Calcutta, Oct. 11: The Union home ministry has informed the state government that it would withdraw one battalion of central forces from Jungle Mahal, which is almost a fourth of the existing strength deployed in the Maoist-infested region.

In a letter to the state home department last week, the Union home ministry said that the battalion no. 167 of the Central Reserve Police comprising around 900 personnel would be withdrawn from West Midnapore.

Vivek Sahay, inspector general of CRP, said that the Centre wanted to withdraw one battalion of CRP from Bengal. “The battalion is still deployed in West Midnapore. When it would be withdrawn is yet to be decided,” Sahay said.

According to CRP sources, the battalion would be withdrawn after chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Jhargram in West Midnapore on October 15. There are presently 41 companies of central force in Jungle Mahal. One company comprise 800 to 1,000 personnel.

Last month, the union home ministry had written to the state government seeking to withdraw one of the CRP battalions from the state by October 6. But the state government had managed to defer the pullout immediately by requesting the Centre.

Bengal chief secretary Samar Ghosh had said at Writers’ Buildings on September 29 that the state government wanted to “keep the existing force intact”.

Sources in Writers’ Buildings said that that the last letter from the union home ministry regarding the pullout of a battalion of CRP arrived last week.

Elaborating on why the Union home ministry sent the second letter despite the state government’s request to the Centre to keep the force in Jungle Mahal, a senior police official said that neighbouring states, including Chhattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand, were desperately demanding more central force for intensifying operations against Maoists.

“The central force in the Jungle Mahal is virtually spending their days inside their camps when they are supposed to be used in operations against the rebels. There have been no major crackdowns in the past four months, after the new government came to the power. Meanwhile, the neighbouring states are carrying out extensive operations against the rebels in dense forests. The central force was called in Jungle Mahal specifically to combat Maoists. So it was not possible for the Centre to pay heed to the state government’s request,” said a police official.

The official also pointed out that operations could not be carried out because the government had initiated a move to hold dialogues with Maoists to restore peace in Jungle Mahal.

“Also, to carry out extensive raids against Maoists, specific information and tip-offs are required about the whereabouts of the Maoists which are not available at present in Jungle Mahal,” the official said.

According to state Intelligence Branch (IB) sources, the government has asked the agency to collect specific information about the whereabouts of top-level Maoist leaders, including Kishan, the chief of the rebel outfit’s guerrilla wing.

“We are yet to get the specific intelligence because we no longer have the source network in the Jungle Mahal that mainly comprised CPM activists. After Trinamul Congress was voted to power, these CPM activists have fled their respective village,” said an IB officer.

The battalion no. 167 is posted in and around Jhargram covering Manikpara--Kalabani areas. “We have information that Maoists have been roaming in the villages around Jhargram and trying to win villagers’ hearts,” said an officer of West Midnapore.