Maoists step up attacks in West Bengal, Jharkhand

By IANS,

Kolkata: Maoist guerrillas Monday struck in a major way in Jharkhand and West Bengal, gunning down three people, including two mining officials, blowing up railway tracks and indulging in other acts of violence.


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A day after Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described the rebels as the country’s “biggest internal threat”, suspected guerrillas killed two officials of Panam Coal Company in Pakur district of Jharkhand. Company director Sheetal Prasad and additional director Deenanath were killed when they were taking a morning walk Monday near Amarpara locality.

The reports of Maoist violence came in the wake of a 48-hour shutdown called by the Leftwing extremists in Jharkhand, starting Monday.

The ultras also blew up several railway tracks in the eastern state to protest the centre’s move for strong action against them.

In West Bengal, Kanai Murmu, a Jharkhand Party-Naren activist, was abducted late Sunday from Shalpatra village in West Midnapore district by a group of unidentified Maoist rebels. His body was found near the Kapatkata canal at Binpur locality Monday afternoon.

“We’ve begun investigation into the case,” a state police officer said.

In yet another incident, a group of armed Maoist guerrillas ransacked a local Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader’s house in Purulia district Sunday night.

The rebels set Chandra Shekhar Layer’s house on fire and injured him severely, police said.

Despite the union government’s offer of talks after laying down arms, the rebels have declined to give up their path of armed struggle and vowed to continue the battle against the government machinery.

The union home ministry has also decided to launch an offensive against the Maoists, which is likely to begin at the end of this month.

West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Monday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi to discuss the Maoist issue in the state. On Sunday, Bhattacharjee had met Home Minister P. Chidambaram.

Meanwhile, the Maharashtra government has received intelligence inputs that Maoists from neighbouring states have infiltrated into the state to foment trouble during voting for the state’s assembly elections Tuesday.

“We have got intelligence reports that Maoists are infiltrating here from Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh. Accordingly, we have taken all necessary security precautions to ensure that there are no untoward incidents and everybody can cast their votes freely and without fear,” Director General of Police (Anti-Corruption Bureau) A. N. Roy, who is in charge of poll security, told media persons in Mumbai Monday evening.

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