Click to play videoNew Delhi: Did the West Bengal government - battling the Naxals for months now - actually cut a deal with them to secure the release of kidnapped policeman Atindranath Dutta? Dutta who was released in the presence of journalists came home on Friday. His family is overjoyed, but the manner of his kidnap and release poses some worrying questions for the Centre and state government. West Bengal Home Secretary Ardhendu Sen joined CNN-IBN to shed some light on the matter.
CNN-IBN: Ardhendu Sen, a lot of speculation is on at the moment on just how kidnapped policeman Atindranath Dutta was released. Many reports state that he was freed by the Naxals as part of a deal where the state government didn't oppose the bail of 22 alleged Naxal sympathisers in Lalgarh. What is the truth?
Ardhendu Sen: Well, what is important is that we have our OC back with us. Yes we did talk to Naxal leader Kishenji and we tried to impress on him that it would be in their interest to release both the abducted officers. And yes, we didn't oppose the bail for the women held earlier in the Kats Pahadi case, so that must have also weighed with them and all in all we had this happy ending if I may say so.
CNN-IBN: What you are saying is explosive. On the one hand, the Union Home Minister says no talks will be held with the Naxals until they abjure violence and on the other hand, you are admitting that the state is talking to Naxals and that to at gunpoint.
Ardhendu Sen: No, as far as I understand, what the Union Home Minister has said and our Chief Minister also has said is that there is no question of talking long term with the Naxals unless they abjure violence, unless they lay down arms. We are not going to talk development with them, we are not going to talk strategy with them. But something like the incident in Sankhrail demands talks and it's a question of getting one or two officers out of their custody. Of course we are going to talk to them. It's completely different.
CNN-IBN: Aren't you worried that you have emboldened the Naxals to carry out more such attacks, that your policemen are even more vulnerable now? Two of your men were killed in this attack as well.
Ardhendu Sen: That kind of a question turns up whenever such a situation comes, whether it's an attack on a police station or a hijack of a plane. Yes we are worried, but such situations can arise. The answer is to be prepared in such a way that such things cannot happen - whether they feel emboldened or not. If they feel emboldened we have to feel that we have to get our act together, we have to be much more alert than we were previously. So we should still come out on the winning side.
CNN-IBN: There has been much criticism of how poorly prepared the police were. The police station in West Midnapore, in the heart of Naxal country, was understaffed and arms were locked up and out of reach. How are you going to step up the security now?
Ardhendu Sen: Well we had the collections of 18 police stations, which are officially affected with left-wing extremism. The Sankhrail police station was not included in this list and it is quite a few kilometers - 40-50 kilometers - away from the theatre of action in Lalgarh. So, the first lesson we have learnt is that we have to step outside the usually affected thanas or areas and set up our defences, strengthen the fortifications in thanas which were so far not believed to be vulnerable. And that is precisely what we are doing. Instead of 18, we are now thinking of 30 police stations in these three districts, which need to be fortified.
CNN-IBN: There has also been some criticism of how you managed the release of Atindranath Dutta, with the Naxals practically commanding the whole operation. He was released to media persons, no policemen to be seen and he spoke freely on his way home. He wasn't taken aside for counselling or a debrief. It seems the state's home apparatus needs a severe overhaul.
Ardhendu Sen: I can assure you that a debriefing has taken place and it has been useful. The question we are facing is that if the Naxal leader had such a long press conference - he was on the phone to TV channels - why didn't you go and arrest him? That's an old question and we will arrest him when we can. We will have to chose the time and place for that.
CNN-IBN: Your Chief Minister just called Kishenji a murderer and a liar at a press conference in Delhi. Those are strong words. How do you justify talking and giving in to his demands?
Ardhendu Sen: Well, he called Kishenji a liar for a specific reason. There was a claim by Kishenji that he has talked to our Chief Minister on the phone and that was denied by the Chief Minister's secretariat. However, Kishenji repeated the claim that he had spoken to the Chief Minister. That is the context in which the Chief Minister had called him a liar and of course since he is one of their top leaders, there is no question of any long standing dialogue. It's only because of a particular situation that there was (dialogue). As I told you earlier, the need to talk to him arose. That doesn't mean that we are suspending our struggle, that doesn't mean that we are abandoning the operation at Lalgarh. The operation continues and we have the strength to overcome such temporary setbacks.
CNN-IBN: Would you say the government needs to put a hostage policy in place because this kind of attack on policemen has become standard operating procedure for Naxals across the country?
Ardhendu Sen: The first thing we have to do is avoid getting into situations like this, but when something like this happens then the state does tend to take it seriously. We have seen it Kashmir, we have seen it in other states.
CNN-IBN: We ask because today you are willing to free protesters and activists in Lalgarh - and many people would agree with that decision - but how much more would you be willing to give? Would you release convicted criminals if need be? Or do we need some kind of a hostage policy?
Ardhendu Sen: Yes I get the point that you are making. I really doubt if a piece-set guideline or a policy can be set in these matters. One has to take each incident on its merit, case-by-case. I don't think a black and white policy will happen.
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