Centre concerned at situation at Nandigram

On Board The PM's Special AI Aircraft, Nov 11 (UNI) The Centre today expressed serious concern over the situation at Nandigram in West Bengal and did not rule out the possibility of involvement of the Maoists in the large-scale violence there.

''I think it is a tricky sitution. Delhi is concerned, Kolkata is deeply concerned. The idea is to ensure more lives are not lost and that it is possible to enable those who have been driven out or blocked to return to their homes with a minimum of violence and casualities of various kinds,'' National Security Advisor M K Narayanan told reporters on board the special aircraft carrying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to Moscow on a two-day visit.

''It is a matter of deep concern. Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi has spoken out and there have been responses on other sides. Home Minister Shivraj Patil has spoken to Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on more than one occasion. Prime Minister is directly in touch with Home Minister on this issue. All of us have been in our own way involved in this process. A senior officer has been sent from Delhi to visit the place and report back as to what more needs to be done. One battalion of CRPF has already gone there and the optional use of force has been talked about. It is a very dicey situation which I hope is being tackled very well,''Mr Narayanan said.

Asked if there could be involvement of Maoists in the violence, Mr Narayanan said at their ninth party Congress, the Maoists had talked about causing trouble in new areas.

''I think this is one more area where the Maoists have been active,'' he added.

UNI