Bengal villagers clash with police over land acquisition

Nandigram, East Midnapore, Jan 3(UNI) Altogether six persons, including two policemen, were injured when a rioting mob of villagers clashed with law keepers over acquisition of land for industry of this district of West Bengal.

District Magistrate Anup Agarwal said the condition of two of the injured--an Assistant Sub-Inspector and a constable- was stated to be critical.

The violent mob also set fire to a police vehicle and damaged another besides severely beating up the local policemen.

The people also went on a rampage in the local gram panchayat office.

Local Trinamool Congress MLA Subhendu Adhikari alleged that police had fired four rounds, which, however, the DM denied.

The Additional District Magistrate rushed to the area.

According to official sources, the incident occurred after the gram panchayat put up a notice for land acquisition for the proposed industrial project of the Indonesian Salim Group. The list contained the names of those whose plots would be taken over.

When a meeting of the gram panchayat was going on, about 5,000 people from few villages assembled there and stormed the office to carry out a rampage.

As police came to control the situation, they were simply outnumbered by the enraged villagers and had to retreat after being bashed up, the sources said.

Later a large contingent of police, led by the Superintendent of police rushed to the area to take charge of the situation.

The incident took place exactly a month after villagers clashed with police at Singur in Hooghly district when work was going on for fencing the acquired land for the proposed Tata Motors' small car project.

UNI