West Bengal police to sniff out Maoists from Lalgarh before polls

September 30th, 2009 KOLKATA - A Maoist sponsored 48-hour shutdown disrupted normal life in West Bengal on Wednesday. Shops, educational institutions and business establishments remained closed in Jangalmahal area of West Midnapore district.

August 21st, 2009 LALGARH - A landmine blast and road blockades marked third day of shutdown call by Maoists in West Bengal. Maoists gave an indefinite shutdown call on Tuesday in West Medinipur, Bankura and Purulia districts of the state, demanding withdrawal of security forces from Lalgarh and protesting alleged police excesses on villagers in tribal dominated areas.

August 18th, 2009 KOLKATA - An indefinite shutdown called by Maoists to protest police excesses began in the three tribal-dominated West Bengal districts of Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore Tuesday. The shutdown is supported by the People's Committee against Police Atrocity (PCAPA) that is also demanding the withdrawal of troops from troubled Lalgarh.

July 24th, 2009 KOLKATA - A police official was abducted by a group of suspected Maoists Friday evening in the troubled Lalgarh region of West Bengal, following which a gun battle ensued between the rebels and security personnel, police said. "We came to know that a policeman was abducted by a group of Maoists in Lalgarh-Ramgarh region.

June 29th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has told his Cabinet colleagues that his government would not indiscriminately use the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, under which the Centre banned the Communist Party of India (Maoists). PWD Minister Khiti Goswami has quoted Buddhadeb as saying at a meeting of the Cabinet Core Committee formed to tackle the Maoists problem in the state.

June 26th, 2009 LALGARH J - The security forces today started fresh offensive operation to flush out the Maoist activists from the trouble hit Lalgarh in West Midnapore District of West Bengal. The joint operation by the paramilitary forces and the West Bengal State Police against the Maoists in Lalgarh area has entered the ninth day.

June 24th, 2009 KOLKATA - West Bengal government on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of any talks with the People's Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA), which is believed to have a strong link with Maoists in Lalgarh, until they surrender their arms and end the terror unleashed in the area. West Bengal's Chief Secretary, Ashok Mohan Chakraborty, said in Lalgarh that members of the PCPA were equipped with sophisticated arms and unless they surrendered them in order to create a conducive atmosphere, talks could not be held.

June 22nd, 2009 MEDINIPUR - Normal life was affected in Medinipur region of West Bengal, as vehicular traffic, shops, schools and colleges were all affected due to the 48-hour Bandh call given by the Maoists, as a mark of protest against the security forces's action in Lalgarh. "Maoists have called for the shutdown because of the atrocities on them and we read about it newspapers and saw it on televisions.

June 22nd, 2009 KOLKATA - Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Monday accused West Bengal's ruling Left Front of being in cahoots with the Maoists saying the Communists had used the rebels to win the polls in the western districts. "The Left used Maoists to rig the elections and now they are saying Maoists helped the Trinamool.

June 20th, 2009 LALGARH - Security forces in West Bengal's Midnapore on Saturday declared to have regained control over the troubled Lalgarh area of West Bengal. According to Director General Of Police, Midnapore, Praveen Kumar, they have regained control of Lalgarh, which was captured by Maoist rebels in one of the most brazen attacks in recent years.

June 19th, 2009 PIRAKATA - Fear stalks the villagers trapped in the exchange of fire between the security forces and the Maoist rebels who declared Lalgarh region of West Bengal 'liberated zone'. The gun battle between the paramilitary troops and the Maoists caused unease amongst the residents of Pirakata village, 18 kilometres from Lalgarh, and from where the security personnel launched their operation against the rebels.

June 18th, 2009 LALGARH - The West Bengal Police, supported by central paramilitary forces, initiated the operation to flush out Maoist from Lalgarh in West Midnapore District of West Bengal. It was the forth day, since the red brigade captured nearly fifty villages in and around Lalgarh, which is nearly 150 Km from the state capital Kolkatta, and declared it as the liberated zone.

June 17th, 2009 Lalgarh (West Bengal) (ANI): The Maoist have blocked access to Lalgarh in West Bengal putting up a three tier human shield, including women and children to prevent entry of central paramilitary forces, who are planning free the area from them. According to police sources, the Maoists have formed a three-tier human shield with women and children in the vanguard, men behind them and armed naxals at the rearguard.

April 4th, 2009 KOLKATA - A group of residents in West Bengal's tribal-dominated Lalgarh region Saturday put up two check posts to prevent the police and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) workers from entering the area. The check posts were put up by the members of the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) at Raigarh and Barotelia area of Lalgarh in West Midnapore district.

April 4th, 2009 KOLKATA - The West Bengal government will soon announce its plan of action for tribal-dominated Lalgarh region of West Midnapore district, where a group of residents put up two check posts to prevent the police and Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) workers from entering the area, a senior official said Saturday. 'We'll announce our comprehensive plan of police action in West Midnapore's Lalgarh but for that we need some more time.