W Bengal Law Minister visits Maoist affected West Midnapore West
Midnapore: West Bengal Law Minister Rabilal Maitra visited West Bengal's West Midnapore district on Wednesday.
The visit was held a day after armed Maoists stormed a police station at Sankrail
in the district and killed two police personnel besides abducting another police
officer. The Maoists, including women combatants, attacked Sankrail Police Station
and robbed at least 19 firearms and several rounds of ammunition. The officer-in-charge
of the police station was taken hostage. Maoists have been demanding the release
of an elusive tribal leader Chhatradhar Mahato, who has been spearheading an agitation
since November last year against alleged police excesses in West Midnapore's troubled
Lalgarh area. Mahato, leader of People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA),
which has been spearheading agitation against alleged police atrocities, was nabbed
from Pirka region, near Lalgarh village. Police nabbed Mahato when he was about
to give an interview to a journalist. Mahato had been giving regular interviews
when the paramilitary forces and the state police had launched the anti-Maoist
operations in Lalgarh, the place declared as a liberated zone by the Maoists,
on June 19 forcing him to go underground for some time. The tribals under Mahato
had a free run for nine months with the police withdrawing from the camps, before
the paramilitary troops recaptured Lalgarh from the Maoists who were fuelling
the tribal agitations.
