Maoists continue with their attacks: Two killed in West BengalIndia News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Reacting to the Government’s initiative to fight against Naxals in various parts of the country, the Maoists on Monday struck back, carrying out several attacks in the Naxal-affected States, including two strikes in West Bengal which reportedly killed at least two people. Police in the Naxal affected States of West Bengal, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Bihar have been put on high alert following the reports of violence. Police were also successful, when they seized a Naxals’ arms supply in Patna, and arrested two persons in possession of 2,500 cartridges and ammunition and carrying and Rs. 2,05,000. Earlier in the day, Maoists had blown up a stretch of a railway track and set ablaze three trucks in Jharkhand, where they have called a two-day shutdown in protest against the Centre''s alleged effort to put down the CPI (Maoists) movement by force. The Maoists have ignored repeated calls by the Government to renounce violence and negotiate, on the contrary they have stepped up their attacks in recent past months. Union Home Minister P. Chidambaram had earlier assured that the Centre would provide support to all states in eliminating the Maoist threat. The Centre has been under intense pressure to bring the areas inflicted by Maoists, as a result they had dispatched 3,700 Border Security Force (BSF) to Maharashtra''s Gadchiroli district, which was recently in focus for the brutal act of Maoists, who had killed 20 policemen in the area on October 8. The Indian Air Force (IAF) has also pressed two Mi17 copters for the joint operations being carried out by the Maharashtra and the Chhattisgarh police.