Lalgarh reclaimed: Govt

As Home Minister P Chidambaram prepares to make his first visit to West Bengal’s Lalgarh region, government officials in Delhi said security forces had been able to wrest the area from Maoist control.

As Home Minister P Chidambaram prepares to make his first visit to West Bengal’s Lalgarh region, government officials in Delhi said security forces had been able to wrest the area from Maoist control.

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There is, however, no news of the media-savvy Maoist leader Kishenji, who was active in this area and may have been injured in a gunfight with security forces last week.

Security officials confirmed that the Maoist leader had gone into hiding but insisted they had no confirmation if he had been injured. “We do not know if he has been hit in the encounter or by top leaders such as Ganapathi, who disapproves of his actions,” a senior police official said in Delhi. Literature seized from Maoists indicated differences within the top leadership, he said.

Security forces had regained control of Lalgarh notwithstanding a small presence of the Maoists, he said, refusing to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to the media. It was crucial that the state government quickly delivers on governance, he said.