From Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, article found at http://www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/news.nsf/(httpIDPNewsAlerts)/6EA8ADBF66233BE9C12575E0005A4E6E?OpenDocument#anchor1 INDIA: THOUSANDS FLEE CONFLICT BETWEEN SECURITY FORCES AND MAOISTS IN LALGARH Conflict between Indian security forces and Maoists in the Lalgarh area of West Bengal state has displaced thousands of villagers. The Maoists have been entrenched in Lalgarh since November 2008 and have extended their control over the area. The state police and paramilitary forces launched an operation after the Maoists described on 15 June an area of 1,000 square kilometres in Lalgarh as a “liberated zone”. By some estimates at least 20,000 people have been displaced and many have fled to relief camps. In some cases men have been forced to leave their homes, leaving families behind, after being targeted by both security forces and tribal groups under the banner of the Maoist-backed People’s Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA); while the police have been harassing them for information on the Maoists, PCPA leaders have been putting pressure on them to join their movement. The government of West Bengal state is now facing the challenge of aiding thousands of displaced villagers. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Source: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/002200906211914.htm THOUSANDS FLEEING LALGARH, SAYS UNION MINISTER Lalgarh (PTI) Thousands of villagers from violence-hit Lalgarh area were fleeing their homes to take shelter in relief camps, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sisir Adhikari said on Sunday. At least 20,000 people have been rendered homeless. Thousands of people from different villages in Lalgarh are fleeing their homes and walking down the roads, Mr. Adhikari, who belongs to the Trinamool Congress, told PTI from Salboni. He said the scene was reminiscent of the refugee influx in West Bengal during the 1971 Indo-Pak war. Mr. Adhikary and Union Minister of State for Shipping Mukul Roy arrived at Salboni on Sunday afternoon with relief material for the displaced people on the instructions of Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee. Mr. Adhikary said Triamool Congress had set up relief camps at Pirakata and Goaltore and more camps would be opened as an increasing number of people were fleeing home. Even women were being beaten up indiscriminately. There are at least 1,500 women in the Goaltore camp itself. I have myself seen the injury marks, the minister alleged. Mr. Adhikari and Mr. Roy, who are on their way to Pirakata relief camp with the relief material, said they had to wait at Salboni since afternoon as the CPI(M) activists had blockaded the roads to Pirakata and Goaltore. Mr. Roy claimed that CPI(M) cadre were also beating up villagers at various places at Lalgarh, taking advantage of the presence of the joint forces.

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