Singur row: Tata Motors employees assaulted

Singur, Aug 27: As the indefinite satyagraha launched by Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee enters fourth day, the agitators are busy assaulting Tata Motors' employees in Singur. Now, what happened to Buddhadeb's promise of a 'silent protest'. A group of agitators demanding return of the 400 acres land, allegedly assaulted some of the workers of the Tata Motors small car project here this morning.

Singur police station Officer In-charge Priyabrata Bakshi said the Tata project workers had lodged a complaint in this regard, adding that additional security and police escort would be provided to the workers.

Meanwhile, the workers and raw materials for world's smallest and cheapest four-wheeler, Nano, were being brought inside the factory only through one gate, which had considerably slowed down the progress of the work.

The Trinamool chief yesterday announced that she would organise a two-hour road blockade agitation across the state from 1500 to 1700 hours on August 29 to demand return of the 400 acres land ''forcibly acquired from the unwilling farmers''.

In Kolkata yesterday, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee rejected the demand of the Opposition for return of 400 acres land, saying that the Nano project shall not be missed.

''I cannot afford to return the 400 acres land. If that is done, then the Tata Motors' project has to be dropped. I can not allow that to happen,'' he said during an interactive meting with members of Assocham.

In the meantime, National Highway 2, blocked by the agitating Trinamool supporters, had virtually cut off Kolkata and Howrah as well as both the North and South 24-Parganas from Burdwan, Birbhum and Bankura for more than 72 hours now, since the launch of the movement on August 24.

Thousands of vehicles remained stranded on Delhi Road, which was the only alternative to the arterial road.

UNI