KOLKATA, Jan. 5: While trade union leaders are preparing themselves for the bargaining agent election at the Uttarpara plant of Hindustan Motors scheduled for 9 January, district police officers are fearing action by Maoist ultras during the poll.
To thwart any possible attacks by Maoist rebels, district police officers urged the SP, Hooghly, Mr Rajib Mishra, to provide special security cover to ensure peaceful polling.
A suspected member of the Maoist action squad, Peoples’ Liberation Guerrilla Army, Sumit Sarkar, was arrested from the factory premises on 10 May, last year during a clash between two groups of the plant’s employees.
The clash ensued after the factory management issued a suspension-of- work notice citing “labour unrest” at the plant.
Officers from Midnapore-West and their counterparts in Purulia had interrogated Sarkar who was wanted in a few cases of criminal conspiracy against the state.
Interrogation revealed that CPI (Maoist) activists had been trying to build a support base in the industrial hub of Hooghly, by cashing in on the stand-off between the management and employees of Hindusthan Motors’ Uttarpara plant.
Sleuths of the district Intelligence branch and Criminal Investigation Department were informed about some leaders of a labour union, which is one among five trade unions fighting the polls. Movements of these leaders belonging to a Naxalite trade union are being watched. Mr Prabir Roy, inspector-in-charge of Uttarpara police station, said the security arrangement proposal made by the police station to the district police authorities recently, had not been granted. The officer, however, didn’t disclose what kind of “security cover” the police station sought to thwart untoward incidents.
“We are gathering Intelligence inputs. We have deployed policemen in plainclothes who are keeping a close watch on the factory premises. We are patrolling the area. Some pickets have been posted at various corners of the factory premises,” Mr Roy said.
Mr Mishra said adequate police arrangements would be made to ensure peaceful polling.
Mr Sunil Sarkar, CPI-M Hooghly district secretariat member, said: “It has been established that some leaders from trade unions have connections with Maoists ultras. They had attacked supporters belonging to our trade union. We have asked our supporters to stay alert.”

January 5, 2008

SAMBALPUR, Jan. 6: A day after arson and robbery in the forest range house at Badrama, police gunned down two Maoists at Cheptikani-Gadpati village in the Jamankira police station area, 55 km from here last night.
This is for the first since the Maoist operation in Sambalpur began in 2003 that police killed two of its cadres. Such incidents took place in neighbouring Deogarh district earlier.

Two spot deaths apart, six people, including few women, have also been injured, sources said.
It is believed 15-20 people were caught in the crossfire last night when combing operations were on by the special operation group inside the forest.

Police seized two SLR and three 303 rifles and a country-made revolver from the Maoists. Twelve to 14 Maoists fled, taking advantage of the dense forest and darkness, Sambalpur Superintendent of Police, Mr Sanjaya Kumar, said.
This is believed to be the same group that attacked and ransacked the Badarama range office on Friday night, the SP said.
The deceased are identified as Raj of Rengali-Badmal and Kalia Mirdha of Laikera Bahal villages, police said.
With villagers’ help, police identified the bodies which were sent for post-mortem to the VSS Medical College.

Source: The Statesman, January 6, 2008

Raipur, Jan 7//Indo-Asian News Service// – Police Monday claimed to have killed several Maoist guerrillas in an early morning raid on a hideout in Chhatisgarh’s restive Bastar region.

‘The police raided a hideout of the rebels in a forested area under Koyalibera police station in Kanker district of Bastar region and caused heavy casualties (to the leftist guerrillas),’ Pawan Deo, deputy inspector general (DIG) in Kanker range, told IANS.

‘We found heavy blood stains at the encounter site and enough evidence that rebels’ bodies have been carried deep inside the forest during the 90-minute fierce gun battle,’ the police officer said.

The police recovered three rifles, 36 detonators, four bundles of wires used for landmine blasts, pipe bombs, tiffin bombs, Maoist uniforms and literatures.

The leftist insurgents run a parallel government in forested interiors of iron ore rich Bastar region that comprises of five districts – Bastar, Dantewada, Bijapur, Narayanpur and Kanker – and is spread out in about 40,000 sq km.

The state recorded 436 deaths in Maoist violence 2007 including 200 policemen and special police officers (SPOs) and 165 civilians.

Source: IANS, January 7, 2008