Maoists plan pre-poll attack

KOLKATA, April 11: At a time when it is believed that the CPI (Maoist) has received a setback in West Bengal following the arrest of its state committee secretary Somen, a central committee member of the outfit left the police baffled saying that they are preparing themselves for a major attack in the state ahead of panchayat polls.
Sleuths of the state intelligence branch, who interrogated CPI (Maoist) central committee member, Prasenjit Das in Nadia recently, learnt that cadres belonging to this outfit are planning to launch attacks in some places in Burdwan, Malda, Murshidabad and Nadia districts ahead of panchayat polls. Das was arrested along with his six party colleagues from Nadia on 5 April. A huge cache of arms and ammunition including two rifles and a light machine gun were seized following the raid. During interrogation, Das and his party colleagues revealed that Maoist rebels have managed to set up mass-base in these districts apart from Midnapore (West), Purulia and Bankura. District police officers and sleuths of other intelligence agencies including the state intelligence branch are questioning the rebels who are currently in the police custody.
Sleuths learnt that a central committee member of the CPI (Maoist), commonly known as comrade Dhruba in the party circle, has been given the charge of organising people and monitoring the activities of the party in these districts.
Police suspect that the rebels have also prepared a hit-list of some CPI-M and Congress leaders.
A report furnishing details about the existing network of the Maoist outfit in these districts would be sent to the state home ministry, said an official of the state intelligence branch's Left Wing Extremism (LWE) Section.
He said, Dhruba had released a leaflet in 2005 claiming that the party's mass-base in Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia and Burdwan was ready and the outfit would be in a position to carryout strikes in these districts within five years. They formed some mass organisations in these districts to carryout a strong anti state campaign, said the officer.
Police authorities of the four districts have been asked to be “extremely careful” during the polls, said an officer. Mr Ajoy Kumar, special superintendent of the state intelligence branch's Left Wing Extremism Section, said that his colleagues have gone to Nadia to interrogate the Maoists.