Maoists are planning to “wrest back” Jangalmahal the vital link in their Red corridor that extends from Nepal to Maharashtra-Andhra Pradesh.
According to Central Intelligence reports received by the Bengal Government, some senior Maoist leaders have been holding meeting in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia in the past few months.
A team of 46 trained Maoist cadres, well-versed in local language, had held more than two dozen meetings in the Jangalmahal in the recent past. “The more important thing is the way we used to receive information about their secret meetings from locals till early this year we are not receiving them now,” an official at the Writers’ Buildings said.
The Maoists were desperate to reopen the Jangalmahal corridor which was a vital link between Chhattisgarh-Odisha-MP belt with Jharkhand-Bihar region, sources said. Secondly they are also desperate to avenge the encounter death of their military commander Kishenji in November 2011.
This is one reason why the security of a number of Bengal leaders had been beefed up in the recent past. These leaders are Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, her predecessor Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, former Railway Minister Mukul Roy, former Union Minister Sishir Adhikary and his MP son Subhendu Adhikary.
The Government has requisitioned an additional six companies of Central forces for the Maoist affected districts of West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura.