Narayanan to meet EFR officials today

KOLKATA: West Bengal governor M K Narayanan will meet senior EFR officials on Friday at their Salua headquarter, which comes under the Maoist-infested West Midnapore district. There’s been serious resentment within the EFR ranks and especially among the families of the 24 EFR jawans gunned down by the Maoists at Silda on February 15. Agitated family members of the slain jawans had demanded West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee’s presence at Salua to hear their grievances.

But Mr Bhattacharjee chose not to go and instead sent five of his ministers, including state finance minister Asim Dasgupta, to meet the aggrieved family members. But family members had then gheraoed these ministers and reiterated their demand that the CM would have to come to Salua.

Subsequently, there were reports that the ill-fated EFR camp had been established to protect key CPM leaders in West Midnapore district who were on the Maoist hit list. Relatives of the slain EFR jawans also alleged that the state administration had posted EFR jawans without proper training in guerrilla warfare.

What’s more, there have been serious differences between West Bengal home secretary Ardhendu Sen and director general of state police, Bhupinder Singh, over the intelligence failure issue in Silda. It’s under these circumstances that Mr Narayanan will be visiting Salua on Friday. Raj Bhavan sources said the state governor will meet senior EFR officials and family members of the slain jawans.

It is expected that Mr Narayanan will try to glean maximum information from senior EFR men at Salua about the recent Maoist mayhem and the subsequent developments.