An additional six companies of paramilitary forces were on Thursday deployed in Maoist-hit Lalgarh-Jhargram areas in West Midnapore on the same day as Maoist leader Kishenji said they were ready for talks with the government provided a ceasefire was announced alongwith withdrawal of paramilitary forces. The additional forces will take part in the joint operations going on in Lalgarh and adjoining areas.

Security has also been beefed up as a precautionary measure ahead of a two-day visit of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Banerjee to the area, beginning November 7. He is expected to announce a Rs 1,600-crore development package for the region.

At present 17 companies of paramilitary forces, mostly the BSF and CRPF, are deployed in Lalgarh. This is apart from 17 companies of state armed forces, including state armed police, a contingent of the Special Operations Group of the CID and special anti-Naxal CoBRA commandos from Orissa.

Speaking to the local media on Thursday, Maoist leader Kishenji stated that they were ready for talks with the Union government if there was a ceasefire and forces were withdrawn from the area. “The process of talks can only begin if there is a ceasefire on both sides,” he said. “The Centre is killing innocent people in the name of tackling Maoists and they are asking us to abjure violence, which is ridiculous.”

Incidentally, the deployment of the forces also coincided with a meeting called by Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi with Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakrabarti, seeking a report on the situation in Lalgarh. Sources said the Governor was briefed on the sequence of events since the joint operations began in Lalgarh in June. Leader of the Opposition Partha Chatterjee of the Trinamool also called on the Governor over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.

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