Sunday, November 11, 2007

West Bengal: Maoists to resist Jambani acquisition

Rajib Chatterjee

KOLKATA, Nov. 10: Maoist rebels are organising people to resist the state government's decision to acquire land for the proposed steel project at Jambani by the Jindal Group of Industry.

A total 500 acres of land would be taken from private parties for the project while the remaining 4,500 acres of land is vested.
The CPI (Maoist) has spread its wing to Jambani and three other neighbouring blocks in Midnapore (West), said a senior state intelligence official posted at Jhargram. A suspected Maoist insurgent, who was arrested from Kalabati Jungle area near Binpur on 7 November night, along with four of his associates, told the police during interrogation that CPI (Maoist), has formed three frontal organisations at four new blocks in Midnapore (West), including Jambani where a steel plant will come up on 5,000 acres of land. Requesting anonymity, the senior state police officer, said: "Activists belonging to the CPI (Maoist) have formed Gram Rakshi Bahinis, Gana Pratirodh Bahinis and Jana Sangharsha Bahinis at a large number of villages in Jambani, Kharagpore, Nayagram and Gopiballavpur, which are the latest additions to the list of Maoist-infested blocks in the state." The existence of Maoist insurgents at Jambani and three other neighbouring blocks came to the notice of the police following interrogation of one suspected Maoist rebel, Balak Mahato, who was arrested from Kalabati Jungle area in Binpore on Wednesday night. It was learnt that Mahato, a resident of Belpahari and his associates belong to People Liberation Guerilla Army of CPI (Maoist).

The five Maoist rebels, who were remanded in police custody after being produced before the court, are currently being interrogated by senior district police officers.

The intelligence branch official said, the Naxal outfit has taken initiatives to strengthen their "counter intelligence network" to gather more information about the movement of police. The official, however, refused to disclose anything about the outfit's "counter intelligence network." A report is being prepared about Maoist activities in Jambani, Kharagpore, Nayagram and Gopiballavpur and it would be sent to the headquarter of the state police, said the officer. The state police administration has already taken some new initiatives to strengthen the surveillance in Maoist infested blocks in Bankura, Purulia, Midnapore (East) and Midnapore (West) districts. Former deputy commissioner of the city police's detective department, Mr Ajoy Kumar, who was transferred after his name figured in the Rizwanur death case, has been made special superintendent of the state intelligence branch's left wing extremism, said a senior state police officer.

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&theme=&usrsess=1&id=176123

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