According to a senior district police officer, a squad of 10 to 12 armed cadres of the CPI(Maoists) stormed into the house of Kalidas Hembram (52) at Bagdubi village in Barikul. They broke open the door and dragged Kalidas out.

The Maoists slit his throat in the presence of his wife, Kajol. When she tried to resist, she was stabbed. Later, the squad members set rice stacks present at the house on fire and took away the cattle.

While Kajol was rushed to Bankura Sammiloni Medical College and Hospital, Kalidas’ body has been sent for a postmortem.

The Maoists had raided the same house on December 15, 2006 in search of Nabin Hembram — Kalidas’s brother. Nabin, however, managed to escape the attack. “My brother was an innocent man and had never been an active politician. It is shocking that he had to die just because of me,” said Nabin.

Bankura SP Vishal Garg said: “This is the handiwork of the Maoists. Their modus operandi is to drag a man out of his residence and kill him. However, in this case, they have taken away the domestic animals. This is be very unusual.”

Following the incident, state Tribal Welfare Minister Debolina Hembram has reached Bagdubi on Tuesday morning. “The Maoists have unleashed a reign of terror in this part of Bankura. They want to create a fear psychosis among our partymen and sympathisers,” he said.

Bengal, Jharkhand plan joint operations against Naxals
PURULIA:

“Joint operations are being planned by both the states,” said Chief Secretary Asok Mohan Chakrabarti, while ruling out the possibility of deployment of the Army in Maoist-affected areas in West Midnapore, Bankura and Purulia districts.

He said the joint forces operating in the area would remain there and the nine companies of Central paramilitary forces, who were dispatched to Jharkhand for the Assembly elections, would return soon.

“The law and order situation has improved a lot in Purulia and West Midnapore,” said Chakraborti.

Maoists helping reactionary forces and ruling classes: CPM
New Delhi:The CPM has accused the Maoists of helping “the reactionary forces and ruling classes” by targeting its cadres in various parts of the country.

“They help the reactionary forces and the ruling classes by targeting the cadres and workers of the CPM belonging to the oppressed classes,” said the Politburo in New Delhi. They accused the Maoists of killing its workers in West Midnapore and adjoining districts of West Bengal.