Medha Patekar arrested in Bengal

Kolkata, Dec 9 (UNI) Social activist Medha Patekar was today arrested when she was marching in a procession here to protest yesterday's police ''lathicharge'' on journalists in Hooghly district.

Commissioner of Police Prasun Mukherjee told UNI that altogether 85 people, including Medha Patekar and her associate Anuradha Talwar, were arrested as a preemptive measure.

''Actually they were not arrested, rather they courted arrest when they were in a procession from Subodh Mullick Square to Rabindra Sadan,'' he said.

Mr Mukherjee said police stopped the processionists to avert any eventuality as they were proceeding towards Tata Centre, adding that no prior route permission was taken before the march.

Police had to resort to this measure apprehending violence and breach of peace particularly keeping in mind the recent incident in which windowpanes of Lexus Motors were damaged by some Naxalites, the Commissioner stated.

However, Ms Talwar alleged that prohibitory orders under Section 144 CR PC had been clamped in the area from where they were arrested and averred that it seemed the entire state was under the grip of prohibitory orders.

Altogether ten people, including five photo journalists, were injured when police allegedly lathicharged members of a procession, led by CPI (ML) General Secretary Deepankar Bhattacharya yesterday at Sheoraphuli.

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

Meanwhile, Ms Patkar alleged that a ''Narmada like situation'' had emerged in West Bengal over setting up of Tatas' small car factory and asserted that she would take her struggle on the Singur issue to the national level.

''A Narmada situation is being repeated in West Bengal. At least 50 per cent villagers of Singur have said no to the project. The claim that the farmers had volunteered to hand over their plots to the Government and that there is no people's resistance is false, '' she iterated.

UNI KDG SJC VD GC1658