces to kill and displace our people. We discussed long.

While young professional journalist Bhuvendra Tyagi from Mumbai was worried of the the chaos and anarchy heralding unilateral Genocide.

We discussed the chronology of genocide History as well as the traced the RESISTANCE legacy in Bengal.

Pankaj Bisht, the editor of SAMAYANTAR was worried of the CIVIL Society and Intelligentsia role and opined that invoking President Rule in Bengal may help Mamata , but it will kill Bengal as a Progressive state!

However,Reacting to the Union home minister's comment that the state government was divided on the question of taking action against the Maoists in Lalgarh, Mr Chakraborty said the government was taking steps to establish the rule of law there and that the observation was unfounded.

The Left Front chairman, Mr Biman Bose, said it was unacceptable that the Trinamul Congress and its allies ~ among which he included the Maoists ~ should go on killing CPI-M leaders and activists because the Opposition had won 27 Lok Sabha seats.

“When we came to power in 1977 with a thumping majority our top leaders immediately issued a statement urging our party men not to resort to political vendetta. The Trinamul is threatening that there would be no one to carry the CPI-M's flag. We can correct our shortcomings, but we'll never bow down to terror,” he said.

On the other hand,the Trinamul Congress has distanced itself from the attacks on the CPM in Lalgarh but plans to use the violence to buttress its claim that the state government lacks control over law and order.

In the coming days, the party will argue that while it does not support violence, the attacks in Lalgarh are a result of the CPM’s policies.

The strategy was outlined by Trinamul leaders here a day after party chief Mamata Banerjee broke her silence on Lalgarh in Calcutta. “I don’t support that (the Lalgarh violence). It is our collective duty to maintain law and order,” Mamata said yesterday.

Trinamul sources conceded they were worried that the brutal attacks on CPM workers in Lalgarh could win the party some sympathy elsewhere in the state. “But the anger against the CPM is such that unless we make a blunder, the Lalgarh violence will also work against the CPM.”

Mamata, sources said, was keen to portray a “statesman-like” attitude, and was unlikely to immediately demand the state government’s dismissal.

“We are aware that such a demand now will mean playing into the hands of the CPM. Our strategy will be to focus on the CPM’s crimes and police’s failures to weaken the state government further,” another Trinamul leader said.

Advancing security forces lobbed tear gas shells and made a baton charge to break a 'human wall' put up by Maoist cadres, armed with bows and arrows and pickaxes, in this troubled zone as West Bengal's Communist government launched a massive operation Thursday to free the region of left extremists.

Two rebels as well as a lensman accompanying the security forces were injured, eyewitnesses said. There was no police confirmation of the news.

A day after being prodded by the centre to reclaim this headquarters of Binpur 1 community development block in West Midnapore district, 200 km form state capital Kolkata, from the Maoists, the state police personnel, backed by the central forces, moved in from their base camp at nearby Pirakata for 'Operation Lalgarh'.

However, soon after, the forces came up against a 'human wall' at Malida, as hundreds of tribals carrying traditional weapons like bows and arrows, shovels, pickaxes and canes blocked the way by felling big trees on the road as they shouted slogans like "Inqilab Zindabad" and "Maoism zindabad".

Using megaphones, the police warned the protesters to move away and clear the roads, but getting no response from the other side, the security forces started removing the tree trunk when they suddenly saw two Maoists standing in the nearby field with assault rifles. Immediately, the well-armed central forces came to the frontlines and the Maoists beat a hasty retreat.

The police started baton charging and lobbing tear gas shells, and succeeded in dispersing the protestors at that spot. "We will see how far we can go today (Thursday). Our target is to reach Lalgarh police station," a police officer told accompanying journalists. Two of the protesters were injured in the baton charge, while a lensman also sustained injuries.

The police raided some houses in the vicinity and detained a few people before resuming their 'Operation Lalgarh'.

Five companies of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and two companies of the Cobra Force, specially trained to combat Maoists, reached the district headquarters Midnapore town Wednesday. A large quantity of tear gas shells and protective shields have been provided to the security personnel.

Earlier in the day, the personnel from the central and state security forces were briefed at the Pirakata base camp to conduct a joint operation to flush out Maoist guerrillas who have been active in organising a tribal movement alongside a group called the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA).

"We have moved forces in the morning," Inspector General of Police Raj Kanojia told IANS.

On Wednesday, the state government had declared that it was ready to launch an operation to free Lalgarh from the control of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) even as the guerrillas shot dead three workers of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist(CPI-M).

In response, a top rebel leader said the central and state governments had started psychological warfare against the people in Lalgarh with its show of force.

"The prime minister (Manmohan Singh) and home minister (P. Chidambaram) have started a psychological warfare by amassing huge forces. If they start the operations, we will resist with the help of the people who are with us," CPI-Maoist politburo member Kishanjee told a television channel over phone.

Kishanjee alias K. Koteshwar Rao hails from Andhra Pradesh but has been camping in Lalgarh. He said the rebel group has decided to call for a two-day shutdown beginning Monday in West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Jharkhand and Bihar.

He also demanded that the centre and state government should apologise to the tribal people of Lalgarh if they wanted a peaceful and amicable resolution to the stand-off.

Lalgarh has been on the boil since last November when a landmine exploded on the route of the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and then central ministers Ram Vilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada.

Police arrested some school students and allegedly harassed tribal women following the landmine blast. In protest, angry tribals virtually cut off the area from the rest of the district.

During the last few days, the agitators have torched CPI-M offices, driven away the party's supporters and forced police to wind up several camps, thereby establishing a virtual free zone.

Maoists have been active in the three western districts of the state - West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia. They also backed the Trinamool-sponsored movement against the state government's bid to establish a chemical hub at Nandigram in East Midnapore district.

The battle for recapturing Lalgarh from Maoists began in right earnest on Thursday as the police and central forces today stormed the area smashing a human shield of tribal agitators with a barrage of teargas shells and lathi-charges.

A 600-strong mob of tribals armed with lathis, axes, spears, bows and arrows blocked the road when the security forces arrived and shouted at the police asking them to apologise for alleged atrocities, a PTI correspondent on the spot saw.

A police officer warned the tribals over microphone to disperse within two minutes, following which the armed police, the CRPF and the riot police lobbed a volley of teargas shells and made a lathi-charge dispersing the tribals under the banner of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities in 10 minutes.

The police then proceeded cautiously up the road to Pirrakula, eight km from Lalgarh, making house-to-house searches while people caught on the road were allowed to pass with their hands raised in the air.

The operation was then halted for the night, IGP (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia told PTI from Kolkata.

The police and central forces did not want to cross the Jhitka jungle beyond Pirrakula at night as it was a Maoist-dominated area.

Maoists put up human shields against forces in West Bengal's Lalgarh

With paramilitary forces planning a crackdown on Maoists who have laid siege to two police station areas in West Midnapore

district, tribals backing them have put up a three-tier human shield.

"The Maoists have formed a three-tier human shield with women and children in the vanguard, men behind them and armed naxals forming the rearguard," a senior police official involved in the drawing up strategies against the agitators said.

The police have withdrawn from camps fearing looting of arms with the tribals under the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities demolishing and torching empty camps in the past few days, he said.

Maoist action squad leader, known as Bikash, and his men were patrolling roads between Lalgarh and Belpahari armed with AK47s, he said.

Last night the tribals set ablaze CPM party offices in Lalgarh and Belatikri and dug up roads leading to Lalgarh from Dharampur, Goaltore and Pirakata to prevent entry of central forces.

The digging up of roads and felling of trees was a tactic deployed since November last year by the tribals when they went on the warpath after police raids on their homes.

The police made the raids following a landmine blast at Salboni on November 2 in which West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and two then union ministers Ramvilas Paswan and Jitendra Prasad narrowly escaped.

Five CPM men have already been killed and four were missing after clashes with tribals in the past few days, while three more, including a Marxist local leader were shot dead this morning at Bankasole.

On Tuesday, chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakraborty said that 500 central paramilitary personnel have been sought from the Centre, with 100 men arriving in Lalgarh and 200-300 more personnel expected shortly.

Another officer said that for the last eight months Lalgarh has been out of bounds for the police, where they were being 'boycotted' by the tribals, who have demanded an apology for the police raids on their homes following the Salboni landmine blast.

"We had to withdraw our camps from Ramgar and Dharampur," said the officer.

The officer said Marxist leaders were being killed after being carefully targeted.

"They plan the operations in meticulous detail in forests, where it is impossible for the police to search for them," the officer said.

Our aim is to break CPM shackles'
18 Jun 2009, 0307 hrs IST, Sukumar Mahato, TNN

He is leading the Lalgarh offensive in West Midnapore district of West Bengal. Around 24 years old, he is a veteran in Maoist ranks, serving as

zonal committee secretary of Communist Party of India (Maoist) for West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts. Sukumar Mahato speaks to firebrand Maoist Bikash about his party's plans:

What are your immediate plans?

Our aim is to break the shackles that the ruling CPM has put on the people of this area. For nearly two decades, the people have not reaped the so-called benefits of parliamentary democracy. Gradually, everything began to be controlled by CPM. Its leaders even had a say in marriages and other social and personal matters.

There are many leaders against whom FIRs are pending. The police have taken no action against them. We will punish them. Those who have spent money or used political connections to avoid justice will be tried by people's courts.

The government is preparing to strike in a major way. How will you counter this?

We have seen media reports in which government officials have spoken about bringing in Central forces, COBRA or Greyhound personnel. We are prepared for any strike. PCPA is with us. In Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts, we have set up gram committees in over 250 villages. We shall ultimately liberate Keshpur and Garbeta. The state cannot stop us by using force.

Why have you resorted to violence?

We were forced into taking up arms by the administration. When we had guns pointing at us, one can't expect us to respond with flower petals. Violence was started by CPM. We took up arms to counter this. Many of them are educated unemployed youths. Family members of CPM leaders have got jobs that were meant for them.

Why do you target the police? Many of the constables belong to poor families.

We have appealed to the police a number of times, not to blindly follow the diktats of CPM. We have asked the police not to torture poor villagers. There are some who heeded our appeal. Those who we targeted worked at the behest of CPM and paid a price.

What is your ultimate goal?

We want public funds to be used by the people's committee. They will be accountable for all development work done. We have already done a lot of development work in the villages. CPM talks a lot about land reforms. Anuj Pandey and his two brothers owned 40 bighas of land. We shall distribute such land among the poor.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Our-aim-is-to-break-CPM-shackles/articleshow/4669155.cms

Three CPM men shot in Jhargram

;Statesman News Service
MIDNAPORE, 17 JUNE: Three CPI-M activists, including a SFI and a DYFI leader were gunned down by a group of unidentified goons on National Highway 6 at Banksole in Jhargram area of Midnapore West district this morning, adding a new dimension to the ongoing violence in Lalgarh.
The anti-establishment movement spearheaded by the Police Santras Birodhi Public Committee (PSBPC) in Lalgarh spread to Bankura as the public boycotted police at Sarenga and the cops had to confine themselves to the Sarenga police station.
In Midnapore West, district CPI-M leaders alleged that the Maoist cadres who have had a free run in and around Lalgarh for some time now were involved in the killings today.
Anil Mahato (35), a member of Siuli CPI-M branch committee, Abhijit Mahato (24), SFI leader and a second year student of Manikpara College and Niladri Mahato (25), DYFI leader, were having their morning tea in a shop when six gunmen riding two two-wheelers appeared and fired from point blank range killing the three on the spot. The SFI have called a bandh in all the colleges in the district today and a statewide bandh tomorrow to protest against the killings.
Meanwhile, the CPI-M continues to be targeted in Lalgarh. Several thousand tribals, including women, under the banner of the PSBPC demolished and torched the homes of Mr Dalim Pande, and Mr Amal Pande, the CPI-M’s Dharampur local committee secretary and member respectively at Harina today. The families of both men had fled their homes on Sunday.
The former is the brother of Mr Sujan Pande, Lalgarh zonal committee secretary, whose house was earlier razed to the ground.
The mob also set fire to the party’s Harina branch committee office after demolishing it.
The CPI-M took out a procession in the district condemning the violence let loose by the PSBPC in Lalgarh. The party has also called a 12-hour bandh in the district tomorrow in protest.
The PSBPC has put up barricades on several stretches of the roads to Lalgarh by dumping tree trunks and digging up the road surface today to prevent the entry of Central forces sent to flush out the Maoists from the area. Around 200 Maoist cadres armed with sophisticated weapons, who had spearheaded the operation to make Lalgarh a “CPI-M-free zone” over the past few days, are believed to be hiding in the area. A senior police officer also said the Maoists have formed a three-tier human shield to prevent entry of forces into the area with women and children at the forefront. A top Maoist leader meanwhile described the ruling CPI-M and the Trinamul Congress as "two sides of the same coin", and said his organisation only indulged in counter-violence against “atrocities of the ruling classes”.
All examinations of Vidyasagar University scheduled to be held tomorrow have been cancelled in view of the CPI-M bandh.

Crackdown on Maoists begins in Lalgarh

Related Articles

• Lalgarh simmers under Maoist violence

• WB tribal unrest: Central force company arrives in Lalgarh

• West Bengal: Tribals take control of Lalgarh

Top Emailed Features

• The most dangerous countries in the world
• The Great Wall of Mistrust
• The safest countries in the world - New Zealand

Have you tried this?
• Ask a question
• News on your Desktop

June 18, 2009 11:37 IST

Security forces on Thursday,moved into the restive Lalgarh region to end the three-day siege of Maoists, who have gone on a rampage targeting Communist Party of India-Marxist cadres and leaders, destroying their homes and party offices and setting up barricades to block police entry. "The Operation at Lalgrah has started on Thursday morning. The operation will be mainly done by the state police but we will be adequately assisted by the Central forces," West Bengal [Images] Director General of Police Sujit Kumar Sarkar [Images] told PTI.

Asked about the number of forces deployed, Sarkar said the details cannot be divulged 'right now'. "But there are adequate (state) forces to restore peace and normalcy in the area. The Central Reserve Police Force will give adequate back up and if needed they will actively participate," he said over the phone from Kolkata [Images]. Agitating tribals of West Midnapore and adjoining areas have been protesting police "atrocities" on them in the wake of the landmine blast at Salboni which was believed to target the CM. The tribals, numbering 2000 under the banner of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities, dug up roads amid reports that they were laying landmines to stop the security forces. "We will try to shed minimum blood," Sarkar said adding I cannot tell you the exact timeframe (of the operation)." Five hundred CRPF personnel, including 200 personnel of the elite COBRA trained in anti-Maoist operations, have been deployed to deal with the situation.

A visiting PTI correspondent saw four trucks of central and state police force personnel entering Lalgrah through Pirakata, which links the place to Midnapore, in the morning hours. The other three entry points to Lalgrah through Binpur, Dohijhuri and Bherua have been blocked by felling trees and digging up roads. The area presented a deserted look, with most shops and business establishments closed. Only a few people were seen out of their homes.

The Maoists had taken over the area, a former Marxist bastion, after driving away the police on Monday. Eight CPI-M [Images] personnel have been killed in the area in the last one week and four others are missing. High-level police officials, including Director General (Coordination) Bhupinder Singh and Deputy Inspector General (Special Operations Group) Siddhinath Gupta were in Lalgarh to supervise the action.

The operation was launched a day after Home Minister P Chidamabaram sent a blunt message to West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee [Images] that a clear mandate should be given to the security forces to reclaim areas dominated by Maoists in violence-hit West Midnapore and its adjoining areas and deal with the "deteriorating" law and order situation. "The impression is that one side of the government is willing to take action, the other side of the government is worried about the consequences. Now, it is the judgement the CM must make. They must move the (security) forces to the affected areas and must reclaim that area which is now dominated by the Maoists," he said.

Meanwhile, the Maoists in Lalgarh have called for a two-day Bandh in Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh on June 22-23, to protest against police atrocities.

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/jun/18/cops-begin-crackdown-on-maoists-in-lalgarh.htm

Maoists turned tribal resentment into anti-CPM weapon
18 Jun 2009, 0258 hrs IST, Caesar Mandal, TNN

LALGARH: A well-planned strategy and a perfectly executed warplan, using tribal grievance against an inactive administration and a corrupt CPM to

garner local support. That, in a nutshell, sums up how the Maoist movement gathered momentum in West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura with Lalgarh as the base.

The insurgent outfit has been steadily spreading its tentacles and extending its strongholds almost every day at a furious pace over the last seven months. It has reached areas like Jhalda, Bagmundi and Ayodhya in Purulia and Ranibandh and Jhilimili in Bankura. If Salboni which is believed to be the next target falls, then almost the entire western part of the state would be lost.

The Maoists did not win the area overnight. In fact, they found it difficult to make headway initially. Till the merger of People's War Group (PWG) and Maoist Communist Centre (MCC), the Left radicals were active only in pockets of Binpur block II and in the area from Belpahari to Banshpahari and were never a force to reckon with. Then the merger took place in 2004 and the Maoist movement took a leap ahead. The two groups galvanized perfectly with the armed wing of PWG the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) providing a militant edge to the theoretical and political campaign of MCC.

It helped Maoists spread their base in the Jharkhand-Orissa border areas that served as a transit point. Things took another turn with the arrest of Somen, the CPI(Maoist) state secretary in 2008. It intensified the PLGA's militant campaign. The landmine attack on the chief minister's convoy in Salboni on November 2 served as a flashpoint. It shook the police into action and a combing operation was launched at Salboni, barely 9 km from Midnapore town.

Three PLG squads were active in the area by then the Belpahari squad under Madan Mahato, the Lalgarh squad under Shashadhar Mahato and the Dolma squad in Purulia. Police charged Shashadhar and raided Chhotobelia, his village. The combing operation which had led to excesses alienated the locals. It fuelled a movement and led to the formation of People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) which became the frontal organization helping to shield the Maoists who worked from behind the scenes.

The tribals united on an anti-police and anti-government plank joined PCPA spontaneously and it helped Maoists form a network over a larger area. The movement spread like wildfire across Jangalkhand. Using the PCPA local committees, Maoists gained access to information and logistical support from every corner of the region.

From November 12 when PCPA was formed at a rally at Kantapahari the 14 km road connecting Lalgarh police station with the Ramgarh outpost remained blocked for a month. Maoists used the time to strengthen their network, taking advantage of the fact that neither the administration nor police could enter. Soon, all three roads leading to Lalgarh through Pirakata forest, from Midnapore town through Dharampur and from Goaltore were cut off. With PCPA in the forefront, senior Maoist leaders and armed outfits started infiltrating. Leaders like Chandrasekhar and Akash camped there, helping strengthen the base. It was in this period that the PCPA influence spread to Binpur I and II, Jamboni, parts of Jhargram block and Salboni. Now, all areas in a 30-km radius of Lalgarh have been captured'.

Strengthened by the local support base, they now went on uniting all the anti-CPM forces. Between January and June, several CPM leaders were killed. The Maoists finally came out in the open with a procession at Madhupur village, which led to an attack on several CPM leaders' houses.

Ever since, a new area has been added to the Maoist territory every other day. Babuibasha, Shaluka, Ramgarh, Belatikri and its adjacent areas fell soon. And finally, the entire stretch from Lalgarh to Dherua, including Dharampur, has been captured last Sunday.

It could be mission Salboni next. For that's just about the only area where CPM still exists. If that happens, Maoists could shift their base to Garbeta and Keshpur.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Maoists-turned-tribal-resentment-into-anti-CPM-weapon/articleshow/4669148.cms
At work for war
Maoists, state begin drill
PRONAB MONDAL IN LALGARH AND OUR BUREAU

June 17: Late last night, at a small camp in Lalgarh’s Kantapahari, six Maoists held a meeting when word reached that central forces had started arriving in Midnapore.

The meeting, headed by Bikash who runs the Maoists’ Lalgarh operations and guided over the phone apparently by Kishanji who heads their armed wing in the country, decided to set up the first line of defence by this morning.

The task was completed by the time home secretary Ardhendu Sen arrived in Midnapore to review the situation in Lalgarh.

By 9am, the only two arterial roads leading to Lalgarh from Midnapore town, capable of carrying heavy vehicles, had been dug up at 11 points. Each trench across the road was 4ft deep and 3ft wide, making it impossible for any vehicle to cross over.

The Maoists bragged of a more diabolical plan, too. If the police smash through the defences and reach Lalgarh, the rebels said, they would have a four-tier barricade in place.

In the first layer, there will be children, followed by women. Tribals armed with bows and arrows will bring up the third layer. Armed Maoists will position themselves in the fourth layer, they said, seemingly oblivious to the macabre irony in the “people’s war”.

Aware of the plan, chief secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti appealed to the people of Lalgarh not to allow themselves to be used as “human shields”. Police sources later said they would try to disperse the shields using rubber bullets and tear gas.

By the end of the day, the state government, too, announced that it would act. But the time of the launch is being kept confidential, not for tactical reasons alone — the state government has yet to overcome its indecisiveness.

After returning to Calcutta, Sen announced: “An operation against the Maoists will take place. It will be led by state police with the central forces providing the back-up. Our main aim will be to ensure minimum bloodshed. But I cannot reveal when it will take place.”

Sources said 18 companies would be involved in the operation, of which 13 will be central forces and five from the state police.

Each company has about 100 policemen who can go into action — which means around 1,800 personnel will be pitted against the Maoists. The rebels’ number is put at 250 but more guerrillas are said to be moving towards Lalgarh from Orissa and Jharkhand. Kishanji has apparently reached Belpahari, 20km from Lalgarh. Besides, the Maoists are counting on some of the villagers they have trained since November last year.

The police sources said it would not be a “swift and short” operation. “We know the area is mined and dug up, so we have to move forward carefully,” an officer said. “We will have a minesweeper at the head of the convoy and a truck carrying sandbags along with us. After the minesweeper has cleared the way, we will bridge the dug-up roads with the sandbags and then move on.”

The officer said the objective would be to “reoccupy” an area, consolidate their position there and then push forward. The plan is largely in tune with the tactics being focused upon since P. Chidambaram took over as home minister at the Centre.

In the police’s arsenal will be AK-47 and AK-56 rifles, grenade launchers and rocket launchers. Senior police officers from Calcutta, like IG (co-ordination), have moved to Midnapore.

The rebels acknowledge the police’s superiority in firepower and supply of ammunition but said they were banking on familiarity with the terrain and local support.

It was not possible to verify the claims by the Maoists. At every dug-up point, the Maoists said, they would be setting up “checkposts” which will be guarded by “50 to 60” armed supporters.

“They will all have cellphones and at the first sign of any activity, they will warn other checkposts along the way,” a Maoist leader said.

Knowing that the policemen will be wearing bulletproof jackets, the Maoist cadres have been trained to shoot at the face, arms and legs, another leader said.

If the police decide to skip the arterial roads and use forest trails, they may have to abandon armoured vehicles while ferrying themselves across the Kangshabati river in the absence of bridges.

The five CRPF companies stayed put at the Midnapore police lines today, drawing up maps to chalk out operational routes.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090618/jsp/frontpage/story_11127693.jsp

Brigadier advises ‘creeping’ recapture
SUJAN DUTTA

A man hoicks his bicycle over a road dug up by Maoists in Lalgarh on Wednesday. (Sanat Kumar Sinha)
New Delhi, June 17: Bengal can adopt tactics for a “creeping re-occupation of territory” in Lalgarh despite its administration’s late response and its police’s poor training, says the army’s counter-Naxalite expert who trains security forces from states where Left-wing militancy is intense.

“Sending the CRPF into places like Lalgarh will be of no consequence unless you have trained troops,” Brigadier Basant Kumar Ponwar told The Telegraph. The specialised Cobra force is also being sent to Bengal but the units are still under training.

He said Bengal would have to evolve unconventional policing tactics in Lalgarh to take on the Maoists.

Ponwar said “grid deployment” and “constant dynamic deployment” by security forces in and around Lalgarh after they have built up an asymmetry — sufficient strength — should drive the operations in West Midnapore.

“These are things that the army can do but that is a different issue,” he said, meaning that there is no call from the government to deploy the army in counter-Naxalite operations. The army monitors and studies the Maoist movement and even gives advice — to which the brigadier contributes in a big way. But the defence establishment has not yet viewed the Maoist insurgency as a big enough threat to deploy the army in the interiors in addition to the border regions in Jammu and Kashmir and in the Northeast.

Ponwar is the director of the Counter Terrorism and Jungle Warfare College (CTJWC) in Kanker, Chhattisgarh, the only institution that runs courses on counter-Naxalite operations for police forces. The college is supported by the army that has deputed instructors to it.

Ponwar set up the college after retiring as the commandant of the army’s Counter Insurgency and Jungle Warfare School in Vairangte, Mizoram.

Three teams from Bengal police were to have been sent to the college last year, Brigadier Ponwar said. But they were not. There is no team from Bengal even for the six-week course that begins on June 22.

“They (the Maoists) have beaten us to the draw and now we are faced with such a situation. So we will have to do what we can to retrieve it with capable leadership,” said Ponwar as he spelt out tactics of “constant dynamic deployment”.

The retired brigadier said the withdrawal of the Bengal police from their positions around Lalgarh “indicated that the Maoists are trying to convert their territory into a liberated zone though they are not there yet”. He said the Maoists have been successful in creating a “liberated zone” in Abujmarh in Chhattisgarh spread over about 10,000sqkm. The security forces should operate in a way to prevent the Maoists from creating more “liberated zones”.

To contain the Maoists, the administration in Bengal and the security forces should make an effort to have five companies (of 100 to 120 troops each) for every 400sqkm “in highly-intense Naxalite areas”.

The troops should be instructed to set up “counter-Naxalite bases” in dominating heights. Each company should be assigned to a base with an area of responsibility of about 15km around it. The bases should be between 10 and 15km apart, said Ponwar.

He called this “grid deployment”. The security forces should be tasked with multi-directional patrolling. The counter-Naxalite bases should be the launching pads for small targeted operations against the Maoists, he added.

The logistical back-up for the forces should be ensured by the administration. Small teams from the bases should be able to operate independently for three or four days.

Ponwar’s college teaches police forces “to fight the guerrilla like a guerrilla”. What he is prescribing is a combination of conventional and unconventional tactics. A ring of security forces — state police and the CRPF — around and, wherever possible, inside Lalgarh, and bases from which small outfits such as the Cobra force will launch attacks.