Three arrested for Lalgarh killings

KOLKATA - Three people were arrested in connection with the killings of seven villagers near the Maoist stronghold of Lalgarh in West Bengal’ West Midnapore district, senior state government officials said Saturday.

“So far three people have been arrested from Netai village, where the incident took place Friday. We are yet to ascertain their political identity,” said Home Secretary G.D. Goutama at state secretariat -Writers’ Buildings.

“The political identities of those who were killed in the bloodshed have not yet been identified. We will also ascertain their political identity,” said Goutama.

However, Goutama Friday told media persons that the killing of seven people was a fallout of a political clash involving the Trinamool Congress and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M). No involvement of the Maoists was found in the incident, he had said.

West Midnapore Additional Superintendent of Police Sukesh Jain said: “A through search operation was conducted in the two-storied building Friday evening, but no person was found there. No arms and ammunitions were recovered from inside the house.”

“A landmine, and some empty cartridges which were not of police, were found from the spot. All the cartridges are of .8 mm and one bore gun. We are also conducting raids in search of the assailants,” Jain said.

“A huge contingent of police has been deployed in the area and tight security arrangement has been made. Barricades and check posts have been set up in several places following the visit of the Railway Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee to Netai and Lalgarh,” he added.