Amid a deadline set by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to Maoists to disarm themselves and come for negotiations, there was an exchange of fire on Tuesday between security forces and left wing extremists at a village in the Bankisol-Aluberia area in Paschim Medinipur district.
There were reports that Akash, secretary of the State committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), was among those who escaped.
“We received a tip-off about the presence of Maoists and conducted a raid. The Maoists attacked the police and we returned the fire,” a senior police official told The Hindu over telephone.
The police chased the Maoists, but they managed to escape.
However, a detonator, a .303 rifle, 10 rounds of ammunition, four backpacks, Maoist literature and some papers were recovered, he said.
At a public rally in Jhargram on Saturday, Ms. Banerjee said she had “fulfilled her promise” to Maoists and “there was no joint-operation in Jangalmahal for the last four-and-half months [that her government has been in power].” She said she was giving Maoists another seven days to agree for “negotiations if you give up your arms.”
The raid was conducted on a day a meeting between the Chief Minister and a team of interlocutors, appointed by the State government to bring Maoists to the negotiating table, was scheduled to be held.