Guns fall silent,CoBRAs slink ahead

IG (law and order) Raj Kanojia,however,said the operation was still underway,claiming that tangible results could be expected beginning Wednesday. “No outsiders will be allowed to enter Lalgarh and surrounding areas. Already,Section 144 has been imposed in the area and 20 companies of paramilitary forces are present there,” Kanojia said.

Stopped short of destination Lalgarh,intellectuals reacted sharply to the state’s move. “This is a sham of democracy. Why can’t we go in? I have heard that when Aparna Sen and Saonli Mitra entered Lalgarh recently,police slapped cases against them for violating Section 144,” an enraged Mukherjee said.

Though guns were silent on Tuesday,senior officers from the state police and the paramilitary forces were busy holding meetings at the reclaimed Lalgarh police station,which has been turned into a base camp for security forces.

A senior officer supervising the operations said the CoBRA forces and CRPF personnel were sanitising the areas in Maoist dens to move deeper.

Meanwhile,to restrict the entry of outsiders,police have set up at least four check posts between Bhadutala and Lalgarh Road. “Apprehending that the Maoists might enter the areas boarding vehicles and disguised as media persons or traders,a thorough check was initiated by the administration,” said Samar Mitra,a senior officer of DIB (Burdwan) who is supervising the operation at Pirakata.

Not taking any chances,the police scanned all vehicles with mine-detecting equipment at the four check posts.

Meanwhile,locals agitated near the Lalgarh BDO office as relief could not be distributed due to shortage of foodgrains.

Swarup Narayan Nigam,the district magistrate of Midnapore West,and other senior officers visited the Lalgarh BDO office in a helicopter and said the office would soon start running properly. The BDO office was reopened two days back after a two month shutdown but work is yet to start properly due to staff shortage.

Nigam said the first priority would be to start the public distribution system,besides providing relief to the locals. “We have been asked to start all the schemes and projects like the NREGA,old-age pension plan and other development activities in the area very soon,” he added.

The DM said due to depletion of the stocks,distribution of relief material could not be conducted on Tuesday.

About 300 metric tonnes of foodgrain has been allotted and distribution would start on Wednesday,he said. Later in the afternoon,the staff members of the block office were air-dropped at Lalgarh using Army helicopters.