Saorsa
19th June 2009, 17:42
A selection of media articles to give comrades an idea of what's happening. This is big! I plan on writing a blog post about what's happening in Lalgargh in the next week or so, but this should provide an intro to it. Basically a decent sized area of West Bengal in India (one of the states run by the 'Communist' Party of India ('Marxist'), also known as the CPM, a phoney communist party that shoots down peasants on behalf of multinationals) has risen up and thrown the CPM and the police out. Backed by the Maoist rebels, the Peoples Committee against Police Atrocities now acts as a defacto People's Government, and the Maoists are setting up village committees to give direct democratic power to the masses.
What's very interesting about this is that all the media reports have admitted that the Maoists and the PCPA enjoy mass support in the area, and have thousands of poor villagers who will back them and help them fight the state. This is really blowing up.
Villagers have formed human barricades to try and prevent troops from moving in (they were violently dispersed), CPM cadre have been slaughtered, land distribution has taken place, roads and clinics have been set up by the PCPA, and all in all the people of this area have been radicalised to an amazing degree.
With soldiers and police currently advancing on Lagarh, and the Maoist forces saying they will not leave without a fight (a sentiment echoed by thousands of villagers), this could be the next Naxalbari (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxalbari)... let's just hope it isn't the next Nandigram. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandigram_SEZ_controversy)
Maoist 'rampage' in West Bengal
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45931000/jpg/_45931812_acc93392-5f43-4fae-ba27-8d1994331ab3.jpgThe house of a communist party leader was attacked
Hundreds of Maoists backed by thousands of villagers have seized the ruling party's last stronghold in a troubled part of India's West Bengal state.
Armed rebels are reportedly patrolling roads around the village of Dharampur in the Lalgarh area after police fled. Three people were killed, reports say.
Rebels have been entrenching themselves in Lalgarh since last November and now have almost total control of the area.
Maoist-linked violence has killed 6,000 people in India over the past 20 years.
The rebels operate in more than 180 districts across east and central India and are seen as a major threat to national security. Last week more than 20 police were killed in the eastern state of Jharkand.
The Maoists say they represent the rights of landless farmhands and tribal communities.
'Ransacked'
The BBC's Amitabha Bhattasali in Calcutta said that as hundreds of workers from the state's ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), fled the Lalgarh area, Maoists claimed it as their first "liberated" zone in West Bengal.
Maoists set fire to an abandoned police post
One of the police posts was later set ablaze and the Maoists were reported to have demolished the house of a local communist leader.
"The Maoists went on a rampage yesterday in Dharampur village and ransacked our zonal secretary's home and party office before setting it on fire. Three of our men are dead and six more still missing," a CPI(M) official said.
The village of Dharampur was the last bastion for the ruling communist party in Lalgarh. Other villages in the area had been under Maoist control since November.
Our correspondent says that taking control of Lalgarh is part of a long-term plan for the Maoists.
The area encompasses vast tracts of the forests of West Midnapur, Purulia and Bankura districts of West Bengal and adjoins parts of the states of Jharkhand and Orissa.
Arrests
Lalgarh has experienced considerable unrest for a number of months.
The violence began last November when police arrested some local residents on suspicion of attempting to assassinate the chief minister of West Bengal state, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, after he narrowly escaped a landmine explosion set off by suspected Maoist rebels.
A Peoples' Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) was subsequently formed to protest against the arrests. They launched violent protests and strikes against the local police.
The police and state administration have been virtually non-existent in most of Lalgarh since then. Polling booths could not be set up for recent general elections so voters had to cast ballots outside the area.
Our correspondent says the insurgents and the CPI(M), which has been the state's dominant political force, have been fighting a turf war.
In the past few years, he says, the Maoists have extended their influence with guerrilla commanders camping in the area and providing basic military training to local youths.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8102322.stm
Urgent from Ka Frank: Indian State vs. The People of Lalgarh (http://mikeely.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/urgent-from-ka-frank-indian-state-vs-the-people-of-lalgarh/)
Posted by Mike E (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129785784) on June 18, 2009
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/tribals_burn_government_offices2.jpg?w=350People in Lalgarh burn offices of hated officials
Help circulate and cross-post this.
By Ka Frank
The Indian state is mobilizing its forces to crush the just struggle of the tribal people of Lalgarh, West Bengal. In the last 24 hours, West Bengal’s state police and 11 companies of Central paramilitary forces have started to move towards Lalgarh.
In November 2008, the tribal people (adivasis) of Lalgarh rose up against decades of abuse by the police and goons of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the ruling party in West Bengal. This is the same phoney “communist” party that has tried to give away peasants’ lands in Nandigram and Singur, only to be beaten back and exposed by determined struggle.
In recent years, thousands of adivasis in the Lalgarh area have been imprisoned on false charges of having ties with the Maoist insurgency. They formed the People’s Committee against Police Atrocities, which has extended its influence to 1,100 villages in the region. Led by the People’s Committee, the adivasis have driven the police and CPM cadre out of the area, burning down police camps and digging up roads to prevent the state authorities from re-entering. Activists of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) have played a leading role in the People’s Committee and in extending the struggle into new areas.
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/jhargram_west_bengal_india-map2.jpg?w=190&h=190This is a critical battle for the Indian people and for people around the world. Our voices must be raised against the preparations of the West Bengal state and the central government to drown the struggle in blood.
* * * * * * * *
The following are from the Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ops-begin-to-free-Lalgarh-from-Maoists/articleshow/4670043.cms):
Security Forces Begin Ops to Free Lalgarh from Maoists
18 Jun 2009 — Security forces have moved into the restive Lalgarh region to end the three-day siege of Maoists, who have gone on a rampage targeting CPI(M) cadres and leaders, destroying their homes and party offices and setting up barricades to block police entry.
Fifty villages in and around Lalgarh in West Midnapore district have been captured and declared a ‘free zone’ by Maoists.
Setting up their base camps around Lalgarh, central forces along with state police began closing in on Lalgarh early on Thursday morning. Four to five base camps at strategic locations have been set up with the objective not to concede any more areas to the Maoists. Maoists have formed a three-tier human shield with women and children in the vanguard, men behind them and armed naxals forming the rearguard, according to a senior police officer. Sources say the forces want to minimize casualties and will thus move slowly.
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/jhargram_west_bengal_india-map.jpg?w=170&h=178“Operation at Lalgarh has started this morning. The operation will be mainly done by the state police but we will be adequately assisted by the Central forces,” West Bengal DGP Sujit Kumar Sarkar said.
Asked about the number of forces deployed, Sarkar said the details “cannot be divulged right now”.
“But there are adequate (state) forces to restore peace and normalcy in the area. The CRPF will give adequate back up and if needed, they will actively participate,” he said over phone from Kolkata.
Agitating tribals of West Midnapore and adjoining areas have been protesting police “atrocities” on them in the wake of the landmine blast at Salboni which was believed to target the Chief Minister.
The tribals, numbering 2000 under the banner of People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, dug up roads amid reports that they were laying landmines to stop the security forces.
“We will try to shed minimum blood,” Sarkar said adding I cannot tell you the exact timeframe (of the operation).”
Five hundred CRPF personnel, including 200 personnel of the elite COBRA trained in anti-Maoist operations, have been deployed to deal with the situation.
Conceding to pressure from the Centre, the state government had ordered the police to lead the operation with assistance from the central forces.
* * * * * *
‘Our aim is to break CPM shackles’ (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Our-aim-is-to-break-CPM-shackles/articleshow/4669155.cms)
18 Jun 2009, 0307 hrs IST, Sukumar Mahato, TNN
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/tribals_burn_government_offices.jpg?w=300&h=250People burning CPIM offices in Lalgarh uprising
He is leading the Lalgarh offensive in West Midnapore district of West Bengal. Around 24 years old, he is a veteran in Maoist ranks, serving as zonal committee secretary of Communist Party of India (Maoist) for West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts. Sukumar Mahato speaks to firebrand Maoist Bikash about his party’s plans:
What are your immediate plans?
Our aim is to break the shackles that the ruling CPM has put on the people of this area. For nearly two decades, the people have not reaped the so-called benefits of parliamentary democracy. Gradually, everything began to be controlled by CPM. Its leaders even had a say in marriages and other social and personal matters.
There are many leaders against whom FIRs are pending. The police have taken no action against them. We will punish them. Those who have spent money or used political connections to avoid justice will be tried by people’s courts.
The government is preparing to strike in a major way. How will you counter this?
We have seen media reports in which government officials have spoken about bringing in Central forces, COBRA or Greyhound personnel. We are prepared for any strike. PCPA is with us. In Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts, we have set up gram committees in over 250 villages. We shall ultimately liberate Keshpur and Garbeta. The state cannot stop us by using force.
Why have you resorted to violence?
We were forced into taking up arms by the administration. When we had guns pointing at us, one can’t expect us to respond with flower petals. Violence was started by CPM. We took up arms to counter this. Many of them are educated unemployed youths. Family members of CPM leaders have got jobs that were meant for them.
Why do you target the police? Many of the constables belong to poor families.
We have appealed to the police a number of times, not to blindly follow the diktats of CPM. We have asked the police not to torture poor villagers. There are some who heeded our appeal. Those who we targeted worked at the behest of CPM and paid a price.
What is your ultimate goal?
We want public funds to be used by the people’s committee. They will be accountable for all development work done. We have already done a lot of development work in the villages. CPM talks a lot about land reforms. Anuj Pandey and his two brothers owned 40 bighas of land. We shall distribute such land among the poor.
* * * * * *
Lalgarh in West Bengal Tense, as Tribals take control of the Area (http://www.breakingnewsonline.net/2009/06/lalgarh-in-west-bengal-tense-as-tribals.html)
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/protests_in-kolkata_against_police_excesses_in_lalgarh1.jpg?w= 350&h=231Protests in Kolkata against police excesses in Lalgarh
Kolkata: The agitating tribals in Lalgarh in West Bengal continued to lay siege in the area and prevented the entry of police and para-military personnel. The CRPF personnel were not allowed to enter the area by over 2,000 angry tribals, who were protesting under the banner of People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA). The situation continued to be tense and volcanic in Lalgarh and Salboni in West Midnapore district.
The tribals are protesting against the alleged police atrocities on them after a landmine blast in Salboni in November 2008, which was targeted at Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and two former Union Ministers Ramvilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada.
The West Bengal government has urged the Centre to dispatch five more companies of CRPF to deal with the volcanic situation and recapture Lalgarh. A massive operation could be launched anytime to bring the area under government control.
The tribals backed by the Maoists, have launched an attack on top CPM leaders, forcing them to flee the area. At least 2,000 CPM workers have reportedly fled the area.
Even the police had to wind up their camps in Lalgarh, surrendering before the tribal agitation. A local CPM leader and two party supporters were killed by the Maoists on Wednesday in Bankasole near Lalgarh.
Law and order situation: Bengal now comes under Central attack
18 Jun 2009, 0124 hrs IST, TNN
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Law-and-order-situation-Bengal-now-comes-under-Central-attack/articleshow/4668390.cms
NEW DELHI: Just when its cadre are on the run in West Bengal with resurgent Maoists and Trinamool Congress having turned the table on them in
Lalgarh and Khejuri, CPM on Wednesday came under attack also from the Centre for not doing enough to tackle the deteriorating law and order situation.
In a strong riposte to the charge levelled by CPM’s Sitaram Yechury that Centre was not helpful, home ministser P Chidambaram said that the state government ought to first deploy its forces to deal with the situation. “We (central forces) are there to assist the state police. The state police must commit its own forces. I don’t know how many men they have committed in the area and what instructions they have been given. But in my talks with the chief minister, I told him that in our view the state police must be given a clear mandate and clear instructions,” suggesting that the Marxist government is reluctant to take on the Maoist challenge.
Yechury had blamed the Centre for allowing the situation to worsen. He alleged that Maoists’ move to acquire arms to achieve area domination was known to intelligence agencies.
Even though Yechury also appealed for co-ordiantion between the Centre and the state, the Maoist takeover of Lalgarh was unlikely to result in a consensus over how to deal with the threat. The fighting came a day ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meeting with CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. They are said to have a rapport, and on Wednesday the Prime Minister repeated his formulation about naxalites being the chief internal security threat. But whether the personal equation of the two leaders will help bridge the divide remained unclear because of the escalating conflict. The Prime Minister must have to reckon with his ally, Mamata Banerjee, an implacable foe of Marxists.
The Trinamool chief will be averse to the idea of organising relief for the Marxists and may get support from Congressmen in West Bengal. On Wednesday, the Left versus the Rest divide aggravated with an unsentimental Congress launching a full-scale assault on Marxists who find themselves beleaguered in their own bastion.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari called the Maoist violence a backlash against 32 years of cadre raj enforced by Marxists. “When you sow the wind you can only reap the whirlwind,” he said.
He also echoed Chidambaram’s charge of inaction against Marxists. “The Marxist regime cannot abdicate its responsibility; if it cannot run the government it should step down,” said Tiwari while contending that the “cadre raj” was marked by excesses.
Caught in a pincer attack when their political fortunes appear to ebb, the Marxists were reversing their known positions, such as those on Centre’s jurisdiction with regard to law and order which under the Constitution has been recognised as a responsibility of state governments. Marxists have not zealously supported this division of labour, but have been instrumental in fashioning the intellectual argument for limiting the role of the Centre on `law and order’. They have not been enamoured of central forces or intelligence agencies either.
On Wednesday, however, Yechury pushed for greater involvement of the Centre. “Centre and state should coordinate to get rid of the menace.” He also recalled the Prime Minister’s description of naxalites as the biggest threat.
India steps up efforts to defeat Maoist rebellion
Font Size:Decrease (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25661579-2703,00.html#)Increase (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25661579-2703,00.html#)
Print Page:Print
Amanda Hodge, South Asia correspondent | June 20, 2009
Article from: The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/)
INDIAN troops clashed with Maoists and tribal villagers in West Bengal yesterday in the second day of a major military operation to recapture a swath of the state.
As the state's Chief Minister, Buddhadheb Bhattacharya, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the security crisis, extremists were said to be planning copycat surges in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand.
More than 1000 government troops advanced into Lalgarh - the centre of unrest 130km from the West Bengali capital, Kolkata - from three points to prevent rebels arriving from Maoist strongholds in Jharkhand and Orissa.
Air force helicopters dropped leaflets on Lalgarh yesterday, appealing to tribal villagers to resist becoming human shields after Maoist leaders vowed to place women and children in the frontlines.
Security forces were met by about 3000 tribal villagers armed with spears, axes, bows and arrows in Pirakata, less than 20km from Lalgarh, on Thursday night as they advanced into rebel territory. Heavily armed Maoist rebels engaged troops in gunbattles. Local television yesterday broadcast footage of troops firing teargas and beating suspected Maoists with batons.
Lalgarh has been almost a no-go zone for police and officials since an assassination attempt on Mr Bhattacharya in November sparked brutal police reprisals and the formation of the Maoist-backed People's Committee Against Police Atrocities.
The military operation was launched after a week of unrest in which Maoists, backed by tribal villagers, seized more than a dozen villages and killed 10 officials from the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The bodies of the latest victims, four CPM workers believed kidnapped by rebels earlier in the week, were found yesterday outside Lalgarh. Police camps and party offices were burnt down during days of mob violence.
By late yesterday, police inspector general Raj Kanojia said troops had cleared roads leading into Lalgarh of obstacles and mines laid by rebels.
"We hope security forces will enter Lalgarh in a few hours," he said.
At least 12 villagers were arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Maoists, he added. Troops were accused of looting houses and brutalising locals. One villager told a television network: "Our homes have been pillaged. A six-month-old infant has been thrown into a pond by the soldiers."
West Bengal chief secretary Ashok Mohon Chakraborty said negotiations with Maoists were still an option and the government "does not want any bloodshed".
The CPM-led Left Front government has ruled West Bengal - one of India's most disadvantaged states - for the past 32 years. But it suffered an electoral routing during last month's national elections, a backlash analysts attributed to institutionalised party corruption, police and paramilitary brutality and the state's failure to capitalise on the economic growth that has lifted millions of Indians out of poverty.
While the national government sent troops to back up state forces, it has shown little sympathy for the CPM.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25661579-2703,00.html
Troops tackle Maoist rebellion in east India
10 hours ago
BHIMPUR, India (AFP) — Soldiers have moved to crush an uprising by suspected Maoist guerrillas in the Indian state of West Bengal, after the rebels took control of villages and attacked local officials.
About 1,800 state and federal troops have been deployed to quell the rebellion that began on Sunday when Maoists and tribal villagers went on the rampage against the region's ruling communists.
Police say 10 communist party activists have been killed, while police camps and party offices have also been burnt down.
Witnesses reported Maoist rebels fired on security forces who attempted to push their way into the insurgent stronghold of Lalgarh, 130 kilometres (80 miles) from the state capital Kolkata in eastern India.
Militants on Friday blew up a bridge in the nearby village of Bhimpur to ward off approaching troops, officials said, and villagers blocked all entry points into Lalgarh.
"We hope security forces will enter Lalgarh in a few hours," said police inspector general Raj Kanojia.
"More paramilitary troopers and policemen have been requisitioned."
Federal Home Minister P. Chidambaram said soldiers should "expect the unexpected" as they try to restore calm, and he stressed that Maoists, not local residents, were the security forces' target.
"The operation is to establish civil authority and re-open police stations," he said, warning that anti-insurgency operations could spread to neighbouring districts.
Officials said a dozen villagers had been arrested for throwing stones and opening fire on security forces, and soldiers used teargas and rubber bullets to disperse angry crowds.
The Maoist insurgency, which grew out of a peasant uprising in 1967, has hit more than half of India's 29 states. The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of neglected tribespeople and landless farmers.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jWzqSuU6C_SBv8kaMy_9mS4FZ8lg
India Appeals for Maoist Insurgents, Sympathizers to Engage in DialogueBy Steve Herman
New Delhi
19 June 2009
http://www.voanews.com/english/images/afp_india_bengal_paramilitary_19jun09_eng_210_1.jp gIndian paramilitary soldiers proceed towards Lalgarh in Midnapore district, some 200 kms west of Kolkata, 19 Jun 2009India's government is urging entrenched insurgents to lay down their weapons as troops advance towards them in West Bengal. The appeal comes after the federal government mobilized paramilitaries in the so-called "red corridor" in the eastern part of the country.
Operations by special paramilitary forces continue in the state of West Bengal. That is where Maoist insurgents vow not to be dislodged from territory they claim to have liberated from government control.
Border security and police forces, with a new elite anti-insurgent squad in reserve, are cautiously removing landmines as they advance into the Maoist stronghold at Lalgarh, 170 kilometers from the state capital, Kolkata.
Officials say the troops are trying to avoid civilian casualties.
The insurgents claim they have the support of 2,000 villagers who will confront troops with axes, bows and arrows.
Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram tells reporters the Maoists should hold talks with the government instead of fighting.
The home minister also chastised the media, saying it is "totally inappropriate" to use the word 'war' to refer to the operation, which began Thursday.
http://www.voanews.com/english/images/ap_india_Chidambaram_12jun09_eng_210.jpgIndian Home Minister P. Chidambaram during press conference in Srinagar, 12 Jun 2009
"Don't call it war. The government doesn't go to war against its own people. These are Indians. There is a militant organization called CPM Maoist. They may have grievances, but in a democracy there is a way to resolve those grievances," he said.
The home minister added that taking up arms and claiming to liberate zones of a state is "not the way to function in a democratic republic." He said West Bengal, which has been governed by Communists for 32 years, should ban the Maoist organization.
The Maoists are most active in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkand, Orissa and West Bengal.
It is believed there are about 20,000 rebels nationwide dedicated to Maoist ideology. But the home minister says authorities are not sure how many armed insurgents the paramilitary force is about to encounter at Lalgarh.
"How can I give a number out? They have entrenched themselves over a period of six months. I cannot give a number," he said.
The Maoists say they are fighting a Communist state government which is backed by corrupt police and local officials, intent on displacing farmers and tribal members to make way for industrial projects. http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-06-19-voa9.cfm
Taste of police after months of absence
PRONAB MONDALhttp://www.telegraphindia.com/1090619/images/19lalgar13.jpgA policeman during the operation.
(Sanat Kumar Sinha)
Lalgarh, June 18: Lalgarh villagers had expected today’s action but had no idea of its scale, having got used to living in a police-free zone for over seven months.
“We knew the central and state forces would try to enter our villages. But we had no idea what their strength would be,” said Subhas Murmu, a resident of Malida village where the combined forces faced the first human barricade of nearly 2,000 people, including women and children.
Still smarting from the police baton hits, Murmu admitted that he and many other villagers had forgotten what police action was like. “The action today on peaceful villagers has renewed our feeling of hatred towards them,” he said, although people had lined up before the police and tried to block them from proceeding towards Lalgarh.
Lalgarh and its outskirts, home to about 700 villages, had boycotted the force after the alleged police excesses in the wake of the bomb blast on the chief minister’s route in November last year. The only police activity was in camps at Pirakata and Koima; the personnel at Lalgarh police station rarely ventured out, almost staying confined to their premises.
Only four days ago, People’s Committee supporters ransacked the Koima camp, egged on by Maoists. The personnel fled.
All that changed today. The police march began from Pirakata. What didn’t change, though, was the conviction of Kamala Soren that the movement of the People’s Committee was justified.
“It was the committee that raised our voices against the torture by the police and CPM cadres for the past few decades. We were ready to put up a strong resistance. So I joined the human barricade at Pirlakhali. But I did not expect such a merciless (police) action,” the Dhenguri villager said, showing her baton bruises.
She complained that the force marching into Lalgarh had no women. “I fell on the road and managed to run away.”
Asked what her stand would be now, she said: “The next course of action will be decided by the committee leaders. We will leave it to them.”
Manju Sardar, also from Dhenguri village, said they had been preparing for the barricade since early this morning. “The committee had prepared dal, rice and vegetables. There was no cooking in our homes today. We finished our meals by 10am and then went to the barricade spot,” Manju added.
But she fled when her eyes started burning from the teargas fired at the protesters. She had never experienced teargas smoke before. “My eyes were burning and I ran into a paddy field and took refuge,” Manju said.
Most of the men had left the villages during the night, Manju said, fearing that CPM cadres might try to re-enter the villages after the police action, like party activists had done in Nandigram.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090619/jsp/bengal/story_11132127.jsp
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090619/jsp/frontpage/story_11132176.jsp
Check out the link above for a diagram/comic strip thing that details how the police
brutally attacked and dispersed the human barricade formed by locals to try and prevent
the thugs from entering.
What's very interesting about this is that all the media reports have admitted that the Maoists and the PCPA enjoy mass support in the area, and have thousands of poor villagers who will back them and help them fight the state. This is really blowing up.
Villagers have formed human barricades to try and prevent troops from moving in (they were violently dispersed), CPM cadre have been slaughtered, land distribution has taken place, roads and clinics have been set up by the PCPA, and all in all the people of this area have been radicalised to an amazing degree.
With soldiers and police currently advancing on Lagarh, and the Maoist forces saying they will not leave without a fight (a sentiment echoed by thousands of villagers), this could be the next Naxalbari (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naxalbari)... let's just hope it isn't the next Nandigram. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandigram_SEZ_controversy)
Maoist 'rampage' in West Bengal
http://newsimg.bbc.co.uk/media/images/45931000/jpg/_45931812_acc93392-5f43-4fae-ba27-8d1994331ab3.jpgThe house of a communist party leader was attacked
Hundreds of Maoists backed by thousands of villagers have seized the ruling party's last stronghold in a troubled part of India's West Bengal state.
Armed rebels are reportedly patrolling roads around the village of Dharampur in the Lalgarh area after police fled. Three people were killed, reports say.
Rebels have been entrenching themselves in Lalgarh since last November and now have almost total control of the area.
Maoist-linked violence has killed 6,000 people in India over the past 20 years.
The rebels operate in more than 180 districts across east and central India and are seen as a major threat to national security. Last week more than 20 police were killed in the eastern state of Jharkand.
The Maoists say they represent the rights of landless farmhands and tribal communities.
'Ransacked'
The BBC's Amitabha Bhattasali in Calcutta said that as hundreds of workers from the state's ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), fled the Lalgarh area, Maoists claimed it as their first "liberated" zone in West Bengal.
Maoists set fire to an abandoned police post
One of the police posts was later set ablaze and the Maoists were reported to have demolished the house of a local communist leader.
"The Maoists went on a rampage yesterday in Dharampur village and ransacked our zonal secretary's home and party office before setting it on fire. Three of our men are dead and six more still missing," a CPI(M) official said.
The village of Dharampur was the last bastion for the ruling communist party in Lalgarh. Other villages in the area had been under Maoist control since November.
Our correspondent says that taking control of Lalgarh is part of a long-term plan for the Maoists.
The area encompasses vast tracts of the forests of West Midnapur, Purulia and Bankura districts of West Bengal and adjoins parts of the states of Jharkhand and Orissa.
Arrests
Lalgarh has experienced considerable unrest for a number of months.
The violence began last November when police arrested some local residents on suspicion of attempting to assassinate the chief minister of West Bengal state, Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, after he narrowly escaped a landmine explosion set off by suspected Maoist rebels.
A Peoples' Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA) was subsequently formed to protest against the arrests. They launched violent protests and strikes against the local police.
The police and state administration have been virtually non-existent in most of Lalgarh since then. Polling booths could not be set up for recent general elections so voters had to cast ballots outside the area.
Our correspondent says the insurgents and the CPI(M), which has been the state's dominant political force, have been fighting a turf war.
In the past few years, he says, the Maoists have extended their influence with guerrilla commanders camping in the area and providing basic military training to local youths.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8102322.stm
Urgent from Ka Frank: Indian State vs. The People of Lalgarh (http://mikeely.wordpress.com/2009/06/18/urgent-from-ka-frank-indian-state-vs-the-people-of-lalgarh/)
Posted by Mike E (http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129785784) on June 18, 2009
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/tribals_burn_government_offices2.jpg?w=350People in Lalgarh burn offices of hated officials
Help circulate and cross-post this.
By Ka Frank
The Indian state is mobilizing its forces to crush the just struggle of the tribal people of Lalgarh, West Bengal. In the last 24 hours, West Bengal’s state police and 11 companies of Central paramilitary forces have started to move towards Lalgarh.
In November 2008, the tribal people (adivasis) of Lalgarh rose up against decades of abuse by the police and goons of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the ruling party in West Bengal. This is the same phoney “communist” party that has tried to give away peasants’ lands in Nandigram and Singur, only to be beaten back and exposed by determined struggle.
In recent years, thousands of adivasis in the Lalgarh area have been imprisoned on false charges of having ties with the Maoist insurgency. They formed the People’s Committee against Police Atrocities, which has extended its influence to 1,100 villages in the region. Led by the People’s Committee, the adivasis have driven the police and CPM cadre out of the area, burning down police camps and digging up roads to prevent the state authorities from re-entering. Activists of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) have played a leading role in the People’s Committee and in extending the struggle into new areas.
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/jhargram_west_bengal_india-map2.jpg?w=190&h=190This is a critical battle for the Indian people and for people around the world. Our voices must be raised against the preparations of the West Bengal state and the central government to drown the struggle in blood.
* * * * * * * *
The following are from the Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Ops-begin-to-free-Lalgarh-from-Maoists/articleshow/4670043.cms):
Security Forces Begin Ops to Free Lalgarh from Maoists
18 Jun 2009 — Security forces have moved into the restive Lalgarh region to end the three-day siege of Maoists, who have gone on a rampage targeting CPI(M) cadres and leaders, destroying their homes and party offices and setting up barricades to block police entry.
Fifty villages in and around Lalgarh in West Midnapore district have been captured and declared a ‘free zone’ by Maoists.
Setting up their base camps around Lalgarh, central forces along with state police began closing in on Lalgarh early on Thursday morning. Four to five base camps at strategic locations have been set up with the objective not to concede any more areas to the Maoists. Maoists have formed a three-tier human shield with women and children in the vanguard, men behind them and armed naxals forming the rearguard, according to a senior police officer. Sources say the forces want to minimize casualties and will thus move slowly.
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/jhargram_west_bengal_india-map.jpg?w=170&h=178“Operation at Lalgarh has started this morning. The operation will be mainly done by the state police but we will be adequately assisted by the Central forces,” West Bengal DGP Sujit Kumar Sarkar said.
Asked about the number of forces deployed, Sarkar said the details “cannot be divulged right now”.
“But there are adequate (state) forces to restore peace and normalcy in the area. The CRPF will give adequate back up and if needed, they will actively participate,” he said over phone from Kolkata.
Agitating tribals of West Midnapore and adjoining areas have been protesting police “atrocities” on them in the wake of the landmine blast at Salboni which was believed to target the Chief Minister.
The tribals, numbering 2000 under the banner of People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, dug up roads amid reports that they were laying landmines to stop the security forces.
“We will try to shed minimum blood,” Sarkar said adding I cannot tell you the exact timeframe (of the operation).”
Five hundred CRPF personnel, including 200 personnel of the elite COBRA trained in anti-Maoist operations, have been deployed to deal with the situation.
Conceding to pressure from the Centre, the state government had ordered the police to lead the operation with assistance from the central forces.
* * * * * *
‘Our aim is to break CPM shackles’ (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Our-aim-is-to-break-CPM-shackles/articleshow/4669155.cms)
18 Jun 2009, 0307 hrs IST, Sukumar Mahato, TNN
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/tribals_burn_government_offices.jpg?w=300&h=250People burning CPIM offices in Lalgarh uprising
He is leading the Lalgarh offensive in West Midnapore district of West Bengal. Around 24 years old, he is a veteran in Maoist ranks, serving as zonal committee secretary of Communist Party of India (Maoist) for West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts. Sukumar Mahato speaks to firebrand Maoist Bikash about his party’s plans:
What are your immediate plans?
Our aim is to break the shackles that the ruling CPM has put on the people of this area. For nearly two decades, the people have not reaped the so-called benefits of parliamentary democracy. Gradually, everything began to be controlled by CPM. Its leaders even had a say in marriages and other social and personal matters.
There are many leaders against whom FIRs are pending. The police have taken no action against them. We will punish them. Those who have spent money or used political connections to avoid justice will be tried by people’s courts.
The government is preparing to strike in a major way. How will you counter this?
We have seen media reports in which government officials have spoken about bringing in Central forces, COBRA or Greyhound personnel. We are prepared for any strike. PCPA is with us. In Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore districts, we have set up gram committees in over 250 villages. We shall ultimately liberate Keshpur and Garbeta. The state cannot stop us by using force.
Why have you resorted to violence?
We were forced into taking up arms by the administration. When we had guns pointing at us, one can’t expect us to respond with flower petals. Violence was started by CPM. We took up arms to counter this. Many of them are educated unemployed youths. Family members of CPM leaders have got jobs that were meant for them.
Why do you target the police? Many of the constables belong to poor families.
We have appealed to the police a number of times, not to blindly follow the diktats of CPM. We have asked the police not to torture poor villagers. There are some who heeded our appeal. Those who we targeted worked at the behest of CPM and paid a price.
What is your ultimate goal?
We want public funds to be used by the people’s committee. They will be accountable for all development work done. We have already done a lot of development work in the villages. CPM talks a lot about land reforms. Anuj Pandey and his two brothers owned 40 bighas of land. We shall distribute such land among the poor.
* * * * * *
Lalgarh in West Bengal Tense, as Tribals take control of the Area (http://www.breakingnewsonline.net/2009/06/lalgarh-in-west-bengal-tense-as-tribals.html)
http://southasiarev.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/protests_in-kolkata_against_police_excesses_in_lalgarh1.jpg?w= 350&h=231Protests in Kolkata against police excesses in Lalgarh
Kolkata: The agitating tribals in Lalgarh in West Bengal continued to lay siege in the area and prevented the entry of police and para-military personnel. The CRPF personnel were not allowed to enter the area by over 2,000 angry tribals, who were protesting under the banner of People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA). The situation continued to be tense and volcanic in Lalgarh and Salboni in West Midnapore district.
The tribals are protesting against the alleged police atrocities on them after a landmine blast in Salboni in November 2008, which was targeted at Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and two former Union Ministers Ramvilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada.
The West Bengal government has urged the Centre to dispatch five more companies of CRPF to deal with the volcanic situation and recapture Lalgarh. A massive operation could be launched anytime to bring the area under government control.
The tribals backed by the Maoists, have launched an attack on top CPM leaders, forcing them to flee the area. At least 2,000 CPM workers have reportedly fled the area.
Even the police had to wind up their camps in Lalgarh, surrendering before the tribal agitation. A local CPM leader and two party supporters were killed by the Maoists on Wednesday in Bankasole near Lalgarh.
Law and order situation: Bengal now comes under Central attack
18 Jun 2009, 0124 hrs IST, TNN
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Law-and-order-situation-Bengal-now-comes-under-Central-attack/articleshow/4668390.cms
NEW DELHI: Just when its cadre are on the run in West Bengal with resurgent Maoists and Trinamool Congress having turned the table on them in
Lalgarh and Khejuri, CPM on Wednesday came under attack also from the Centre for not doing enough to tackle the deteriorating law and order situation.
In a strong riposte to the charge levelled by CPM’s Sitaram Yechury that Centre was not helpful, home ministser P Chidambaram said that the state government ought to first deploy its forces to deal with the situation. “We (central forces) are there to assist the state police. The state police must commit its own forces. I don’t know how many men they have committed in the area and what instructions they have been given. But in my talks with the chief minister, I told him that in our view the state police must be given a clear mandate and clear instructions,” suggesting that the Marxist government is reluctant to take on the Maoist challenge.
Yechury had blamed the Centre for allowing the situation to worsen. He alleged that Maoists’ move to acquire arms to achieve area domination was known to intelligence agencies.
Even though Yechury also appealed for co-ordiantion between the Centre and the state, the Maoist takeover of Lalgarh was unlikely to result in a consensus over how to deal with the threat. The fighting came a day ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s meeting with CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. They are said to have a rapport, and on Wednesday the Prime Minister repeated his formulation about naxalites being the chief internal security threat. But whether the personal equation of the two leaders will help bridge the divide remained unclear because of the escalating conflict. The Prime Minister must have to reckon with his ally, Mamata Banerjee, an implacable foe of Marxists.
The Trinamool chief will be averse to the idea of organising relief for the Marxists and may get support from Congressmen in West Bengal. On Wednesday, the Left versus the Rest divide aggravated with an unsentimental Congress launching a full-scale assault on Marxists who find themselves beleaguered in their own bastion.
Congress spokesperson Manish Tiwari called the Maoist violence a backlash against 32 years of cadre raj enforced by Marxists. “When you sow the wind you can only reap the whirlwind,” he said.
He also echoed Chidambaram’s charge of inaction against Marxists. “The Marxist regime cannot abdicate its responsibility; if it cannot run the government it should step down,” said Tiwari while contending that the “cadre raj” was marked by excesses.
Caught in a pincer attack when their political fortunes appear to ebb, the Marxists were reversing their known positions, such as those on Centre’s jurisdiction with regard to law and order which under the Constitution has been recognised as a responsibility of state governments. Marxists have not zealously supported this division of labour, but have been instrumental in fashioning the intellectual argument for limiting the role of the Centre on `law and order’. They have not been enamoured of central forces or intelligence agencies either.
On Wednesday, however, Yechury pushed for greater involvement of the Centre. “Centre and state should coordinate to get rid of the menace.” He also recalled the Prime Minister’s description of naxalites as the biggest threat.
India steps up efforts to defeat Maoist rebellion
Font Size:Decrease (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25661579-2703,00.html#)Increase (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25661579-2703,00.html#)
Print Page:Print
Amanda Hodge, South Asia correspondent | June 20, 2009
Article from: The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/)
INDIAN troops clashed with Maoists and tribal villagers in West Bengal yesterday in the second day of a major military operation to recapture a swath of the state.
As the state's Chief Minister, Buddhadheb Bhattacharya, met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the security crisis, extremists were said to be planning copycat surges in the neighbouring state of Jharkhand.
More than 1000 government troops advanced into Lalgarh - the centre of unrest 130km from the West Bengali capital, Kolkata - from three points to prevent rebels arriving from Maoist strongholds in Jharkhand and Orissa.
Air force helicopters dropped leaflets on Lalgarh yesterday, appealing to tribal villagers to resist becoming human shields after Maoist leaders vowed to place women and children in the frontlines.
Security forces were met by about 3000 tribal villagers armed with spears, axes, bows and arrows in Pirakata, less than 20km from Lalgarh, on Thursday night as they advanced into rebel territory. Heavily armed Maoist rebels engaged troops in gunbattles. Local television yesterday broadcast footage of troops firing teargas and beating suspected Maoists with batons.
Lalgarh has been almost a no-go zone for police and officials since an assassination attempt on Mr Bhattacharya in November sparked brutal police reprisals and the formation of the Maoist-backed People's Committee Against Police Atrocities.
The military operation was launched after a week of unrest in which Maoists, backed by tribal villagers, seized more than a dozen villages and killed 10 officials from the ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist).
The bodies of the latest victims, four CPM workers believed kidnapped by rebels earlier in the week, were found yesterday outside Lalgarh. Police camps and party offices were burnt down during days of mob violence.
By late yesterday, police inspector general Raj Kanojia said troops had cleared roads leading into Lalgarh of obstacles and mines laid by rebels.
"We hope security forces will enter Lalgarh in a few hours," he said.
At least 12 villagers were arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Maoists, he added. Troops were accused of looting houses and brutalising locals. One villager told a television network: "Our homes have been pillaged. A six-month-old infant has been thrown into a pond by the soldiers."
West Bengal chief secretary Ashok Mohon Chakraborty said negotiations with Maoists were still an option and the government "does not want any bloodshed".
The CPM-led Left Front government has ruled West Bengal - one of India's most disadvantaged states - for the past 32 years. But it suffered an electoral routing during last month's national elections, a backlash analysts attributed to institutionalised party corruption, police and paramilitary brutality and the state's failure to capitalise on the economic growth that has lifted millions of Indians out of poverty.
While the national government sent troops to back up state forces, it has shown little sympathy for the CPM.
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25661579-2703,00.html
Troops tackle Maoist rebellion in east India
10 hours ago
BHIMPUR, India (AFP) — Soldiers have moved to crush an uprising by suspected Maoist guerrillas in the Indian state of West Bengal, after the rebels took control of villages and attacked local officials.
About 1,800 state and federal troops have been deployed to quell the rebellion that began on Sunday when Maoists and tribal villagers went on the rampage against the region's ruling communists.
Police say 10 communist party activists have been killed, while police camps and party offices have also been burnt down.
Witnesses reported Maoist rebels fired on security forces who attempted to push their way into the insurgent stronghold of Lalgarh, 130 kilometres (80 miles) from the state capital Kolkata in eastern India.
Militants on Friday blew up a bridge in the nearby village of Bhimpur to ward off approaching troops, officials said, and villagers blocked all entry points into Lalgarh.
"We hope security forces will enter Lalgarh in a few hours," said police inspector general Raj Kanojia.
"More paramilitary troopers and policemen have been requisitioned."
Federal Home Minister P. Chidambaram said soldiers should "expect the unexpected" as they try to restore calm, and he stressed that Maoists, not local residents, were the security forces' target.
"The operation is to establish civil authority and re-open police stations," he said, warning that anti-insurgency operations could spread to neighbouring districts.
Officials said a dozen villagers had been arrested for throwing stones and opening fire on security forces, and soldiers used teargas and rubber bullets to disperse angry crowds.
The Maoist insurgency, which grew out of a peasant uprising in 1967, has hit more than half of India's 29 states. The rebels say they are fighting for the rights of neglected tribespeople and landless farmers.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jWzqSuU6C_SBv8kaMy_9mS4FZ8lg
India Appeals for Maoist Insurgents, Sympathizers to Engage in DialogueBy Steve Herman
New Delhi
19 June 2009
http://www.voanews.com/english/images/afp_india_bengal_paramilitary_19jun09_eng_210_1.jp gIndian paramilitary soldiers proceed towards Lalgarh in Midnapore district, some 200 kms west of Kolkata, 19 Jun 2009India's government is urging entrenched insurgents to lay down their weapons as troops advance towards them in West Bengal. The appeal comes after the federal government mobilized paramilitaries in the so-called "red corridor" in the eastern part of the country.
Operations by special paramilitary forces continue in the state of West Bengal. That is where Maoist insurgents vow not to be dislodged from territory they claim to have liberated from government control.
Border security and police forces, with a new elite anti-insurgent squad in reserve, are cautiously removing landmines as they advance into the Maoist stronghold at Lalgarh, 170 kilometers from the state capital, Kolkata.
Officials say the troops are trying to avoid civilian casualties.
The insurgents claim they have the support of 2,000 villagers who will confront troops with axes, bows and arrows.
Home Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram tells reporters the Maoists should hold talks with the government instead of fighting.
The home minister also chastised the media, saying it is "totally inappropriate" to use the word 'war' to refer to the operation, which began Thursday.
http://www.voanews.com/english/images/ap_india_Chidambaram_12jun09_eng_210.jpgIndian Home Minister P. Chidambaram during press conference in Srinagar, 12 Jun 2009
"Don't call it war. The government doesn't go to war against its own people. These are Indians. There is a militant organization called CPM Maoist. They may have grievances, but in a democracy there is a way to resolve those grievances," he said.
The home minister added that taking up arms and claiming to liberate zones of a state is "not the way to function in a democratic republic." He said West Bengal, which has been governed by Communists for 32 years, should ban the Maoist organization.
The Maoists are most active in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkand, Orissa and West Bengal.
It is believed there are about 20,000 rebels nationwide dedicated to Maoist ideology. But the home minister says authorities are not sure how many armed insurgents the paramilitary force is about to encounter at Lalgarh.
"How can I give a number out? They have entrenched themselves over a period of six months. I cannot give a number," he said.
The Maoists say they are fighting a Communist state government which is backed by corrupt police and local officials, intent on displacing farmers and tribal members to make way for industrial projects. http://www.voanews.com/english/2009-06-19-voa9.cfm
Taste of police after months of absence
PRONAB MONDALhttp://www.telegraphindia.com/1090619/images/19lalgar13.jpgA policeman during the operation.
(Sanat Kumar Sinha)
Lalgarh, June 18: Lalgarh villagers had expected today’s action but had no idea of its scale, having got used to living in a police-free zone for over seven months.
“We knew the central and state forces would try to enter our villages. But we had no idea what their strength would be,” said Subhas Murmu, a resident of Malida village where the combined forces faced the first human barricade of nearly 2,000 people, including women and children.
Still smarting from the police baton hits, Murmu admitted that he and many other villagers had forgotten what police action was like. “The action today on peaceful villagers has renewed our feeling of hatred towards them,” he said, although people had lined up before the police and tried to block them from proceeding towards Lalgarh.
Lalgarh and its outskirts, home to about 700 villages, had boycotted the force after the alleged police excesses in the wake of the bomb blast on the chief minister’s route in November last year. The only police activity was in camps at Pirakata and Koima; the personnel at Lalgarh police station rarely ventured out, almost staying confined to their premises.
Only four days ago, People’s Committee supporters ransacked the Koima camp, egged on by Maoists. The personnel fled.
All that changed today. The police march began from Pirakata. What didn’t change, though, was the conviction of Kamala Soren that the movement of the People’s Committee was justified.
“It was the committee that raised our voices against the torture by the police and CPM cadres for the past few decades. We were ready to put up a strong resistance. So I joined the human barricade at Pirlakhali. But I did not expect such a merciless (police) action,” the Dhenguri villager said, showing her baton bruises.
She complained that the force marching into Lalgarh had no women. “I fell on the road and managed to run away.”
Asked what her stand would be now, she said: “The next course of action will be decided by the committee leaders. We will leave it to them.”
Manju Sardar, also from Dhenguri village, said they had been preparing for the barricade since early this morning. “The committee had prepared dal, rice and vegetables. There was no cooking in our homes today. We finished our meals by 10am and then went to the barricade spot,” Manju added.
But she fled when her eyes started burning from the teargas fired at the protesters. She had never experienced teargas smoke before. “My eyes were burning and I ran into a paddy field and took refuge,” Manju said.
Most of the men had left the villages during the night, Manju said, fearing that CPM cadres might try to re-enter the villages after the police action, like party activists had done in Nandigram.
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090619/jsp/bengal/story_11132127.jsp
http://www.telegraphindia.com/1090619/jsp/frontpage/story_11132176.jsp
Check out the link above for a diagram/comic strip thing that details how the police
brutally attacked and dispersed the human barricade formed by locals to try and prevent
the thugs from entering.