Security forces reclaim Dharampur without any opposition

Saibal Gupta

Dharampur (West Bengal), July 1 (PTI) India's security
forces Wednesday recaptured this Maoist bastion, out of bounds
for police for the past eight months, in a two-pronged drive
as the tribals offered them no resistance in the fourth phase
of operations to reclaim areas held by Left wing ultras.

The security forces in their 10 km advance to
Dharampur in West Midnapore district only found felled trees
at a number of places which were cleared by the payloaders
accompanying the 10 companies, comprising around 1,000 men,
DIG (Midnapore Range) Praveen Kumar told reporters.

The Maoists backing the tribal platform People's
Committee Against Police Atrocities had torched a CPI-M office
and razed a police outpost at Dharampur on June 14.

The team from Dherua to Dharampur was led by SP Manoj
Verma and the other from Lalgarh to Dharampur by Kumar.

"This was a major target. Dharampur had been out of
bounds for the police for the past eight months," Kumar said.

Verma said police camps would be set up at Gouni and
at Dharampur.

Asked how long the operations, launched on June 19,
would continue, the DIG said, "We have specific targets. Until
the targets are achieved, the operations will continue."

The forces were accompanied by anti-landmine vehicles
and bulldozers.

Kumar interacted with villagers en route to Dharampur.
Most villagers complained that they were not getting the 6 kg
of rice provided free by the administration as they did not
have ration cards.

Assuring full cooperation, Kumar said "We are on a
social policing mission. The job of police is not to instill
fear but to make villagers realise that we are their friends.
I assurance that no injustice will be done."

The security forces reclaimed Lalgarh on June 20,
Ramgarh on June 27 and Kantapahari on June 29.
Meanwhile, five IAS officers under the reconstituted
Task Force, sent by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to
Lalgarh to assess the ground situation, visited Lalgarh,
Ramgarh and Pirakata and other areas reclaimed from the
Maoists. PTI