No aid for Naxals’ victims as Bengal sits on UAPA

The administration of the three Naxal-hit districts of West Midnapore,Purulia and Bankura are unable to press the demand for compensation to be given to the kin of victims because a circular recently sent by the Centre to the state clearly says relief can be disbursed only if the state government bans the Maoists and their frontal outfits under the UAPA.

Under the central scheme,for assistance to the victims of terrorist and communal violence,a sum of Rs 3 lakh can be provided to the next of kin of the persons who have died or have become permanently incapacitated.

A senior home department official said,“We have received a circular from the Centre stating the kin of the persons killed in Naxal violence can be provided with the financial assistance. However,the state has to first notify the Maoists and their frontal organisations as terrorists and ban them under the UAPA. But the state government is not yet ready to do so for political compulsions.”

The official said in the guidelines of the scheme,a terrorist attack is categorised as “militancy and insurgency-related violence (Ref. Act Section 15 UAPA,1967,as amended in 2004).

As per police records,more than 150 were killed last year in Maoist violence in West Midnapore,Purulia and Bankura,of which around 130 are CPM men. More than 60 people were abducted.

“What more the state government wants to declare Maoists as terrorists? It has data that two persons have been killed daily on an average in the three districts since January,2009. Records say in 2007-08,more than 100 persons were killed by the Maoists. We are yet to compensate their families also,” said the home ministry official.

The Centre’s circular about the financial assistance to the victims’ kin was sent to the district magistrates of the three districts around three months ago but no application for financial aid could be made as the state has yet to notify UAPA.

“We were told about the Centre’s policy. But I cannot comment on the government’s stand. However,we are requesting it to issue the notification so that we can compensate the victims’ family,” said West Midnapore DM N S Nigam.

Sukkhamai Mondal,ADM (general) in Purulia had similar sentiments. “We are in dark about how to proceed. Today,we will have a meeting with Home Secretary and ask him about the issue.”

Meanwhile,state DGP Bhupindar Singh said,“We will discuss the matter with state government though I cannot comment on its policy on the notification. But we have asked the SPs of the three districts to make a documentation on the old cases of 2007-08,during which 100 people were killed. We will compensate the family of the victims soon.”

Arms cache recovered from near Lalgarh,no arrests made

The police seized a huge cache of arms and explosives from a house at Jamda near Lalgarh in West Midnapore district on Saturday. However,no arrests have been made,police said.

Manoj Verma,SP,west Midnapore,said,“After a specific input,we raided a house at Jamda. We have seized a good number of weapons and explosives,including four single-barrel guns,a double-barrel gun,nine rounds of bullets,11 cartridges,a shot gun and six country-made bombs.”

Since June 18 when the joint operations began,61 weapons,along with 120 land mine,were recovered from the Jhargram-Lalgarh area,Verma said. He said since the operation began,police arrested 370 Maoists and their linkmen.

According to Verma,this year 120 people in west Midnapore district were killed by Maoists of which 107 people were killed after the operation began.

—ENS