Even as the State leadership of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) alleged an understanding between the Trinamool Congress and the Maoists to incite terror and create anarchy in parts of West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee questioned here on Wednesday the efficacy of the joint security operations against the Maoists in the Lalgarh region.
Referring to the attack by Maoists on Sankrail thana in the State’s Paschim Medinipur district on Tuesday in which two policemen were killed and the officer-in-charge abducted, Ms. Banerjee said the occurrence of such an incident at a time when joint security operations are on, begs the question of what is there to “gain or lose in such operations.”
“Even though law and order is a State subject, the Centre should investigate into why such incidents are occurring at a time when joint security operations are underway,” Ms. Banerjee said.
Such killings and violence were a threat to democracy and the democratic structure, Biman Bose, Secretary of the West Bengal State Committee of the CPI(M) said.
“It is now clear as daylight that the killing of individuals and the creating of terror in the State is being perpetrated on the basis of an understanding between the Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India (Maoist),” Mr. Bose said in a statement.
The State government will also have to take the initiative to free the abducted officer-in-charge of the Sankrail thana as well as two other policemen who were kidnapped a few months ago, he said .
He appealed to the “peace-loving, democratic-minded people” of the State to join in a campaign “to isolate the forces of anarchy and terror.”
“We are shocked at whatever is happening in different parts of the State,” Ms. Banerjee said while commenting on the incident at Sankrail thana.
“When a joint venture [joint security operations] is going on within this part of the State [Lalgarh and its adjoining areas] the police should have taken more care. I am sorry that the people are helpless in this region when in the name of so-called Maoists other arms are abundant there,” she said.
