Operation Lalgarh begins,‘human walls’ stormed

In Kolkata,home secretary Ardhendu Sen said central forces would move into Lalgarh from other directions as well,and would be provided with air cover,if necessary,tomorrow.

Resistance from the Maoists and local people was less virulent than expected on Thursday. As the forces moved in,the first human barricades scattered easily,and a few sporadic retaliatory attacks followed.

The stiffest resistance came at Piarkhuli,about four km from Pirakata and 14 km from Lalgarh — here,the forces were fired upon from multiple directions. In return,the security forces lobbed several tear gas shells,but did not retaliate with bullets. The extreme caution they were exercising — in stark contrast to Nandigram where police firing resulted in multiple deaths — was evident.

A second marked difference was that the state government did not try today to sideline the central forces — in Lalgarh,unlike in Nandigram,central and Bengal forces operated in tandem as a cohesive force.

After taking control of Piarkhuli,the CRPF carried out a combing operation. The march to Lalgarh was stopped here for the day,at around 6.30 pm.

The first “human wall”,comprising hundreds of tribals armed with batons,axes,spears,bows and arrows,challenged the security forces at Maledah village,about two km from the Pirakata police outpost where the forces had set up an operational base.

There was no aggression from the crowd,however — hardly a brick was thrown. As appeals to lift the blockade went out over loudspeakers,they stood silent and defiant. The security forces then lobbed tear gas shells,and finally charged forward with lathis.

For the next half an hour,a contingent of the West Bengal Armed Police went berserk in the village,smashing doors,pulling out inmates and assaulting them mercilessly. Women,children and the infirm were not spared.

Journalists following the march were targeted as well. CRPF and State Armed Police personnel thrashed at least six photojournalists on the spot,including Shubham Datta,Principal Photographer of The Indian Express. A CRPF jawan who chased Datta shouted,“Cameras down! No shots of policemen beating villagers! Where were you when the PCPA and Maoists were targeting us?”

Dulki Roy,a 48-year-old woman,said armed policemen had rushed into her house and pulled out her ailing,23-yera-old son Sukumar,raining lathi blows on him. Dulki had tried to shield him,and was assaulted as well. Sukumar told The Indian Express: “One of the policemen tried to tell his colleagues that I was innocent and should be spared. But they did not listen to him.”

From his hideout near Lalgarh,Maoist leader Kishanji told reporters,“Let the force move in,they do not know what is in store for them in Lalgarh.”

Chhatradhar Mahato,leader of the People’s Committee against Police Atrocities,said the PCPA’s “organizational set up was new in Maledah,one reason why the resistance there was not adequate. But the forces will realize the power of the people as they get closer to Lalgarh.”

“We will not retreat,there is no question,” Mahato said.

The PCPA and Maoists have cut up the road and blocked it with felled trees at several places,and the security forces were expecting up to 100 large roadblocks before they reached Lalgarh.

West Bengal DGP Sujit Kumar Sarkar announced the start of “the operations at Lalgarh” in Kolkata. “The operations are being conducted by the police assisted by central forces,” he said. Chief Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakraborty said,“The police have been sent to Lalgarh to restore peace and rule of law and to protect lives of innocent people.”

The operations began after villagers in Goaltore,about 25 km from Jhargram,discovered the bodies of Dubraj Soren (62),his son Dasarath (32),uncle Chaitanya Soren (65) and CPI(M) Pindboni local commitee secretary Badal Ahil (55) buried in a forest.

All four had been picked up from Pingboni village by a 50-member Maoist squad at around 2 am on Wednesday.