7 killed, several injured and missing in Nandigram, bandh tomorrow

Nandigram/Kolkata, Jan 7: At least seven persons were killed and many more injured in group violence over land aquisition at Nandigram in West Bengal's East Midnapore district today.

However, according to official sources, three people were killed and two injured, while a number of others were missing.

Police said the toll could be higher because ''we apprehend that more bodies are lying inside the villages''.

Alleging that the opposition parties including Trinamool congress, Congress and SUCI, besides communal campaign of Jamat-e-ulema Hind, were responsible for the violence, Chief Minister Buddhedeb Bhattacharjee assured the government would not acquire land without 'talking to all'.

IG (Western Range) Arun Gupta said ''we fear that several bodies are still there in the villages that could not be recovered and a number of people are missing. But we are not being able to go inside the villages.'' A massive police force has posted outside the villages where the agitators put up barricades with boulders and felled trees and also by digging up the roads at several points to prevent entry from outside to any of the 27 villages under Nadigram PS.

Mr Bhattacherjee said here today the government has called an all-party meeting in Nandigram tomorrow to discuss the land acquisition issue following the death of two people in violent encounters since last night.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Bhattacherjee said, ''The District Magistrate will call the all-party meeting tomorrow at 1000 hrs to discuss the issue.'' Meanwhile, Left Front Chairman Biman Basu asked the government to initiate all possible steps to restore peace in Nandigram and urged the people to discard the bandh call given by the opposition tomorrow.

Talking to the reporters here Mr Basu said, ''On behalf of the party, we urge the government to take all possible measures to restore peace in Nandigram. The government has to take this responsibility and if necessary call for an all party meet to sit and discuss the matter.'' ''We request the opposition to come and sit across the table. We are willing to listen to your grievances and find a solution to it.

You should also be prepared to listen to our side of the matter,'' he said.

Meanwhile, alleging that wrong policy for land acquisition was responsible for yesterday's violence at Nandigram, Union Minister Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi urged the Left Front government to take a holistic policy before taking over land for indutries.

''The Nandigram violence is the result of administrative callousness. The violence proves that people's anger is on the rise because of the government's wrong policies,'' he said addressing a press conference.

''We have urged the police to be in control to avoid any untoward incident and asked them to maintain peace,'' he said adding that the state government wanted the situation to normalise.

Trinamool Congress leader Partho Chattppadhyay went to Nandigram and talked to the local people and also to the police posted in the region. He later criticised the CPI(M) 'goonda raj' and reign of terror in the region. Pradesh Congress Chief Manas Bhuiyia also visited the spot and talked to the people.

Meanwhile, Mr Basu said at least three CPI(M) workers were killed and 10 were missing. The Krishi Jami Adhikar Raksha Committee burnt down the panchayat office at Kalicharanpur and Kanduri Gram Panchayat pradhan Samirul Dighi's house and Sonachura Gram Panchayat pradahan Lakhan Manda's house, he said.

''We will not take over the land without discussion with the local people. We have not given the land acquistion notice yet,'' Mr Bhattacharjee said.

Referring to tomorrow's bandh call by several parties including Trinamool Congress, SUCI, Congress, he termed it as ''unfortunate,'' and said it only showed the anti-industrial and anti-progress mindset of the opposition.

Mr Bhattacharjee said, ''We are all worried at what is happening at Nandigram. We are looking into it.'' ''We had made no such proposal about acquiring land in Nandigram.

It is a result of rumours,'' he said.

''The situtaion has come to this state because of a whispering campaign done by some parties spreading rumours about the acquisition of land for SEZ in Nandigram,'' he said.

Meanwhile, Bhumi Uchched Raksha Committee Convener Abdul Samad said at least 50,000 people would gherao the DM's office in Tamluk on January 18 on the issue.

The clash started in the wee hours this morning in Sonachura village on the border between Nandigram and Khejuri on the bank of the river Haldi. While, supporters of Bhumi Uchhed Raksha Committee assembled on the side of Nandigram the opponents known as Krishi-o-Silpa Samrakashan Samity stood on the side of Khejuri.

Indiscriminate bomb throwing and firing started in the early hours. Bharat Mandal,(TMC) was the first victim. He was taken to Nandigram Hospital this morning, but only to be declared dead.

Tension started brewing and the angry crowd lynched Bhudeb Mandal, a CPI(M) activist, in a retaliatory measure.

Sankar Samanta, Sk. Selim, Bishnu Maity and Biswajit Maity succumbed to their injuries. Two human heads without the torso were also found under the Sonachura bridge.

No police intervention was found and the morale of the district administration seemed to sink to the lowest ebb.

Congress leader Manash Bhuniya said the situation resembled a 'civil war'. DIG Midnapur range N Ramesh Babu, IG Western Range Banibrata Chattopadhya, SP Midnapur East Ashok Krishna Dutta were camping at Nandigram.

The West Bengal Pradesh Congress called a 24-hour Bangla bandh tomorrow, protesting against last night's violence at Nandigram in West Midnapore district in connection with the alleged rumours regarding the governments forceful acqusition of farm land.

All India Trinamool Congress in the name of Krishi Jami Raskya Committee(committee for protection of farm land) had also called a 12-hour statewide bandh from 0600 hours tomorrow protesting against the alleged police atrocities on innocent farmers in Nandigram last night violating the government's assurance for a peaceful resolution of the situation.

UNI