Security increased in Junglemahal for CM visit

7 August 2012

biswabrata goswami
JHARGRAM, 7 AUG: The Jhargram district police has beefed up security across Junglemahal on the eve of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Belpahari in here tomorrow, as Central and state Intelligence agencies have suggested the possibility of a Maoist attack on VVIPs, including the chief minister.
A few days ago, the state police had warned the chief minister and senior party leaders along with ministers of the state Cabinet against travelling at night, apprehending that Maoists might try to kidnap them in order to free top Maoist leaders who have been arrested.
Senior police officials today held a meeting to review the security arrangements for Miss Banerjee. An advance security liaison meeting involving the state police, Intelligence agencies, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Counter-Insurgency Force (CIF) authorities was held on Sunday.
A senior police officer said that although there was no violence in the past few days in Junglemahal, elaborate arrangements are being made. “Besides local police, companies of CRPF and CIF are being roped in for security purposes. Police personnel who underwent commando training are being deployed at vantage points along the jungle stretch through which the chief minister will travel to Belpahari from Jhargram tomorrow,” he said.
Security forces have intensified patrols, with some entering on motorcycles in interior places in the hilly forested areas of Belpahari, Banshpahari and Kankrajhore.
“Security forces have already completed their area domination work and some vulnerable areas where Maoists may hide have already been dominated by the security forces,” said Mr Alok Rajoria, additional superintendent of police, Jhargram.
Mr Rajoria said: “We have arranged two/three-tier security for the VVIPs. All  areas bordering Jharkhand and Odisha have already been ‘sealed’ in the presence of DIG (Midnapore range) Mr Lakshmi Narayan Meena. The security forces are also conducting operation in the bordering areas to check any type of infiltration of rebels.”
The checking of IEDs along the chief minister’s route and its surrounding areas has already been completed, Mr Rajoria said.
Another security official said: “Central Intelligence agencies have found booklets and hand-written slogans in various vernacular languages after the arrest of Maoist leaders from various parts of the country. The messages and slogans in them are more or less the same.”
The letter quoted one such message: “Mamata Banerjee and her party leaders will not escape the death penalty from the hands of the public as they failed to withdraw security forces from Junglemahal as they had promised before the polls.” The letter was found from Malkangiri district in Odisha a few days ago.