BUPC lives in fear of Maoist tag

http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php?clid=6&theme=&usrsess=1&id=176729

Rajib Chatterjee
NANDIGRAM, Nov. 16: Recovery of arms by CRPF personnel in Nandigramm has struck terror in the heart of BUPC supporters, who allege that the weapons have been planted. They are calling it an attempt of the CPI-M to brand them Maoists to substantiate its claims of extremist presence in the area and to justify the “recapture” of Nandigram.
The CPI-M trashed the BUPC allegation and insisted that Maoists had been present in Nandigram during all the trouble. Senior BUPC members have dismissed charges that they had allowed Maoists to set up camps and train local youths to resist police with arms. They alleged that weapons and explosive materials had been planted in a house at a Sonachura village after BUPC supporters had fled their homes following terror unleashed by CPI-M cadres.
“Police said arms had been smuggled into Nandigram to help us put up an armed resistance to the CPI-M cadres and police. They must have forgotten that those who had attended a BUPC rally, which CPI-M cadres had attacked on 10 November, had been unarmed. We would have put up an armed resistance if we had arms and ammunition,” Sheikh Sufiyan, a senior BUPC member, said. He alleged that police had a list of hard-core BUPC leaders ready to be used to arrest them on false charges of maintaining links with Maoists. Mr Sufiyan said that the plan had been drawn up at the behest of CPI-M leaders. CRPF jawans and district police have launched a fresh hunt for arms and ammunition in Nandigram. Police suspect that “Maoist insurgents” had neglected to remove the arms that they had smuggled into Nandigram. Mr Alok Raj, deputy inspector general, CRPF, has announced that jawans would interrogate the owner of the house where explosives, country made guns, electric detonator, equipment to make landmines and books on Marxism were found.