The Hindu : National : More police stations to tackle Maoist threat: Buddadeb

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Friday, Jun 16, 2006

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More police stations to tackle Maoist threat: Buddadeb

Special Correspondent

KOLKATA: The West Bengal Government has decided to increase the number of thanas in three districts affected by Maoist activities.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee told the Assembly on Thursday that the Government had decided to set up nine new thanas in Pashim Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura.. The administration had provided the police with sophisticated arms. The new thanas would help in strengthening security in the region and improve co-ordination between the different security forces.

On Wednesday, a Communist Party of India [Marxist] leader was shot dead by suspected militants in the Belpahari area of Paschim Midnapore.

Wednesday's killing was the first after the Assembly elections in April-May when the Maoists had called for a poll boycott and threatened attacks against the party's leaders once the Central paramilitary forces deployed for the elections were withdrawn.

Biman Bose, secretary of the CPI(M) State committee, condemned the "dastardly attack" and described it as an "an act of cowardice."

So far, 14 party leaders and workers have been killed by militants in Paschim Midnapore alone, a senior leader said.

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