Lalgarh/New Delhi, June 19
A gunbattle 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 even as 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 occurred 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.

The police and paramilitary soldiers move towards Lalgarh in West Midnapore district, 107 km west of Kolkata, on Friday. — Reuters photo

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.

West Bengal 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.