Now, Mamata announces operation against Maoists
It seems the end of road for peace in West Bengal's Maoist-affected districts. Both,Mamata Banerjee and the Maoists, are hardening their stand. The mutual trust between the pre-poll allies broke within five months of Trinamul Congress sweeping to power in Bengal. Interlocutors appointed by the state to bring the Maoists to the talks table are left with little space.
Maoists rejected the CM's seven-day ultimatum to lay down arms and called a bandh from October 22, the last day of the deadline.
Mamata rolls the dice. Will the maoists blink?
The state government ignores the Maoist offer of conditional ceasefire. Is Junglemahal on the brink of peace or war? Tusha Mittal reports
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IN RUGBY, there is a moment when both teams lock shoulders and engage in a formation that shields the position of the ball. Since it began four months ago, the protracted peace process between the West Bengal government and the banned CPI(Maoist) has been locked in a similar scrum. "The ball itself is broken into two," a Maoist source joked, "half the ball is with us, half with them."
This week, the peace process entered a crucial phase, an unlocking that revealed for the first time some sense of position — a government ready to talk, but also on the offensive. In a key meeting with the interlocutors on 18 October, the government set a clear demand: "It is not enough to stop using arms. The Maoist party must commit to not showing arms."
This is what has now emerged as a government pre-condition before it will consider negotiations. While it indicates a climbdown from the earlier stance of calling for arms surrender, this too is likely to prove a sticking point in the days ahead.
"The Maoists must publicly declare that they will stop using arms, carrying arms, showing arms, stop murders and any kind of intimidation," a government source said. "They are roaming with arms at night, intimidating villagers not to join the police. Whether the government will agree to their conditions is immaterial. Let them first fulfill this condition. Then we can think of peace talks."
"What are we supposed to do with the arms? Hide them?" a Maoist source said. "For us, peace means there will be no armed attacks. It does not mean we will stop our political activities. In the time of ceasefire, we will not use arms, but how can we not carry them?"
Earlier this year, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee appointed a group of interlocutors to "bring peace to Junglemahal", an area spanning 69 blocks across three districts, with a deployment of 6,000 paramilitary personnel.
On 15 October, Banerjee stood on a dais in the heart of Junglemahal, cradled the baby of a murdered Trinamool Congress worker and thundered: "Shed my blood but don't bleed Junglemahal. If you want to kill, kill me. Show us your guts. Come out in the open. There will be no police, only your comrades and my people. The Trinamool Congress is ready to face you."
She also called the rebels "contract killers" and "jungle mafia" and gave a final ultimatum: "If you want peace, negotiations can take place. But only if you give up guns. I'm giving you seven days. Decide what you want to do. The doors are still open. But talks and killings cannot continue side by side."
In the past four months, the government claims that search-and-combat operations have remained stalled, the forces have stayed in their barracks and peace has been given a chance. It accuses the Maoists of betraying this with a spate of murders. Last month, three TMC workers, Lalmohan Mahato, Rabindranath Mishra and Babu Bose were killed, forcing Banerjee to announce a deadline.
Meanwhile, the Maoists accuse Banerjee of backtracking on her pre-election promise: the withdrawal of Joint Forces and the unconditional release of political prisoners. It justifies the three killings by alleging that the men were members of the Jan Jagran Manch and the Bhairav Vahini — private gangs and armed militias that it claims are being raised and supported by the TMC.
In an open letter to Banerjee, a copy of which is with TEHELKA, CPI(Maoist) state secretary Akash wrote: "Even as we are writing this, Joint Forces are surrounding us. Even when we meet the interlocutors, the Joint Forces are trying to kill us. The media is telling the people that joint operations are suspended. The actual scenario is exactly the opposite. Since August, operations have intensified in Junglemahal, 300 people have been arrested. Is this an example of your restraint? A few months of your rule reminds us of the CPM era. Your right-hand man, Mukul Roy, along with half a dozen TMC leaders, came to Junglemahal for a rally and walked alongside Nitish Mahato, the leader of Bhairav Vahini. Lalmohan Mahato used to be a leader of Bhairav Vahini and who doesn't know about Babu Bose? He has killed so many members together with the CPM. Today, you are pained by his death. Where were your tears when he killed innocent tribals and Dalits? We are sincere about peace talks. We are also ready to restrain our arms. If you are sincere, then you must put an end to the operations of the joint forces and shut down armed militias like the Jan Jagran Manch and Bhairav Vahini."
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IT IS in this backdrop that Banerjee delivered her speech. It was seen as the most aggressive rhetoric from her so far, signalling a shift in the politics of Junglemahal. Three days later, on 18 October, she held another round of talks with the mediators. As the chief minister, four ministers and top police officials took their places at a round table, in the forests 200 km away, another 'meeting' had come to a close. In what is perhaps the first targeted operation after polls, the Maoists and Joint Forces faced each other in a gunbattle.
"We received information about armed persons near a village. The police went there. They fired at the police. The police retaliated. They escaped. From the spot we recovered a rifle, live ammunition and four backpacks with documents. Three people were detained for questioning. They have been let off," said Jhargram police chief Gaurav Kumar. According to a Maoist source, "About 300 troops encircled and raided Aulgeria village. Twelve villagers are injured. Three are in police custody. They are not Maoist cadres."
On 18 October, as the ground game was beginning again, the meeting inside Banerjee's office ended. "The dialogue process is on. It will continue," is all interlocutor Sujatro Bhadro said in his media briefing.
What complicates this narrative is a key document that the government does not seem willing to acknowledge.
On 30 September, immediately after the killings of the TMC leaders, two mediators met Maoist leaders in Junglemahal to secure a guarantee of no further violence. In a significant statement signed by the mediators and Akash, the Maoists offered a one-month ceasefire.
"If the government promises to stop the operations of the Joint Forces and keeps its word in letter and spirit, then we will also promise to not use our arms for a month," the Maoists said. "Simultaneously the government should take steps to disarm all the different armed groups in the area. We will inform the government in case there is any attempt to attack us so that the government can take prompt legal action. Fulfilling these conditions will create a conducive atmosphere for talks."
This offer was communicated to the government in the 18 October meeting.
"We are not taking their ceasefire offer seriously. If they are serious, why are they killing people?" asked a TMC source. There have been no killings since this statement was signed on 30 September.
As it stands now, the mediators are expected to communicate the government's position to the Maoists. Sources say the government is flexible on the 7-day deadline which ends on October 22. What may be required for the peace process to move ahead is a public leaflet or press release from the Maoists agreeing to government pre-conditions. Until then, search and combat operations will continue. In peace negotiations, it is protocol for both parties to agree to a mutual ceasefire simultaneously. In a deviation from that, it seems it is only after the rebels unconditionally accept their demands, that the government is willing to consider meeting the Maoist precondition -- a formal declaration to stall troop movement, also a climb down from the earlier Maoist demand of complete troop withdrawal. "The operations were going on and are going on," confirmed Jhargram police chief Kumar. Another attempted encounter or another killing could take Junglemahal from scrum to full-blown battle again.
Tusha Mittal is a Principal Correspondent with Tehelka.
tusha@tehelka.com
Banerjee said that she was then the Railway minister and had demanded a CBI inquiry, "which prima facie established Maoist involvement in their chargesheet submitted in court."
Shortly afterwards, however, the chief minister came out with a clarification on TV news channel 'Star Ananda' saying "Maoists were responsible for the disaster, but who had made them do it? We have our suspicion. We can't state this without evidence.
"Many killings have taken place in the name of Maoists. Maoists have link with the CPI(M). During the CPI(M) regime many people including EFR personnel at Shilda and an officer-in-charge in a police station in West Midnapur district lost their lives at the hands of the Maoists," Banerjee said.
"When this comes up in court, this will be stated," the chief minister said.
Reminded of the accusation by a section of intellectuals supporting her who had blamed the CPI(M) for the train disaster, she said "I have a respect for them. I cannot dismiss their contention.
"It was a joint conspiracy the villagers told me. Both the Jnaneswari and the Sainthia train disasters were engineered before the civic elections in 2010 to hit me politically."
The Trinamool leader also hit out at the Maoists saying they cannot talk peace and kill people.
Mamata's warning came a day after the Maoists offered to extend their unilateral ceasefire offer by four months if the operation by Joint Forces was kept suspended for the same period.
"You cannot talk peace and kill people. We cannot sit back and watch. We have to maintain law and order. We cannot suck our fingers when the killings go on," she said, adding Maoists were more dangerous than terrorists.
Mamata, however, said, "I still feel good sense will prevail on them and they will come back to the mainstream. If they come to the mainstream, the state government will take responsibility. It is a duty of the government to give protection to people."
The chief minister was speaking at a meeting to mourn the killing of two Trinamool supporters by the Maoists at Balarampur in Purulia district on Monday.
The joint security forces meanwhile stepped up anti- Maoist operations, carrying out searches and raids in Purulia and West Midnapore districts of junglemahal and recovered a huge quantity of arms, ammunition and explosive material.
Two Insas rifles, 100 rounds of AK47 and Insas rifle ammunition, 60 kg of explosive materials, mines, gelatine sticks and fuse wire were seized from Purnapani, an area between Salboni and Lalgarh police stations in West Midnapore district, police sources said.
Mamata claimed some people were helping the Maoists with money and shelter.
"The government is keeping a watch on them," she said and urged people to stay vigilant about their activities, paticularly in Uttarpara in Hoogly district and activities of students of universities like the Jadavpur University.
Long battle with Maoists ahead: Top cop
- TUESDAY, 15 NOVEMBER 2011 22:50
- SAUGAR SENGUPTA | KOLKATA
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