‘Maoists quieter than before’

The situation in Maoist-affected regions in West Bengal is quieter than before, said a senior CRPF official here on Friday.

Asked if Maoists were trying to regroup in regions in the State where they were once powerful, Inspector General of the West Bengal Sector, CRPF, Vivek Sahay said, “I cannot say that they are not trying to regroup. Today, the situation is much quieter.

He was speaking on the sidelines of an event to mark the completion of 75 years of the CRPF.

Maoist leaders are being spotted, but very surreptitiously, he added. There has been a move by the Ministry of Home Affairs to remove CRPF companies which are presently deployed in States affected by Left Wing extremism, he said.

Asked if Maoists were trying to get in touch with villagers, Mr. Sahay said: “The instance of Maoists talking to villagers is not critical.”

A year since its announcement, Bengal got its first dedicated all-women’s CRPF battalion, the third such battalion in the country.

The women’s battalion is headquartered at Rajarhat in the city’s north-eastern fringes.