Jhargram free of Maoists, recent posters handiwork of some to create panic: Mamata

Jhargram: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has asserted that Jhargram district was free of Maoists, and that some people were trying to create panic in the area by putting up handwritten posters with mention of the ultras.

Posters with names of Maoists had recently surfaced at several places in ‘Jangalmahal’, where left-wing extremists were once active. Jhargram is part of the region.

”Some people have been putting up hand-written posters and claiming that it was done by Maoists,” Banerjee said at an administrative review meeting here on Wednesday.

”It is an attempt to create panic by posting pictures of these posters on social media. Keep an eye on the internet because there are good as well as bad people in it,” she told the police.

The chief minister said she has herself examined the authenticity of the posters and found that there was no truth in the stickers. ”There has been a continuous campaign and I think it must be investigated,” Banerjee said.

Jhargram Superintendent of Police Arijit Sinha said eight people have been arrested in connection with the incident and an investigation is underway.

Banerjee has also asked Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi to talk to his Jharkhand counterpart and work out a strategy to protect the interstate borders.

Jhargram borders Jharkhand, and there has been a reported rise in the number of criminals entering Bengal from that state.