Tighter security for West Bengal chief minister over threats

Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee along with 12 of her cabinet colleagues are on the hit list of Maoist rebels, according to intelligence reports.

The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has issued an alert to the West Bengal government and asked it to tighten the security cover for Mamata and her ministers. The warning from the IB is significant as more than a dozen pamphlets declaring Naxals' plan to kill Mamata were recovered on Thursday from the office of the state's food & civil supplies minister.

The chief minister may find it difficult to accept the recommendations of the IB. Though she is already entitled to a security cover which consists of the highest protection, this warning will only ensure that it is more stringent.

"I am not in favour of having such a security cover around me. I have been a people person and would like to live my life on those terms," said Mamata Banerjee when Gulf News asked her about the threat. "If so I am willing to sacrifice my life for the welfare of Bengal," she added.

Police in charge of her security face a challenge trying to convince her. "We have all the preparations but can't enforce it since the chief minister herself is unwilling to accept it," said an official who did not want to be named.

Her party colleagues are anxious and want her to accept some of the recommendations. "We will speak to her and try to convince her. The only plea we have is that her life is critical for the welfare of Bengal," said a Trinamool leader and close associate of the chief minister.