Maoist menace spreads as central, state forces bicker

Union home minister P Chidambaram and chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee may have agreed to jointly combat the Maoist menace in West Bengal, but at the ground level serious differences have cropped up between central and state security forces.

The matter came to light last week when the state home department received a letter from the Union home ministry that the central paramilitary forces posted in Lalgarh had complained of lack of basic infrastructure and accommodation for jawans.

Paramilitary officers also complained of poor intelligence input from state police, making them vulnerable to Maoist ambushes.

The home department immediately ordered a probe and found that state police too had their own share of complaints. They said the central forces were reluctant to immediately respond to alerts.

They also accused the paramilitary of non-cooperation in removal of bodies of Maoists killed in counter-insurgency operations.

Police said they had to often take the help of locals to remove bodies.

“Of course, there are problems relating to accommodation. In the initial stage of the Lalgarh operation, the combined forces were housed in schools. However, we had to move them to camps when schools reopened. State forces also faced this problem,” a home department official said.

He, however, added that steps were being taken to build proper accommodations with better amenities in Lalgarh. “The problem is, it is difficult to get workers in the region. Local construction workers are constantly threatened by Maoists with dire consequences if they cooperate in setting up accommodations for the combined forces,” he said.

Regarding the other complaints, sources said, they were being sorted out through joint meetings.