Unconfirmed news reports claim that at least 7,000 armed Maoists had spread out across the West Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura Districts in West Bengal, and across into the East Singhbhum District in the State of Jharkhand. Reports also suggest the presence of 50 hardcore Maoists from Manipur’s People’s Liberation Army, who were training tribal villagers living in these forests.

Intelligence agencies suspect that the Maoists are looking for a new corridor to connect coastal West Bengal to neighbouring areas in the State of Orissa. The sea route is important for two reasons. First, security agencies believe, the Maoists are providing shelter to a large group of LTTE cadres who are suspected to have sneaked into India after their defeat at the hands of the Sri Lankan Army. Despite the losses it has suffered, the LTTE still has a huge quantity of sophisticated arms in its arsenal, and is making efforts to smuggle these out of Sri Lanka before they are seized by the Forces there. Second, the sea route is the best option for the smuggling of arms. As the Maoists have lost ground in coastal Andhra Pradesh, the Bengal coast has gained in attraction. A safe sea route in the area would be helpful in smuggling arms through Bangladesh. The marshlands of Sunderbans are an ideal safe haven for such activities, as they offer a multiplicity of escape routes.

Amidst all of this, the West Bengal Government remains reluctant to accept the realities of the Maoist presence across the State, insisting that only four Districts – West Midnapore, East Midnapore, Purulia and Bankura – are ‘affected’. Central agencies, however, list 17 of the State’s 18 Districts as affected, in varying proportions, by Maoist activities ………….Read More