Indian troops crack down on Maoist rebels, reject ceasefire offer

New Delhi - Indian security forces arrested several top Maoists and pushed an offensive against the rebels in the state of West Bengal despite a Maoist ceasefire offer, media reports said Wednesday. Twenty Maoist militants including Gour Chakraborty, spokesman for the banned Communist Party of India-Maoist, were arrested by late Tuesday night, the NDTV network reported. Chakraborty, who was questioned by police in state capital Kolkata, appeared before a local court which remanded him to police custody until July 6, the report said. Before his capture, Chakraborty told news channels that the Maoists were ready for a ceasefire and talks with the government, provided the negotiations were held under the mediation of civil society groups. But the state government asked police and paramilitary forces to continue the offensive to flush out Maoists from Lalgarh town, some 200 kilometres west of Kolkata. Over 1,500 troops were deployed in Lalgarh town and its adjoining cluster of villages which Maoists and tribal villagers claimed to have 'liberated' over the past week. 'If they want to end the hostilities, they should surrender in the first possible security camp ... talks can be held later,' a paramilitary officer told the PTI news agency. Security forces said they had taken control of half the 42 villages that were dominated by Maoists and their tribal allies. Meanwhile, a humanitarian crisis was looming in the region with thousands of villagers fleeing from their homes. Women and children were virtually on a meal a day, with no essential supplies available since the stocks ran out. The state government, which promised to resume relief by Wednesday evening, was planned to distribute rice and other foodstuffs to be sold at subsidized rates. Maoist guerrillas, who operate in 13 of India's 29 states, say they are fighting for the rights of the landless, poor and tribal people. According to unofficial estimates, more than 3,000 people including rebels have been killed in Maoist violence in India since January 2005.