Poll panel team tours Maoist hotbeds in Bengal

KOLKATA - A high-level team of Election Commission observers Thursday assessed the law and order situation in various politically troubled areas in poll-bound West Bengal, including Maoist-affected Lalgarh area which saw a flare up in violence earlier this month.

On the fourth day of their trip to the state, the six observers divided themselves into groups and visited Jhargram and Lalgarh in West Midnapore district, Tarakeshwar, Purshura and Goghat in Hoogly district and Basanti and Netra in South 24 Parganas district.

The group comprising National Crime Record Bureau’s (NCRB) Joint Director P.R.K. Naidu and Andhra Pradesh’s Deputy Inspector General of Police (Intelligence Bureau) B. Shivadhar Reddy, after spending Wednesday night at West Midnapore district, met the district magistrate and senior police officers early Thursday morning before going to Jhargram.

In Jhargram, known to be a Maoist hotbed, the duo held a meeting with the sub-divisional officer and top police officers for over two hours. Delegations from the Trinamool Congress and the Congress met the observers and submitted suggestions.

Later, the team members went to Lalgarh accompanied by police officers and held a meeting at a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp.

Bihar’s Chief Electoral Officer Sudhir Kumar Rakesh rushed to West Midnapore in the morning and held another round of meeting with the district officials before heading for Lalgarh.

Accompanied by Naidu and Reddy, Rakesh visited Netai Village, where nine people were killed and at least 17 others were injured Jan 7 in firing allegedly triggered by people sheltered in an armed camp run by the state’s ruling Left Front major Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

In Netai Village, they interacted with the villagers and listened to their grievances. The observers then visited the house where attackers were said to have been sheltered. They surveyed the bullet marks and blood stains on the walls of the building opposite the house.

Trinamool Congress’ Salboni unit president Nepal Singh submitted suggestions to the visiting observers and urged them to conduct a free and fair election.

The observers assured them that the election will be conducted in a much better way.

Complaining that they have no faith in the state police, the villagers asked the team to set up a CRPF camp in the area and dismantle armed camps of the CPI-M.

The observers then toured several villages of Lalgarh, where the locals requested them to set up poll booths in their villages.

Meanwhile, NCRB’s Deputy Director Zaki Ahmad went to South 24 Parganas and held discussions with District Magistrate N.S. Nigam and Superintendent of Police L.N. Meena.

Ahmad went to interiors of the district, including Basanti and Netra villages, asking people whether they could vote in the previous elections and if they were victims of political atrocities.

Villagers were found surrounding Ahmad and telling him about violence sponsored by both CPI-M and Trinamool. District officials had to intervene to pacify the crowd.

In Netra bazaar, where several shops were torched following a political clash and many villagers were forced to stay away, the observer asked the people about the present situation.

Another visiting group comprising Jharkhand Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) D.K. Pandey and Orissa Deputy Inspector General (Special Auxiliary Police) P.S. Ranpise went to Tarakeshwar, Goghat and Pursura in Hooghly, which has witnessed recurring clashes between activists of the ruling Marxists and the main opposition Trinamool.

In Hooghly, the observers witnessed clashes in several places between the Trinamool Congress and CPI-M leaders and supporters, over submitting representations to them.

A senior state government official said: “On the fourth day of their tour, the observers experienced clashes in several places between the political parties who assembled to submit their suggestions. Following the incidents, the security of the observers has been strengthened. At least 20 policemen have been deployed for each group.”