Five Naxal affected states put on alert

New Delhi June 22 (ANI): The Union Home Ministry has issued an alert to Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Chattisgarh in the wake of two day bandh call given by the Maoists starting from today.

The CPI (Maoist) called for a two day shut down in five eastern states to protest the re capturing of Lalgarh in West Bengal by security forces.

Additional Secretary (Naxal Management) in Home Ministry DRS Chaudhary said the intelligence agencies reported, "demonstrative acts of violence" by the guerillas and the same inputs has been shared with the respective states and asked to take precautionary and pre-emptive measures.

Intelligence agencies reported that the left extremists might target the economic infrastructure such as trains, buses, railway, bus stations and other places where people are likely to gather in significant numbers.

Meanwhile, after recapturing Lalgarh police station, troops consisting of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Border Security Force (BSF) and West Bengal policemen are advancing towards Ramgarh, sanitizing road and other connecting routes, and took control of 17 more villages held by Maoists.

According to police sources the forces are focusing on to wrest the Barapelia, Chotopelia and Dalilpurchak in West Midnapore district where top Maoist leaders, including Koteshwar Rao, were said to be holed up.

Barapelia is the heaquarters of Maoist-backed People's Committee against Police Atrocity (PCPA) and hometown of its chief Chatradhar Mahato.

In a statement Union Home Minster P Chidambaram described the situation in Lalgarh as tense and asked politicians, people and the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to keep away from the conflict area.

Chidambaram also said every effort will be made to maintain law and order and to ensure security of people, but the people should also remain vigilant and cooperate with the police and other security personnel. (ANI)