Experience of Lalgarh ‘lab’ to be used in other areas: Pillai

“Lalgarh is the laboratory for us and this will be reflected in what we are going to do in other Naxal-infested areas like Chhattsigarh. The operation in Lalgarh was by and large successful,but not complete as we want to arrest all top Maoists leaders,” Union Home Secretary G K Pillai said.

He told reporters that the forces will be there “as long as it is required and if necessary may be up to two years”.

Describing Maoists as “fascists” for killing innocent people for flimsy reasons,he said the offensive against the Maoists in Lalgarh was far from over and a comprehensive operation would soon be launched in the neighbouring areas of Lalgarh where Naxals still roaming freely.

Asked whether Trinamool Congress chief and Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee was putting pressure to end the operations,Pillai said “there is no pressure,whatsoever”.

NAXAL 2 Pillai said the security agencies have been taking utmost care during their action against Naxals to avoid “collateral civil casualties”.

He said after being under the grip of Maoists for eight months,Lalgarh and its adjoining areas in West Midnapore district — approximately 300 sq km — were limping back to normalcy and civil and police administration started functioning normally.

“Though the fear and pressure of Maoists are there among the minds of people,they are doing their normal activities and the security forces have consolidated most of the areas,” Director General of CRPF A S Gill,who was also present,said.

The Home Secretary said the Centre would welcome democratic activities of political parties since no such activities were there during the period of Maoist dominance.

“There was a vacuum and the Maoists took the advantage of it,” he said.

Pillai said action is also being taken against Naxal sympathisers and overground frontal organisations of CPI-Maoists.

On the other hand,Gill said security forces recovered a large number of arms and ammunition,including IEDs,SLR and 303 rifles,during the Lalgarh operations.

He said a number of confidence building measures were taken by the authorities including distribution of rice to over one lakh people and free food to 2,000 people for 15 days.