Red alert sounded in three Maoist dominated districts of Bengal

Kolkata, Dec 17(UNI) The West Bengal Government has sounded an alert in the three Maoist-dominated districts of West Bengal following the massive jailbreak in Bastar region rpt region of Chhattisgarh in which about 300 ultras escaped.

" An alert has been sounded in Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore districts following the incident in Chhattisgarh," Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Ray today told reporters.

Official sources said police had been asked to mount vigil and beef up security measures in those districts, adjoining Jharkhand.

" A special thrust has been given on patrolling, surveillance and preparedness because there are several corridors across the border of Jharkhand with these three districts, which the Maoists often use to sneak into West Bengal," the sources said.

Yesterday 300 prisoners, including Naxalites, lodged in the district jail, first attacked the guards and then looted weapons from the armoury. They later unleashed an attack enabling the ultras to escape from the Dantewada district jail in the Maoist dominated Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.

UNI