Tags: New Delhi , Lalgarh , BSF , CRPF , Maoists

New Delhi: A gun battle broke out today as security forces pressed ahead with its operation to flush out Maoists from besieged Lalgarh as the tribals blew up a bridge to stall their movement while the Centre asked them to lay down arms and sit for talks.

The shootout began as the security forces entered the Jhitka forest and were negotiating a five km area.

Police and central forces immediately took up position on the road and fired back, a police officer said.

West Bengal Home Secretary Ardhandu Sen said in Kolkata that the firing occured near Pirakata, where the security forces yesterday overcame the tribals with batons and teargas. The area was heavily mined and the central forces used mine detectors to sweep areas before pushing forward.

The security forces had covered the 10 km distance from Pirakata to Pirakuli and also moved in from adjacent Bankura district in a pincer movement to cut off escape routes of the Maoists.

In Delhi, Home Minister P Chidambaram said the Maoists should lay down arms and come for talks, endorsing an appeal made to them by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.

Reports said armed tribals stopped police vehicles on their way to Lalgarh from Pirakata and that Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao and six others have fled to Jharkhand but there was no official word on it.

Two IAF helicopters dropped thousands of leaflets in Santhali and Bengali over Lalgarh urging the people not to let themselves be used as human shields by the Maoists. State Chief Secretary Asok Mohan Chakraborty said in Kolkata that in addition to five companies of CRPF, the Centre had despatched six companies of BSF for the Lalgarh operation.

"Three companies of BSF have been already deployed at Lalgarh," he said.

With these, 11 companies of central forces have so far been despatched by the Centre.

In Delhi, Chidambaram said police and paramilitary personnel were moving cautiously and progress was slow.

"Progress will be slow. They (forces) are making progress...So far, the operation is going according to plans, but they must be prepared for the unexpected. I sincerely hope that with the kind of action we have advised, the operation will be successful," he said.

Reports said that Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao known as Kishanji and six others fled to Jharkhand, but there was no official word on it. Home Secretary Sen said there were reports of Maoists trying to attack reporters and urged them not to follow the police in the area.

Earlier in the day, AK-47-toting Maoists intercepted a group of mediapersons, forced them to alight from their vehicles and ordered them to line up on the road at Nimtala on the road to Lalgarh.

The Maoists who made the scribes watch them plant landmines, alleged that security forces had committed atrocities during their action at Pirakata yesterday.

The mediapersons were let off after 30 minutes.

"Work is on and 100 per cent sanitisation is yet to be achieved. Threat perceptions are there and so you mediamen should not risk your lives," Sen said.

He said an IAF helicopter made a recce of the entire area during the day.

The state government today decided to provide relief to those who lost their homes during recent incidents of arson and loot in Lalgarh since early June.

The government has decided to send 500 tonne of rice and Rs 10 lakh for relief for the affected.

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