Mumbai, August 03: The spate of murders in Lalgarh and adjoining areas continues, as two CPM leaders were shot dead by Maoists even though security forces have been conducting operations in the area for a month.
The CPM branch committee secretary of Amdanga, Nirmal Mahato, was shot dead near his home early Sunday morning. The attack came barely 10 hours after CPM leader Kalipada Singh was shot dead by Maoists in Chirugora village.
A gang of 20 Maoists visited Singh’s house on Saturday night. They called him out and shot him dead. The Maoists claimed that both leaders were corrupt and were exploiting the villagers and therefore they have been given the death sentence.
The Maoists have also put up posters announcing capital punishment for six local CPM leaders in different areas including Goaltore, Midnapur Sadar, Salboni and Jhargram. The leaders included party functionaries and civic board councillors.
The posters claimed that soon a kangaroo court will be held where the fate of the leaders will be discussed. Rabi Sarkar, the CPM zonal secretary of Jhargram, figures in the list. Dozens of CPM leaders and supporters were killed last month in Lalgarh and adjoining areas by Maoists.
The Maoists also blocked the Amdanga Lalgarh Road, erecting barricades with boulders and tree trunks.
In another development, tribal leader Chhattradhar Mahato’s brother Anil was detained along with five school children by the security forces on Sunday. They are being interrogated as police believe that they may be eye-witnesses to some murders.
The state government, meanwhile, announced that the Central forces will remain in Lalgarh till normalcy is restored in the area.
“Central forces will remain there (Lalgarh) till normalcy is restored. If one cannot control neighbouring areas (Jhargarm), it will not be possible to control Lalgarh,” said chief secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborti at the Writers’ Buildings on Sunday.
Government officials said the 17 companies of Central forces stationed in Lalgarh to flush out Maoists will stay indefinitely in the area.
The two assistant sub-inspectors of the State Armed Police, Sabbir Molla and Kanchan Bauri, who were kidnapped by Maoists when they were returning to their camp at Dharampur from Lalgarh on Thursday, were still untraced despite raids in forests, police said.
–Agencies