The Hindu : National : Lalgarh cut off after violence

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Wednesday, Feb 04, 2009
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National

Lalgarh cut off after violence

Marcus Dam

KOLKATA: Road blocks were put up on Tuesday at several places by a section of the tribal population in Lalgarh area in West Bengal, virtually cutting it off from the rest of Paschim Medinipur district. On Monday, three persons were killed in violence there.

Leaders of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities – a resistance group set up in November 2008 to protest against alleged police excesses on local people – have claimed that the victims, all tribals, were their supporters.

The obstructions on the roads leading to the area, where the Maoists have a presence, will remain for an indefinite period as part of the committee’s protest against what it alleges an attack on their supporters at Ramgarh in Lalgarh by activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) with the connivance of the police on Monday.

The committee spearheaded a month-long agitation in November-December 2008 against alleged police excesses on local villagers that rendered large parts of Lalgarh inaccessible to the civil and police administration. Shortly after the stir – that had the support of the Maoists – was withdrawn, its leaders called for a boycott of the police in the region until an unconditional apology was made for the excesses committed.

Parts of Lalgarh have remained out of bounds to the police since then. The police were absent during Monday’s violence in Ramgarh that involved two groups when a funeral procession of a local CPI(M) leader, who was shot dead the day before, was on its way to the crematorium. Maoists are suspected to be behind the murder.

The committee leaders said the boycott of the police would continue. Road blocks would be set up at new places to make areas beyond Lalgarh inaccessible to the “police as well as supporters of the CPI(M).”

They also have called a 48-hour bandh from Wednesday across Paschim Medinipur and its adjoining districts – Purulia and Bankura – in protest against the Monday’s violence. The Communist Party of India (Maoist) has also called a 24 bandh in the three districts on Thursday. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee will be visiting Ramgarh on Wednesday.

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