Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ruled out Maoist presence in the state and said that hand written posters in their name are being circulated in Jhargram in a deliberate effort to create panic among the people. She directed the police administration to be vigilant and alert.
"Had there been any instructions from any police station that people should not venture outside their residence after 6 pm. Or is it simply a rumour? Banerjee enquired addressing the administrative review meeting at Jhargram on Wednesday.
The officer in charge of various police stations of the district informed the Chief Minister that there had been no such instructions. Banerjee said: "Then, somebody secretly is spreading rumour to create a sense of fear among the people. So you should be vigilant and keep an eye on social media too." Stating that some people are trying to create a sense of fear, she said: "There are people who try to instigate by circulating fake things through social media and also try to create riots. They spread falsehood in the name of Maoists. Somebody writes a poster and clicks photographs of the same and circulates them in a deliberate ploy to create a sense of fear. I have collected information from various angles. There are no such things (Maoists). However, there should be a thorough probe to unearth who are responsible for such acts."
Superintendent of police, Jhargram Arijit Sinha, who took over the charge a few days back, informed the Chief Minister that eight persons have already been arrested for such mischievous acts.
Banerjee asked IC of Belpahari police station Biswajit Biswas whether there is any problem in the border area. "Is there any CRPF camps?" she questioned. The IC replied that there are seven camps among which six belong to the CRPF.
When asked whether any entry of outsiders has come to his knowledge Biswajit said: "There are five roads that have connections with bordering Jharkhand. There is constant naka checking and adequate number of CCTVs have also been installed. The CRPF in association with police conduct night ambush and area domination on a regular basis. We also keep in contact with the residents in and around."
The Chief Minister instructed the police top brass to constitute "Winners Team" (all women police) with the tribal women in the district.
She also asked Chief Secretary H K Dwivedi to talk with the Jharkhand government for strengthening border security.