After talks fail in Lalgarh, govt appeals to priests

The West Midnapore district administration is seeking the help of 8216;jan gurus8217; or tribal priests to reach out to the tribal community seething with the anger in Lalgarh after the arrest of three teenage tribal students. The students 8212; Gautam Patra, Buddhadeb Patra and Eban Murumu 8212;are all aged between 16 and 17. The class X students from the area were arrested in connection with last Sunday8217;s Salboni blast targeting chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

An all-party meeting aimed at restoring peace failed after an Opposition walkout on Sunday. The meeting at Lalgarh police station on Sunday was called by district magistrate Nayan Swarup Nigam. Offended Opposition members stormed out of the meeting after some CPM leaders allegedly remarked that the Opposition morphed into Maoist cadres by night. Representatives of the Trinamool Congress, the Congress, Jharkhand Party Naren and Jharkhand Party Aditya were present at the meeting.

After the talks failed, the district administration drafted in priests to soothe frayed tempers of 30 tribal villages. 8220;The tribals generally hold their jan gurus in high esteem. We have asked them to convince people that the police are not the enemy,8221; said a district police officer.

Following the blast on November 2, several persons were picked up from Lalgarh. The police allegedly harassed villagers and beat up women while combing the area. A few days ago, tribals laid siege on Lalgarh police station for the entire day.

The district administration has decided to reconsider the case of students. 8220;The police have not filed any chargesheet against them. Their role will be examined and necessary changes will be made if they are found to be innocent,8221; said the district magistrate.

The CID, entrusted with the investigation of the case, have been cautioned against making arbitrary arrests, said a police source.