Nov. 5: Six more companies of the CRPF, bound for Lalgarh, reached Midnapore today.

Already 22 companies (one company has about 100 jawans) are deployed in the Maoist-infested area in West Midnapore.

Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had requested the Union home minister for more troops last month. “Also, after the Rajdhani was blocked in Jhargram, the chief minister had spoken to the home minister and requested him again,” said an official at Writers’ Buildings.

In Natungram, West Midnapore, over 100 Trinamul activists gheraoed eight police officers for over four hours for failing to arrest some CPM supporters, who had allegedly beaten them up earlier.