Police baton charge Singur-bound CPI (ML) procession,10 injured

Srirampore, Dec 8 (UNI) Altogether ten people, including five photo journalists, were injured when police lathicharged members of a procession led by CPI (ML) General Secretary Deepankar Bhattacharya here today.

The processionists were on way to Singur protesting against acquisition of farm land for the Tata Motors small car factory.

Police said one of the injured had been admitted to a hospital.

In Kolkata, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee expressed regret over the incident.

A few thousand CPI (ML) activists who gathered here to march for Singur, about 25 km away, were blocked by a big contingent of police on the GT road.

Trouble started when a section of the processionists broke the police barricade and started running towards Singur where prohibitory orders had been clamped, taking the lawkeepers totally offguard. In a bid to prevent them police resorted to heavy baton charge resulting in injury of five photo journalists who were covering the incident. Five other people also received injuries.

Later another police force barricaded the way of the procession at Baidyabati where the leaders, including Mr Bhattacharya, addressed the crowd pledging to continue the fight.

Alleging that there was no democracy in West Bengal, Mr Bhattacharya questioned how could police block the movement of processionists 25 km away from the prohibited area? In Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district, veteran CPI (ML) leader Kanu Sanyal and his three accomplices were detained this morning by the police while they were on way to Singur.

Sanyal reached there last night and proceeded with the others to cross the Hooghly river on way to Singur. But the police had prior information and stopped him.

He was shifted to a state owned guest house here.

Joining the Singur issue in a bigger way, top leaders of two Naxalite groups in West Bengal had planned to lead a march to Singur today demanding the Government stop acquiring farm land.

Alleging the Left Front Government was no different from the UPA and NDA in grabbing farmers' land, Mr Bhattacharya blamed the state administration of violating democracy by ''forcibly'' acquiring agricultural land.

He had condemned 'the way' the West Bengal Government had acquired Singur land with the help of police and declared the Naxalites would fight for the Singur farmers.

UNI KDG PL AB LS VV1708