Bengal governor visits violence-hit areas

West Bengal Governor M K Narayanan, who had earlier expressed anger at the state's law and order situation following the Lalgarh killings on January 7, on Wednesday visited Netai village and also Maoist-hit Baghbinda village in Jhalda in neighbouring Purulia to assess the situation.

At the end of his visit, he said he would send reports to the Centre as well as the state government. "I will report to the Central and state governments about the serious incidents that had taken place. I heard the feelings of the affected villagers and demand for security," Narayanan told reporters after talking to some of the affected villagers, the administration and police officers.

The former national security adviser said he was aware of the Maoist problem in this region.

Describing the Maoist terror as 'unjustified', the governor said it needed to be explored how security could be provided to the villagers to insulate them from Maoist attacks.

"Serious incidents had taken place," he said after visiting houses of the families of some of the deceased at both Netai and Baghbinda villages, shortly after his arrival by helicopter from Kolkata.

At Netai village, Narayanan also went to the house from where shots were fired, leading to the death of nine villagers. Some of the family members of those killed broke down and even touched Narayanan's feet as he visited their houses.

Visibly moved, Narayanan tried to console them and enquired from the superintendents of police accompanying him if the Maoists had raided the Baghbinda village with any demand.

Many villagers alleged lack of police security at both Netai and Baghbinda village during the governor's visit.

Nine people were killed in firing from an alleged Communist Party of India - Marxist armed camp on January 7 and seven Forward Bloc activists were killed in a Maoist attack on December 16 at Baghbinda village near Jhalda in Purulia, one of the three districts comprising Jangalmahal, the other two being West Midnapore and Bankura.

Worried at the growing incidents of political violence, the governor had asked the state government to act before the situation reaches 'a point of no return' and had summoned the state's Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh, Home Secretary G D Gautama and Director General of Police N Mukherjee a few days back to discuss the situation.