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Naxalites: West Bengal monitoring developments

By Marcus Dam

KOLKATA, JULY 22. The West Bengal Government is adopting a cautious approach to the reported willingness of the Peoples' War [PW] leadership in Andhra Pradesh to open a dialogue with the Governments in those States where the militant outfit has a presence. West Bengal is one of the States where PW members have been active in recent times.

`Instigated'

The Chief Minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, says he is following the Andhra Pradesh developments closely. He has made it clear that the extremist activity being carried out in certain West Bengal districts "by naxalites who have nothing to do with those involved in the naxalite movement of the late 1960s" is being instigated by those "from outside the State" — an obvious reference to militants sneaking in from Andhra Pradesh and Jharkhand.

Mr. Bhattacharjee has also referred to the extension of naxalite activity from Andhra Pradesh to Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal. According to the State intelligence agencies, many of the militants who have been active in parts of West Bengal are Telugu-speaking. It is in this context that the future of any negotiation with the ultras in Andhra Pradesh is of particular relevance to West Bengal.

Lull in extremist activity

There prevails, however, a lull in extremist activity now in the State's three districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura where both the Peoples' War and the Maoist Coordination Committee have bases in certain areas.

The West Bengal Government is insisting on a joint effort by police and the paramilitary forces in combating extremism and also on greater coordination and exchange of intelligence among the authorities of the different States.

At a meeting with the Union Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, during his last visit to Delhi a few days ago, Mr. Bhattacharjee reportedly reiterated the need for a strategy to check the movement of naxalites from one affected State to another.

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