Midnapore: People armed with bows and arrows today carried out processions and blocked roads in tribal areas of West Bengal, even as the five major tribal organisations have withdrawn their agitation over the alleged "police excesses".
West Bengal Home Secretary Asok Mohan Chakraborty and Director General of Police A B Vohra today held a meeting with leaders of the Bharat Jakat Majhi Marwa Juan Ganta, a platform of tribals which had initially begun the agitation in protest against the alleged "police atrocities" after the November two mine blast near Salboni.
"It has to be determined if those carrying on the agitation are Maoists. We are making inquiries," the Home Secretary told reporters after the meeting.
Ruling out an action to remove the blockades, he said, "We want to hold talks with the agitators first."
Fresh blockades came up at Humgarh, while those in the Maoist strongholds of Salboni, Goaltore, Garbeta, Jamboni, Bholabheda, Binpur, Lalgarh and Kantapahar, continued, police said.
Blockades with felled trees were removed by the administration on one side of Jhargram town, which had been totally cut-off, sources said.
At Bholabheda, a CPI(M) Gram Panchayat woman member Shakuntala Mura was assaulted after she refused to participate in a procession of the agitators, the sources said.
A former branch secretary of the party at Bholabheda, Samir Mahato, was assaulted for the same reason.
