KOLKATA: The Bengal BJP is planning to write to the Centre requesting to reconsider the decision of withdrawing 14 companies of Central Rapid Personnel Force (CRPF) from Junglemahal as the party fears surge in Maoists’ activities ahead of upcoming Assembly elections.
Around 1,400 CRPF personnel left Jhargram and Purulia on Friday night on special trains for Chhatisgarh in the wake of the rebel outfit’s increasing activities in the state. Another three companies of central force will leave the region shortly.
The IB has alerted the state government about a possible Maoists subversive activities before the death anniversary of outfit’s guerrilla leader Kishanji who was gunned down on November 24. Maoists activities were visible in the recent past in the Junglemahal area as the rebels left posters threatening contractors, grocery shop owners and teachers in Belpahari, Banspahari and Bhulabheda area located in Bengal-Jharkhand border in Jhargram district.
The BJP, which made deep inroads in scheduled tribes dominated Junglemahal by bagging five seats in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, fears presence of inadequate central force personnel will help Maoists to get passage to regain strength in the region. “Since the Centre has taken a strong stance to combat the CPI (Maoist), the rebels will target our party workers and leaders in Junglemahal. We will request the Centre to reconsider its decision to withdraw the CRPF from the region,’’ said a BJP leader.
The IB alerted all the four districts in Junglemahal mentioning the rebel outfit might target political leaders, school buildings, railway properties and police personnel to observe their leader Kishanji’s death anniversary. Bengal had CRPF 47 companies and with three more companies withdrawn, Junglemahal will now have 30 companies.