[The security forces have taken possession of the Lalgarh Police station - the Ground Zero, so to say - surprisingly without any resistance worth the name within 36 hours of starting the "operation". It is, however, quite possible that the insurgents have taken lessons from the recent LTTE debacle and avoided a direct clash, despite brave noises to the contrary, realising that that's not where their strength lies. Quite possible. But we don't know as yet.
In any case, a comparative study of the Nandigram and Lalgarh resistance campaigns over their life cycles would be highly instructive - in terms of the responses and methods adopted by the State, the ruling party and the resistors. Maybe one should attempt that after a fortnight or so.] http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Fighting-Maoists-Special-forces-break-Lalgarh-siege/articleshow/4679617.cms Security forces enter Lalgarh 20 Jun 2009, 1204 hrs IST, PTI PIRAKATA (WB): Security forces on Saturday entered Lalgarh to reclaim it from Maoist-backed tribals and were closing in on the police station there. The personnel of paramilitary forces and the state police were just two km away from the Lalgarh police station, which is under Maoist control, a senior police officer said. The securitymen from CRPF, BSF, State Armed Police, Eastern Frontier Rifles and the Kolkata Police entered the besieged area after crossing a five-km stretch of the Jhitka forest, a Maoist stronghold, he said. They were moving in armoured vehicles fitted with anti-landmine devices and mortars and were carrying mine-detecting units. The security forces were moving cautiously for the last two days to avoid civilian casualties. They checked the route with mine detectors yesterday as tribals blew up a bridge and set off a landmine in a bid to stall their advance. AK-47 and Insas rifle-toting securitymen came under intermittent fire from Maoists at the Pingboni-Sarenga road today, Superintendent of Police Burdwan Humayan Kabir said. Two landmines planted on the road, which was also blocked with felled trees, were defused, Kabir, who was leading one of three teams headed for Lalgarh from Binpur, said. Another two teams were led by IGP (HQ) Harmanpreet Singh and Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Ranvir Kumar. A bridge over a shallow river which had been blown up earlier by Maoists created a temporary obstacle, but it could be crossed on foot. Last night, the Maoists fired on the Lalgarh police station, with the police retaliating. When the security forces were driving from Pingboni, they were obstructed by a number of women. Firefights with the Maoists occurred at two places between Pirakata and Bhimpur and near Pingboni last night with the villagers fleeing to safety, the police said. Lalgarh has been out of bounds for the police since the landmine attack near Salboni on the convoy of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and then union ministers Ramvilas Paswan and Jitin Prasada in November last year. The tribals under the banner of the People's Committee against Police Atrocities, led by Chhatradhar Mahato, had begun boycotting the police since the last few months. They allege that the police indulged in "atrocities" during raids on their homes following the landmine blast. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
