Midnapore, Dec. 7: The tribals of Lalgarh today suspended their agitation and gave the West Midnapore police chief a week to visit their area and apologise for alleged atrocities on the community.

The People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities announced its decision after a three-hour meeting with the administration this evening.

However, officials at the meeting said the committee had agreed to call off the agitation after an agreement on 10 issues, which did not include the apology.

“On the basis of this agreement, the committee leaders agreed to call off their agitation,” said district magistrate N.S. Nigam.

Superintendent of police Rajesh Kumar Singh denied any discussion on his apology at the talks at Lalgarh police station. “They did not impose any condition on withdrawal of roadblocks. No date like December 14 was mentioned.”

Committee leader Chhatradhar Mahato, however, was categorical. “The administration did not meet our main demand: the SP will have to visit our area and apologise for the police excesses on the tribals of Lalgarh after the Salboni blast (on November 2). We are giving the administration time till December 14 to meet that demand.”

He said the administration had requested the protesters to withdraw their agitation. “They told us they would consider our demand (for apology) once we lifted the blockades. So, we are withdrawing our agitation till December 14.”

As a gesture of goodwill, Chhatradhar and Sidhu Soren accompanied additional district magistrate R.A. Israel to Ramgarh and removed tree trunks from the road.

“From tomorrow, we will start removing the other roadblocks and repairing roads that have been dug up,” said district magistrate Nigam.

An official said the administration had already agreed to most of the tribals’ demands (see box) such as withdrawing police camps and stopping night raids. The inspector in charge of Lalgarh police station during the raids that followed the mine blast has also been shifted.

Today’s meeting decided that no permanent police camp would be set up in a health centre or school.

The tribal agitation began on November 7 after the police swooped on Lalgarh villages searching for Maoists in connection with the blast targeting the chief minister, which hit a car in Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan’s convoy and injured several policemen.

The agitators felled trees to block roads and dug up roads at various places in Lalgarh, Salboni, Belpahari and Binpur to cut off the area from the administration. Roads around Jhargram were also blockaded, cutting the town off from the rest of the state.

Some officials were today sceptical about the committee leaders’ promise. In mid-November, Santhal body Bharat Jakat Majhi Marwa — which was then leading the agitation — had called off its protests. But it soon became apparent that the reins of the movement were no longer with it. A leader was beaten up when he went to remove a roadblock in Jhargram town with officials.

Maoists are believed to be egging the triabls on in the heart of Lalgarh.

At a rally in Bankura town today, Mamata Banerjee accused the state of branding ordinary villagers Maoists.