Maoist poster sends administration in a tizzy

Kolkata, Dec 14 (UNI) A poster of the underground Maoists on the gate of the state Secretariat today sent a shockwave in the administration prompting it to promulgate prohibitory orders around the seat of power.

Pasted on the gate number one of the Writers' Buildings, the poster called for trial of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in the people's court for the "Nandigram killings".

Put up with the initial of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), the poster also demanded resignation of the Chief Minister and trial of several other CPI (M) leaders, including the party's state Secretary Biman Basu and Central Committee member Benoy Konar along with him.

" A poster on the gate was found in the morning. Similar posters appeared in few places of the city in the recent past. We are mounting alacrity and taking administrative measures," Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray told reporters.

Official sources said prohibitory orders under 144 Cr P C had been declared in the vicinity of the state secretariat covering 16 main thoroughfares only a few hours after the poster was found.

" While the front side of the Writers' Buildings is always under prohibitory orders, more areas in the vicinity have been added up as a precautionary measure," the sources said.

The prohibitory orders will be in force for 60 days till further orders.

While the state Government had so far been grappling with the Maoist problem in the far flung West Midnapore, Bankura and Tripura districts, what made the Government more disturbed was a couple of posters appearing in the busy College street area few days ago suggesting that the ultra force was active also in the city.

UNI