Kantapahari/Calcutta: A set of tribal leaders today threatened to intensify its agitation even as another group held a meeting with the administration and promised to withdraw all roadblocks except in Lalgarh, where Maoists are calling the shots.
The People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, which is spearheading the agitation in Lalgarh and Jhargram, held a meeting with nearly 600 village heads and said the administration would have to concede all their demands. They want the police superintendent to hold his ears and apologise for the arrests and detentions since the November 2 landmine blast targeting the chief minister, and officers to crawl on the ground.
“If our 11 demands are not met, we will intensify our movement,” said Sidhu Soren, its general secretary.
About 5,000 villagers gathered on a field in Lalgarh’s Kantapahari, a Maoist hotbed, this afternoon to hear the outcome of the meeting.
District magistrate N.S. Nigam had called the other meeting with five Santhal organisations led by the Bharat Jakat Majhi Marwa in Midnapore town, about 50km away.
The highest leader of the Marwa, Nityananda Hembram, later said: “We will withdraw the blockades from other parts of Jhargram. But we’ll not speak for the Lalgarh people. We think their demands are legitimate. We want the administration to go there and speak to them directly. Our agitation against police atrocities will continue but we will withdraw the blockades.”
There are doubts, however, on how much influence these leaders have on the agitators. On November 14, Marwa leader Munshiram Murmu was beaten up when he tried to persuade a group to lift a blockade in Jhargram town.
“The movement is now being controlled by Maoists,” said Nirmal Jash, the inspector in charge of Jhargram.
“The Marwa leaders have no control on those on the ro- ads. The agitators’ initial de-mands, to release the three schoolboys held after the Salboni blast and removal of the Lalgarh inspector-in-charge, were promptly met. Now they have placed a series of absurd demands, including release of all tribals arrested in the past 10 years. They want to make Lalgarh inaccessible to the administration and create a free-zone.”
Residents said Maoists were roaming freely in Lalgarh in the absence of security forces. “A week ago, they came under the cover of darkness, sometimes wearing masks. Now, they organise campaigns during the day,” said Sundar Murmu of Bansber village.
Deputy superintendent Shyamal Ghosh, now posted at Lalgarh police station, said: “The large area that includes Belpahari, Banspahari, Lalgarh, Binpur and Shilda has become a free-zone for Maoists. We can’t go even 500 metres from the police station because of the roadblocks.”
CPI (Maoist) state secretary Kanchan said in a statement today: “We are with the people of Lalgarh. The chief minister will have to apologise in front of the people for torturing tribals in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia.”
Addressing a civic poll rally in Howrah this evening, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee accused “a section of people” of misleading the tribals. “Who is going to benefit by digging up roads and exploding mines?” he asked.
Source: The Telegraph
The People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities, which is spearheading the agitation in Lalgarh and Jhargram, held a meeting with nearly 600 village heads and said the administration would have to concede all their demands. They want the police superintendent to hold his ears and apologise for the arrests and detentions since the November 2 landmine blast targeting the chief minister, and officers to crawl on the ground.
“If our 11 demands are not met, we will intensify our movement,” said Sidhu Soren, its general secretary.
About 5,000 villagers gathered on a field in Lalgarh’s Kantapahari, a Maoist hotbed, this afternoon to hear the outcome of the meeting.
District magistrate N.S. Nigam had called the other meeting with five Santhal organisations led by the Bharat Jakat Majhi Marwa in Midnapore town, about 50km away.
The highest leader of the Marwa, Nityananda Hembram, later said: “We will withdraw the blockades from other parts of Jhargram. But we’ll not speak for the Lalgarh people. We think their demands are legitimate. We want the administration to go there and speak to them directly. Our agitation against police atrocities will continue but we will withdraw the blockades.”
There are doubts, however, on how much influence these leaders have on the agitators. On November 14, Marwa leader Munshiram Murmu was beaten up when he tried to persuade a group to lift a blockade in Jhargram town.
“The movement is now being controlled by Maoists,” said Nirmal Jash, the inspector in charge of Jhargram.
“The Marwa leaders have no control on those on the ro- ads. The agitators’ initial de-mands, to release the three schoolboys held after the Salboni blast and removal of the Lalgarh inspector-in-charge, were promptly met. Now they have placed a series of absurd demands, including release of all tribals arrested in the past 10 years. They want to make Lalgarh inaccessible to the administration and create a free-zone.”
Residents said Maoists were roaming freely in Lalgarh in the absence of security forces. “A week ago, they came under the cover of darkness, sometimes wearing masks. Now, they organise campaigns during the day,” said Sundar Murmu of Bansber village.
Deputy superintendent Shyamal Ghosh, now posted at Lalgarh police station, said: “The large area that includes Belpahari, Banspahari, Lalgarh, Binpur and Shilda has become a free-zone for Maoists. We can’t go even 500 metres from the police station because of the roadblocks.”
CPI (Maoist) state secretary Kanchan said in a statement today: “We are with the people of Lalgarh. The chief minister will have to apologise in front of the people for torturing tribals in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia.”
Addressing a civic poll rally in Howrah this evening, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee accused “a section of people” of misleading the tribals. “Who is going to benefit by digging up roads and exploding mines?” he asked.
Source: The Telegraph
No comments:
Post a Comment