KOLKATA, Apr 12 (UNI) Security measures have been beefed up in five districts of West Bengal following increasing depredations by the Maoist guerillas and their close links with other insurgents groups.
Official sources said here today that the state government had also contemplated joint action with its Jharkhand counterpart to combat the Maoist activists, particularly before the may ten's Lok Sabha elections in the state.
Altogether 15 companies of Border Security Force and the Central Reserve Police Force, besides the Sashastra Suraksha Bal and the state police had been deployed in North Bengal's Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar districts and South Bengal's West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts to combat the KLO, ULFA, PW and MCC ultras respectively.
The state had also procured 15,000 sophisticated rifles, specially sanctioned by the centre, to arm its special police force to counter these extremists and insurgent groups.
The sources said the state government was extremely perturbed over the reports that the ULFA and the KLO had already established close links with the Maoists ultras of Nepal and through them with the peoples war and Maoist Coordination Centre.
The report said while the KLO and the ULFA had been trying to set up a base in East Nepal, the Maoists had been trying to penetrate in those areas where these militants had some bases.
The sources said of the 150 companies, sanctioned by the election commission for poll deployment in the state, a considerbale number of companies would be deployed in the three districts each of South and North Bengal.
They said the state government had been fearing that the PW Action Squads of Jharkhand might intensify their depredations in West Bengal after the Lok Sabha election in that state.
While the Lok Sabha election would be over in Jharkhand by April 26, it would be held in West Bengal on May 10.
Incidentally both the Maoist ultras and the insurgent groups had given a vote boycott call and these extremists might intensify their attacks to enforce their boycott call.
Quoting intelligence reports, the sources said members of the PW Action Squads from Jharkhand had been planning for a big operation in West Bengal before the Lok Sabha poll and the police had already recovered a good number of landmines planted in different routes used by the security forces.
The state government was also planning to utilise special area development funds sanctioned by the centre for speedy development of extremist-dominated areas.
The centre had been sanctioning Rs five crore per district under the Special Area Development Fund per annum.
Central support sought to ensure maximum voter turnout NEW DELHI, Apr 11 (UNI) The Tripura government has sought central assistance to thwart any attempt by the militant outfits to disrupt the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls and ensure maximum participation of voters in the state.
"We are beefing up security arrangements across the state to ensure maximum participation and have sought central support to conduct free and fair polls," Tripura Director General of Police G M Srivastava told UNI here.
The state with two Lok Sabha seats Tripura East and Tripura West is going to polls on April 22.
The state government has asked for additional Central Para-Military Forces and helicopters to counter the militant threat, Srivastava informed.
"I have held several rounds of meetings with the central government officials and all possible help will be extended for a smooth election process," he added.
Like previous polls, the prescribed All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF) has given a call to boycott polls.
The state administration was confident that the electorate would defy the ban and ignore the threats and vote enmasse to strengthen the democratic process in the state, the police official said.
"The ultras in Tripura do not enjoy public sympathy," Srivastava said, adding, "the overwhelming public support has enabled the security forces to counter the insurgent groups successfully in the recent past." Claiming major success against the terrorist groups in the past six months, the DGP said there would be no lowering of guards until permanent peace was established in the border state.
Tripura had witnessed one of the worst militancy related violence in recent years.
Last year 217 persons including civilians and security personnel were killed.
Between 1998 and 2003, overall 952 persons were killed, 633 injured, while 1,269 were abducted by the ultras.
During the period, 182 security personnel were killed in counter-insurgency operations and the state recorded 43 major genocides.
"But today the militants are on the run due to our sustained operations," Srivastava said, adding, "we are committed to stamp out militancy from the state." At least 25 militants were neutralised in the state in the past three months.
The development programmes of the Tripura government have also enabled to counter militancy in the state, the DGP said, and added that many misguided youth were returning to the mainstream.
Pointing out that infiltration from Bangladesh and cross-border movement of the terrorists have contributed to the rise in militancy in Tripura and elsewhere in the North East, he said, border fencing was imperative to prevent trans-border movement of the insurgent groups.
However, there was tremendous pressure on the militant groups of the north east including those in tripura following the royal bhutanese army's 'operation all clear' and the outfits would increasingly find it difficult to operate from across the border, he pointed out.
Of the total 856-km-long Indo-Bangla border along Tripura, nearly 120 km have been fenced.
The National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and ATTF are among the rebel groups from the region, which had set up camps in Bangladesh and have reported links with the ISI.
Terming the recent surrender of 26 militants in the state as a major success, the Tripura police chief said more militants frustrated by the sustained counter-insurgency operations and difficulties of the jungle life would lay down arms in the coming days.
Of the 26 militants who surrendered on April two, 14 belonged to the NLFT (Nayanbasi) faction and nine to the NLFT (Biswamohan Debbarma) group while remaining three belonged to the ATTF.
The outlawed militants handed over 11 sophisticated weapons, one improvised gun, three grenades and a large cache of ammunition to the police.
In the past five years, 836 militants have laid down their arms.
NLFT (Biswamohan) has a cadre strength of 450, NLFT (Nayanbasi) 150 and ATTF 450.
In a recent letter to the state government, NLFT (Nayanbasi), has expressed its desire to lay down arms.
NLFT (Nayanbasi) is one of the six rebel groups from the North-East, which is likely to enter into negotiations with the centre soon.
The banned Achik National Vounteers Council of Meghalaya, which is in touch with Mizoram chief minister Zoramthanga is also likely to hold parleys with the centre.
The centre was currently holding peace talks with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland (ISAK-MUIVAH) and has ceasefire agreements with three other rebel groups from the region.
Jethmalani files nomination papers against Vajpayee LUCKNOW, Apr 12 (UNI) Eminent criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani today filed his nomination papers as a Congress-supported independent candidate from the Lucknow parliamentary constituency, pitting himself against prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
Jethmalani filed three sets of nomination papers with each set proposed by ten persons, said congress leader Sushil Dubey, one of the proposers.
Yesterday, the Congress had reiterated its support for Jethmalani.
Vajpayee is slated to file his nomination papers on Thursday.
The Samajwadi Party has fielded Dr Madhu Gupta while BSP has given ticket to Nasir Siddique.
AICC general secretary in-charge of the state Chowdhary Virendra Singh also expressed the hope that other political parties would support the candidature of Jethmalani against Vajpayee.
"By doing so, the opposition would be checking a possible split in secular votes," he added.
The Bahujan Kisan Dal (BKD), contesting 14 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh on its own, announced its support for Jethmalani.
Reacting sharply to the recent revelations on the Bofors kickbacks issue, Jetmalani had earlier claimed that he knew "so many secrets" of prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and alleged that their "revelation may see him (the PM) behind the bars." "Therefore, BJP should not indulge in mud-slinging against Ms Gandhi for political gains," the lawyer had warned.
He said he would reveal all these things "at an appropriate time" and as of now he "considered Mr Vajpayee as one of his good friend." He further said he had decided to contest against Vajpayee from Lucknow not to enter parliament but to save the city of Lucknow from further destruction.
The BJP was destroying the country and that he wanted to put up a fight against the BJP chief, Jethmalani said.
"I am a member of Rajya Sabha at present and there are two more years to go for my term to expire," he had pointed out.
Sukhram Vikas Congress merges with Congress NEW DELHI, Apr 12 (UNI) Former controversial Union minister Sukhram today returned to the Congress, merging with it his outfit 'Himachal Vikas Congress.' The merger was announced by Sukhram, who was named in the telecom scam during the Narasimha Rao regime, in the presence of Congress spokesman Kabil Sibal at a special media conference at the AICC headquarters here today.
Sukhram said he would not hold any position in the party till he was cleared of the charges in the multi-crore telecom scam.
It is an unconditional merger, Sibal said, and added that the return of Sukhram would further strengthen the party in Himachal Pradesh.
He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party of trying to break up his party, and said that he had always imbibed the Congress culture.
