Kantapahari recaptured

LALGARH: Forty-eight hours after Ramgarh was captured, the Maoist stronghold of Kantapahari, too, was seized by security forces without any resistance on Monday morning. Two heavily armed contingents marched into the Maoist stronghold from Lalgarh and Ramgarh, aiming to mow down the insurgents from two ends. But barring a mine blast, in which no one was injured, a few felled trees and dug-up roads, there was no sign of opposition.Three mines were detected on the road at Shijua, two of which were defused.
With Kantapahari now under control, the inner circle of the area that was lost to the Maoists has now been won back. PCPA leader Chhatradhar Mahato is believed to have fled to Bankura.
Exactly at 6.30 am, a contingent of state armed police, BSF and CRPF started for Kantapahari from Lalgarh, led by a road clearance party, armed with mine detectors. This time, the forces swept 500 metres beyond the road on either side. Most houses were deserted but the troops encountered the first and only obstacle, 800 metres from Pathardanga. A tree trunk had been laid across the road. This was pushed aside and the 8-km march continued.
The Ramgarh force, on the other hand, closed in from the north. They had apprehended major resistance in areas like Khasjangal, Dharampur and Kantapahari. A minesweeper had been pressed into service. But barring a few tree trunks at Aurma village, Dharampur, Khasjangal and a dug-up road at Lokut, the forces had an uneventful journey. Cobra commandos combed Khasjangal, Jhitka and Kalaimura forests but found nothing.
The Lalgarh force passed through Dukurmuri and Boropelia a strong Maoist base till recently before halting at Narchiya primary school camp. Here, they found a mother and her five-day-old baby and sent them to hospital.
The forces were fired at near Godamouli, but it was a minor encounter. The Maoists vanished as soon as the jawans fired back. At 10.30 am, the team reached Dalilpur Chowk from where it took a right turn towards Chhotopelia. It was almost 11.30 am when they finally stepped into Kantapahari. The Ramgarh force had already reached by then. The linking-up of the forces triggered a small celebration.
With the fall of Kantapahari, the 25-km road connecting Lalgarh to Goaltore has now been opened up. The major Maoist bases have been conquered and police have decided to resume bus services in the area. Administrative offices will also be reopened while developmental work will begin as well.
Police camps at Koima and Kalaimuri, which were taken over by Maoists, will be re-established.