WEST BENGAL: POLICE WIN FIRST ROUND AGAINST MAOISTS

UNCLAS KOLKATA 000167 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR SCA/INS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER PGOV CASC IN SUBJECT: WEST BENGAL: POLICE WIN FIRST ROUND AGAINST MAOISTS REF: KOLKATA 162 (SBU) Summary: Indian Central Reserve Police Forces (CRPF), along with Government of West Bengal (GOWB) police have reportedly taken control of the town of Lalgarh without strong resistance from the Communist Party of India - Maoist (hereinafter referred to as Maoists, otherwise known as Naxalites) (see Reftel). Except for Lalgarh and surrounding areas, most people have ignored the Maoists' call for a two-day strike in the East Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal. Security forces suspect that small pockets of Maoist fighters remain in the area and they are expecting to launch attacks against these fighters within the next few days. End Summary. Police Take Control of Lalgarh ¶2. (SBU) Media contacts in Lalgarh, a town in the West Midnapur district of West Bengal where CRPF and GOWB police have been conducting anti-Maoist operations for the past week, report that police now control the town. These contacts confirmed that on June 21, security forces re-entered the Lalgarh police station, which has been controlled by the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) since November 2008. PCAPA is widely rumored to be cooperating with the Maoists. Contacts told Pol FSN that police have also converted village schools and public buildings into police camps in two neighboring towns, Goaltore and Ramgarh. West Bengal's Inspector General of Police (Law & Order) Raj Kanojia confirmed that police are now in control of Lalgarh. Maoist Strike is a Bust Except in West Midnapur ¶3. (SBU) It appears that a two-day strike called by the Maoists on June 22 and 23 in Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and West Bengal has had little impact outside of the West Midnapur district of West Bengal. RSO contacts report all major cities in the region are functioning normally, including West Bengal's capital Kolkata. Contacts in Lalgarh and surrounding villages report that shops, schools and offices have been closed on both days and very few people have come out of their homes. Police Actions to Continue ¶4. (SBU) P.S. Mukherjee (protect),a West Bengal Police intelligence official in West Midnapur district, told Pol FSN that Maoist action squads in Lalgarh do not have sophisticated fire arms, barring a few assault rifles. The Maoists either seize rifles from the police or buy locally made crude, single shotguns. According to Mukherjee, Maoists are making their own Improvised Explosive Devises (IEDs) from easily available ingredients such as ammonia-based fertilizers mixed with jaggery (a crude sugar). They steal detonators from mining companies in the region. Mukherjee confirmed that the Maoists are not receiving any support from outside of India. ¶5. (SBU) Kanojia told Pol FSN that the police have completed the first in a four-phase strategy to counter the Maoists in West Bengal. In the first phase, the police reestablished control over Lalgarh and its surrounding villages. In the second phase, the police plan to confront pockets of Maoists who remain in villages and forested areas in West Midnapur. Kanojia said that up to 8,000 police are being deployed for what he described as counterinsurgency operations. Kanojia reported that the third phase will concentrate on development measures to address the local population's grievances, with the final phase concentrating on surrender of individual Maoist fighters. PAYNE