Buddha To Meet Chidambaram to Discuss Maoist Issue
West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has spoken on phone to the Union Home Minister P Chidambaram to discuss the Shankrail police station incident.
In the incident occurred on Tuesday, Maoist rebels attacked the police station and an adjacent branch of a commercial bank, gunned down two police officials and abducted the officer-incharge
According to reports, Bhattacharjee is likely to call on Chidambaram in New Delhi during his stay in the capital. The Chief Minister is expected to leave for New Delhi on Thursday to attend the central committee meeting of the CPM.
On Wednesday, the state unit of CPM urged Bhattacharjee to give priority to secure release of the three police personnel held hostage by the Maoists. The chief minister had meeting wit the state party leaders at at Alimuddin Street, the state party headquarters and discussed the issue during the day.
The rebels had on Tuesday abducted Atindra Nath Dutta, the officer-incharge of Shankrail police station in West Midnapore district. The Maoists also had held hostage two other constables, Kanchan Gorai and Sabbir Mollah while the two were patrolling in Dharampur in Lalgarh a few months back. Both of them are still missing.
The rebels are insisting on the release of some tribal women who were recently arrested from Lalgarh and on withdrawal of police force from West Midnapore district as a precondition to release the police official abducted.
The state government announced that the slain police officials of Shankarail police station would be compensated. The government will pay their salaries till their retirement and would also give them financial compensation.
In the meantime, the parents and wife of the abducted officer-in-charge of Shankrail police station on Wednesday met the Chief Minister at Writers’ Buildings and requested him to take necessary steps to immediately release him. The Chief Minister assured them that the government would try their utmost to release the abducted police official. He also assured them that the government would not take any decision that can harm him.
The prominent Maoist leader Kishanji said that the abducted officerin- charge was in good health and he assured that he could arrange a meeting with any one of his family members. Indrani Dutta, the wife and Chhanda Dutta and Ashok Dutta parents of the kidnapped Officer-in-Charge have urged the Maoist leader Kishanji to release the police officials. “Our family will be ruined if any thing happens to him,” Indrani said.
The state Congress on Wednesday urged the state government to convene an all party meeting to solve Maoists menace in the state.
