Gunfight as security forces move towards Lalgarh

Saibal Gupta

Lalgarh/New Delhi, June 19 (PTI) A gunbattle broke out
Friday as security forces pressed ahead with its operation to
flush out Maoists from besieged Lalgarh as the tribals blew up
a bridge to stall their movement while the Indian goverment
asked them to lay down arms and sit for talks.

The shootout began as the security forces entered the
Jhitka forest and were negotiating a five km area.

Police and central forces immediately took up
position on the road and fired back, a police officer said.

Eastern state West Bengal Home Secretary Ardhandu Sen
said in Kolkata that the firing occured near Pirakata, where
the security forces Thursday overcame the tribals with batons
and teargas. The area was heavily mined and the central forces
used mine detectors to sweep areas before pushing forward.

The security forces had covered the 10 km distance
from Pirakata to Pirakuli and also moved in from adjacent
Bankura district in a pincer movement to cut off escape routes
of the Maoists.

In Delhi, Home Minister P Chidambaram said the
Maoists should lay down arms and come for talks, endorsing an
appeal made to them by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

Reports said armed tribals stopped police vehicles
on their way to Lalgarh from Pirakata and that Maoist leader
Koteshwar Rao and six others have fled to Jharkhand but there
was no official word on it.

Two IAF helicopters dropped thousands of leaflets in
Santhali and Bengali over Lalgarh urging the people not to let
themselves be used as human shields by the Maoists.

State Chief Secretary Asok Mohan Chakraborty said in
Kolkata that in addition to five companies of CRPF, the Centre
had despatched six companies of BSF for the Lalgarh operation.

"Three companies of BSF have been already deployed at
Lalgarh," he said.

With these, 11 companies of central forces have so far
been despatched by the Centre.

In Delhi, Chidambaram said police and paramilitary
personnel were moving cautiously and progress was slow.

"Progress will be slow. They (forces) are making
progress...So far, the operation is going according to plans,
but they must be prepared for the unexpected. I sincerely hope
that with the kind of action we have advised, the operation
will be successful," he said.

Reports said that Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao known as
Kishanji and six others fled to Jharkhand, but there was no
official word on it.

Home Secretary Sen said there were reports of Maoists
trying to attack reporters and urged them not to follow the
police in the area.

Earlier in the day, AK-47-toting Maoists intercepted a
group of mediapersons, forced them to alight from their
vehicles and ordered them to line up on the road at Nimtala on
the road to Lalgarh.

The Maoists who made the scribes watch them plant
landmines, alleged that security forces had committed
atrocities during their action at Pirakata Thursday.

The mediapersons were let off after 30 minutes.

"Work is on and 100 per cent sanitisation is yet to be
achieved. Threat perceptions are there and so you mediamen
should not risk your lives," Sen said.

He said an IAF helicopter made a recce of the entire
area during the day.

The state government Friday decided to provide relief
to those who lost their homes during recent incidents of arson
and loot in Lalgarh since early June.

The government has decided to send 500 tonne of rice
and Rs 10 lakh for relief for the affected. PTI SAG
AM
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