West Bengal Timeline 2013

Date

Incidents

January 4

Rebel TMC MP Kabir Suman claimed that CPI-Maoist helped Mamata Banerjee win West Bengal assembly elections in 2011.

The CRPF announced a 'Civic Action Programme' in the CPI-Maoist infested Lalgarh area of West Bengal, with an objective to effectively combat extremism and bridge the gap between the villagers and the administration.

The West Bengal Police arrested a suspected CPI-Maoist cadre, accused of killing a farmer, from Jhargram area of the State.

In a joint operation led by the Counter Insurgency Force and Police about eight kilograms of explosives and landmine-making equipment were recovered from a forest in Bagmundi Police Station area in Purulia District of West Bengal.

According to the SIB of West Bengal, the CPI-Maoist cadres are again regrouping in Jungle Mahal region.

Two landmines were recovered and later defused in Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District of West Bengal.

Kolkata Police's STF arrested three gun-runners who have allegedly been supplying arms and ammunition to CPI-Maoist.

A CPI-Maoist action squad member was arrested by joint forces of Police and paramilitary from Belpahari area in West Midnapore District of West Bengal.

The SC stayed a Calcutta High Court judgment directing West Bengal to treat arrested members of the CPI-ML as "political prisoners" by declaring the outfit a "political movement".

SFs recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition belonging to CPI-Maoist from Lalgarh area.

A CPI-Maoist cadre involved in several cases of violence including the killing of a CPI-M leader was arrested from Bankura District.

Acting on a tip off, the STF of Kolkata Police, West Bengal, arrested two senior CPI-Maoist leaders, identified as Sabyasachi Goswami alias Kishore and Zakir Hussain, from Jadavpur area in Kolkata.

Top officials of CRPF have informed the MHA about the regrouping of the CPI-Maoist in West Bengal.

Jhargram area Police of West Bengal arrested two CPI-Maoist cadres and recovered skeletal remains of three persons from them.

There is a 'high probability' of political leaders coming under a Chhattisgarh-type attack during the panchayat poll campaign in Jangalmahal, intelligence sources indicated.

The CPI-Maoist decided to field sympathizers as independent candidates in the forthcoming panchayat polls, in a significant shift from their earlier stance of not taking part in electoral politics.

An "internal inquiry commission" of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) has blamed Suchitra Mahato, the surrendered Maoist leader, for the death of politburo member Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji in an alleged encounter in Junglemahal area in West Bengal in November 2011. Branding her as a "traitor", the CPI-Maoist central committee has approved "retaliation" against those involved in the "conspiracy", saying they will be "punished when the time comes". The "inquiry commission" has said Mahato, who was believed to be with Kishenji during his last few days, lured him into a trap laid by Security Forces. The "internal inquiry" has also identified the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as "one of the chief conspirators", and warned that she will not be "spared".

A day after the attack on the Congress rally in Chhattisgarh recently, Banerjee had said, "If I die, there are people to take the Trinamool Congress ahead. I have a hand-picked team of about 90 people who will take the party forward." Her comment was believed to have been provoked by the security threat. Her security has since been stepped up.

Four months after Kishenji's death, Mahato surrendered before Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at Writers Buildings in March 2012.

In the view of the renewed threat of CPI-Maoist in the State, the Centre has approved six additional companies of CAPFs to West Bengal, State Home Secretary Basudeb Banerjee said.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has alleged that the CPI-M had joined hands with the CPI-Maoist to kill her in a bid to return to power in the State.

Ahead of the Panchayat polls, posters issued in the name of the CPI-Maoist were recovered at a few places in Jhargram in West Midnapore District.

Visiting Junglemahal to showcase her Government's success in bringing peace in the former CPI-Maoist-hit area, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that the days of fear were gone and vowed that they would not be allowed to return into the region.

The CIF ADG, K L Tamta, held a meeting with officers of all the eight Police Stations of Birbhum District which have been identified as 'CPI-Maoist-prone'.

West Bengal Transport Minister Madan Mitra said he has received a SMS which he claims is a threat from the CPI-Maoist in the wake of his decision to form anti-terror committees to thwart LWEs.

A CPI-Maoist cadre, identified as Chunaram Tudu alias Chatu, was arrested from the forests along the West Bengal-Jharkhand borders at Jhargram of West Midnapore District. In another raid at Labh Kush jungle at Jhargram, the District Police seized a single barrel gun and 18 kilogram of explosives.

STF of West Bengal Police arrested Joyeeta Das - a member of Matangini Mahila Samity (Matangini Women Organisation) and one of the key organizers of the Nandigram (West Bengal) land agitation - on charges of her nexus with CPI-Maoist.

The Central Government sanctioned INR 8.22 billion of road projects for three CPI-Maoist affected districts of West Bengal. The clearance for 447 road projects for the districts of Paschim Medinipur (West Medinipur), Bankura and Purulia comes soon after the Government approved INR 5.23 billion road projects for the State.

A PCPA leader was beaten to death by angry villagers under Jhargram Police Station limits of West Medinipur District.

A joint team of CRPF and District Police recovered a five-kilogram landmine planted by CPI-Maoist under Bolkunda bridge in Lalgarh area of West Midnapore District.

Warning the CPI-Maoist that West Bengal Government would not allow violence to return to 'Jungle Mahal' comprising Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore Districts of the State, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that her government wanted development and not guns.

CPI-Maoist operating in Junglemahal region has been told to go for poll boycott in tribal dominated areas of West Bengal in the 2014 polls.

A, CPI-Maoist backed, PCPA leader, identified as Hemanta Mahanta, was beaten to death by angry villagers of Nedabahara in Jhargram area. According to eyewitnesses and residents of the village, the villagers had earlier issued warning to the Maoist not to come to their village.

A retired doctor of a public sector undertaking, identified as Dr. Samir Biswas (65), was arrested by the Asansol Durgapur Police Commissionerate in the West Bengal's Bardhaman District from the residence of a relative in Asansol on charges of sedition. Biswas had reportedly treated Mallojula Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji, member of the Polit Bureau of the CPI-Maoist who was killed in an encounter with security forces in November 2010. He was absconding for the last three years after a case of sedition was lodged against him in April 2010.

People's movement led by CPI-Maoist cadres in Jangalmahal area of West Bengal is gaining ground once again after Maoist military strategist Koteswara Rao alias Kishenji's death, said Maoist ideologue Varavara Rao in Kolkata. Rao is in the city to attend the second conference of the Committee for Release of Political Prisoners.

Former civic Police constable, Dilip Pramanik, an active member of Jungalmahal Unnayan Birodhi Protirodh Committee (Committee against Anti-Jungalmahal Development Forces) that is backed by the TMC, was injured when CPI-Maoist cadres tried to abduct him from Tilai village under Balampur Police Station area in Purulia District.