<br/>The West Bengal Government has decided to raise a special force to tackle the naxal menace in the state. This was disclosed by State Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya in Kolkata yesterday. He said, initially about nine hundred personnels will be recruited and an amount of 25 crore rupees has been sanctioned for the force. Mr Bhattacharya said, a committee will be constituted to probe the recent Maoists attack at Silda, in which 24 security personnel were killed. The Chief Minsiter asserted that the operation of the joint forces will continue, despite the brutal act of the Maoists on security men. He admitted that there had been a definite lack of alertness on the part of the force, which led to the massacare. <br/><br/> In Bihar, the death toll in the Maoists attack on Phulwaria- Korasi village in Jamui district has risen to 12. State Home Secretary Aamir Subhani told AIR that heavily-armed ultras stormed the village on Wednesday night and fired indiscriminately. They also burnt over 30 thatched houses and more than a dozen cattles. A massive combing operation is on to nab the Maoists. <br/><br/> The Jharkhand government has accepted a key demand of the Maoists for the safe release of the abducted Block Development Officer, Prashant Kumar Layak. State Chief Minister Shibu Soren said, the legal process has been initiated to release the jailed Maoists.