Nandigram Once Again Burns

The ghost of Nandigram in West Bengal has returned once again to haunt the State and the activities in the rural belt of West Bengal, aimed for industrialisation.

While both sides (the CPM dominated cadres and the group aiming to protect their lands from being taken away forcibly) are maintaining a strict vigilance, sporadic violence are erupting time and again to rock the already-devastated areas.

The question that arises albeit is whether all these is really justified because at the end it is the common people who is going to pay for every move (dirty) that the groups make? What has politics in our country being reduced to?

I am pasting a few articles for your information and comments.

Thanks.

Nandigram's live bombs
IMRAN AHMED SIDDIQUI

A man, who claims to be a CPM supporter, poses with a gun and a wireless phone in Khejuri;



A man from the
rival camp, the Bhoomi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee, patrols with a machete in Satengabari.


Pictures by Pradip Sanyal

Nandigram, April 30: Pistol in one hand and cellphone in the other, Rabiul Hasan sits under a tree in Khejuri, barking orders to one of his lieutenants.

"Watch for any movement on their side. Don't give up the fight. We must use any means to regain control of our turf. It's do-or-die," the local CPM leader's message is unambiguous.

He turns to this correspondent. "We were driven back yesterday, but there's always a next time."

Rabiul is one of the many CPM members and supporters who made an attempt yesterday to return to their homes in Nandigram before being beaten back by the Bhoomi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee.

He admits that the foray, confined to Nandigram II block, was ill-conceived. Today, he is finalising a "much better strategy" for the next attempt.

The plan, Rabiul says, is simple. His "60 to 70" armed cadre will provide covering fire while scores of others rush in to reoccupy their homes — and the party's "territory" — across Nandigram I and II.

"I've posted my men in small groups at all the entry points. As you can see, I'm in constant touch with them. Let's see how they can stop us this time."

Some 20 young men, most of them carrying country-made pistols, rifles and cellphones, listen intently. A large polythene bag lies nearby, bulging with crude bombs.

This patch of land in Khejuri is the local CPM's "control room". Beyond the Tekhali bridge lies "enemy-occupied territory" — Bhangabera, Garchakraberia, Sonachura.

There, the Pratirodh Committee, too, is equally prepared with even 12-year-old boys part of the round-the-clock vigil.

"We know what they are up to and we'll fight them tooth and nail," says Nil Bahadur, leader of the committee's "army" at Satengabari, one of the three villages CPM cadre had attacked yesterday.

Many villagers have sent their women and children away to relatives' homes. The males — anyone over 12 and below 50 — have been posted at every entry point in groups of around 10, which means they are virtually eyeball-to-eyeball with Rabiul's men. The committee's squads, too, are in touch over their mobiles.

"The situation is extremely volatile. We'll deploy more personnel," says Ramesh Babu, deputy inspector-general, Midnapore range, somewhat unconvincingly.

The police, under severe criticism over the March 14 firing that killed 14 people, have done little since to stop the stray skirmishes over CPM supporters' attempts to return to the villages they were driven out of in January.

The violence flared up yesterday, with several villages attacked and a CPM worker killed. There was some shooting by both sides today, too, and many CPM supporters' homes were destroyed, but there were no human casualties.

Nandigram officer-in-charge Champak Choudhuri tried to lead a team to Maheshpur but was chased away by a Pratirodh Committee mob, while CPM supporters detained a police jeep at Amdabad.

Rabiul has no confidence in the police. "We'll do it ourselves. How long will our people stay in makeshift camps?"

"We, too, are fully armed. We'll teach them a lesson," says Nil Bahadur.

In Calcutta, told about a high court order to ensure normality in Nandigram, chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's reaction was: "How is it possible to ensure peace?"

CM builds case for talks, Mamata roars
OUR BUREAU


Calcutta/Nandigram, April 25: Minutes before Mamata Banerjee was to address a rally in Nandigram, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said in Calcutta "we need support from all political parties to normalise the situation there".

"I've asked the administration to involve the Opposition in the process. I appeal to the Opposition to attend the next all-party meeting," the chief minister said.

As if on cue, the Trinamul Congress chief set the terms for the talks: first punish the policemen responsible for the March 14 bloodbath and ensure peace in the CPM-dominated areas.

"Those guilty of murdering innocent people on March 14 haven't been punished. In such a situation, we cannot participate in talks with the government. If law and order is restored and the culprits punished, we can enter into a dialogue with the administration,'' Mamata told the rally at Garchakraberia, about 160 km from Calcutta.

"Bombs are being hurled by CPM cadres. The government hasn't been able to restore normality in these (CPM-dominated) areas."

Bhattacharjee had told a rally in neighbouring Haldia yesterday that the East Midnapore administration would convene another all-party meeting as Trinamul had boycotted the last one.

He admitted today that the administration had failed to restore normality in Nandigram and its neighbouring areas. "Primary schools and colleges are closed for months. The administration cannot repair roads. Lakhs (of rupees) meant for development are lying unspent as panchayat and block development offices are not being able to function normally. Ultimately, it's the common man who is suffering," Bhattacharjee said.
Mamata Banerjee at the rally. (Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya)

Farmers and fishermen are not being able to market their produce. "Around 2,500 people owing allegiance to the CPM have been driven away from their homes since January. How long will they stay outside? They have the right to return home," he said.

Even last night, some houses were ransacked.

Mamata blamed the CPM for the continuing trouble and rebuffed the chief minister's appeal for co-operation.

"Our chief minister could neither give exemplary pun- ishment to the killers in more than 40 days nor enter Nandigram. There is no information on what the investigations have revealed," she said.

She also lashed out at the chief minister for sharing the dais with CPM strongman and Haldia Development Authority chairman Lakshman Seth.

Seth, she said, wanted to flush out those opposed to the CPM's "land-grabbing policy'' from Nandigram.

"This led to the police firing on March 14."

A Trinamul rally to be held in Calcutta on May 21 will now be held in Nandigram because Mamata wants to "expose the CPM's sinister design".

From The Hindu

Nandigram: police told to be restrained

Special Correspondent

Government treads cautiously

# To seek involvement of all political parties in peace initiative
# Chief Minister takes stock of situation

KOLKATA: Concerned over the recent spurt in violence at Nandigram in West Bengal, the State Government has instructed the police to use restraint and avoid entering certain areas as it "does not want a repeat" of the March 14 incident, which claimed 14 lives there. It will continue to seek the involvement of all political parties in the peace initiative.

One person was killed, another reported missing and 10 were injured in Sunday's group clashes in the area, and the situation remained tense, State Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy said. There were reports of sporadic incidents of violence on Monday.

Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee took stock of the situation at a meeting, convened by him, consisting of senior State officials. The Centre has been informed of the latest developments.

Though most parts of Nandigram remains inaccessible, "the police did intervene to a certain extent on Sunday," Mr. Roy said. "Otherwise there would have been more violence.""Even now if the police go into many places [in Nandigram] there is likely to be strong resistance and we do not want to be forced into a situation of opening fire," he said. "Therefore the police have been told to be very restrained," Mr. Roy added.

Such restraint, being exercised by the police, in an area where the civil administration has been rendered non-functional for almost four months since the first major violence broke out early in January seems to have encouraged trouble-makers who have been trying to isolate Nandigram from the rest of the district.

Sunday's violence comes in the face of repeated attempts by the local administration to convene all-party meetings to facilitate the restoration of normality in the area. Two such meetings held since the March 14 police firing were boycotted by the Opposition, but the State Government would continue its initiatives towards this end, Mr. Roy said.

"The situation right now is a little volatile but the next all-party meeting may be called after a couple of days; we are trying to organise the meetings."

Sangitha Das ji!

Thanks for sharing the info!

Wishes,

Mythili