In the wake of Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh that killed a number of Congress leaders, the Union Home Ministry has advanced security advisories for top Bengal politicians including Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, former Railway Minister Mukul Roy, former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and East Midnapore MP Subhendu Adhikary, Bengal Government sources said.
There was threat to the lives of these leaders as the Maoists were planning to launch a big strike in Jangalmahal, police sources said, adding the Maoists were working with two-fold purposes: First to avenge the death of their senior leader Kishenji in November 2011 and second to revitalise their organisational network which had now gone kaput in the three Maoist-hit districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura.
Following the Central alert the State Government had appointed a nodal officer to oversee the security of the VVIPs from a possible Maoist attack, particularly when they were touring.
Bengal Home Secretary Basudev Banerjee said that Virendra the current Director of Chief Minister’s security would act as the nodal officer to monitor the security of the VVIPs following instructions from the Central Government.