With no end in sight to the tribal agitation in Lalgarh, the state government has withdrawn police outposts and camps from the villages in the area. District Police Chief Rajesh Singh said two police outposts and three police camps were withdrawn from the area due to shortage of food.Singh admitted that the force in Lalgarh is also receiving threats from the protestors since last week.On Wednesday, the Committee Against Police Atrocities, which is spearheading the agitation, had given an ultimatum to the district administration to withdraw police camps from the villages in Lalgarh within 24 hours. They also asked the villagers to boycott the police that led to severe food crisis for the force.Singh, however, said there might be other reasons behind the withdrawal of camps. The police need more forces for the Jhargram civic polls, which is scheduled for November 30, he added.Sources in the chief minister’s secretariat, meanwhile, said the CM is still against the idea of police action in Lalgarh. “After the police firing in Nandigram, the government had to face criticism from everywhere, including his party. Such incidents cannot be repeated,” said a senior official in the CM’s secretariat.
