Bengal governor visits Netai village, Maoist-hit Baghmundi

Kolkata, Jan 19 (PTI) West Bengal Governor M KNarayanan, who expressed anger at the state''s law-and-ordersituation following the January 7 Lalgarh killings, todayvisited Netai village and also Maoist-hit Baghmundi inneighbouring Purulia to assess the situation.

At the end of his visit, he said he would send reportsto the Centre as well as the state government.

"I will report to the Central and state governmentsabout the serious incidents that had taken place. I heardabout the feelings of the affected villagers and demandfor security," Narayanan told reporters after talking to someof the affected, the administration and police officers.

The former National Security Adviser said he was awareof the Maoist problem in this region. "I know what they cando."

Describing the Maoist terror as ''unjustified'', thegovernor said it needed to be explored how security could beprovided to the villagers to insulate them from Maoistattacks.

"Serious incidents had taken place," he said aftervisiting houses of the families of some of the deceased atboth Netai and Baghmundi villages shortly after his arrival byhelicopter from Kolkata this noon.

At Netai village, Narayanan also went to the housefrom where shots were fired leading to death of ninevillagers.

Some of the family members of those killed broke downand even touched Narayanan''s feet as he visited their houses.

Visibly moved, Narayanan tried to console them andenquired from the superintendents of police, accompanying him,if the Maoists had raided the Baghmundi village with anydemand.

Many villagers alleged lack of police security at bothNetai and Baghmundi during the governor''s visit.

Nine people were killed in firing from an allegedCPI-M armed camp on January 7 and seven Forward Bloc activistswere killed in a Maoist attack on December 16 at Baghmundivillage near Jhalda in Purilia, one of the three districtscomprising Jangalmahal, the other two being West Midnapore andBankura.

Worried at the growing incidents of politicalviolence, the governor had asked the state government to actbefore the situation reaches "a point of no return" and hadsummoned the state''s Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh, HomeSecretary G D Gautama and DGP N Mukherjee a few days back todiscuss the situation.