Maoist posters ask Mamata to keep her poll promises

A day after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave Naxals a seven-day deadline to lay down arms, posters allegedly by CPI(Maoist) today appeared in tribal Junglemahal asking her to keep her poll promises of withdrawl of joint forces and release of jailed Maoists.

"If the promises are not kept Trinamool Congress leaders will face threat to life," said one of the posters pasted on a wall at Bhadutala bazar at Salboni. Another poster demanded comprehensive development of Junglemahal area.

The three posters were handwritten in red in Bengali and signed as CPI(Maoist), police said. West Midnapore district magistrate Surendra Gupta said he had asked the superintendent of police to investigate the matter.

Police said it was suspected to be the handiwork of miscreants.

After Banerjee's public meeting yesterday at Jhargram, where she nixed the Maoist offer of cessation of arms for a month in Junglemahal, a procession was taken out by Nari Ijjat Bachao Committee, the women's wing of Maoist front organisation Peoples Committee against Police Atrocities (PCPA).

The procession which had covered the forest area villages had made the same demands and also sought withdrawl of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act under which PCPA Chatradhar Mahato had been arrested.

"I am giving you (Maoists) a seven-day ultimatum to lay down guns. Think over it. We will not tolerate any more violence. Killings and negotiations cannot go hand in hand," Banerjee told a rally here.