Police, villagers clash in Singur; 4 cops injured

Singur, Feb 7: Singur continued to be on boil today with police firing teargas shells and using batons during a clash with villagers who uprooted about 80 fencing posts in a fresh assault on the Tata Motors's small car project.

Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia said four policemen were injured in brickbating by members of the Trinamool Congress-led Krishi Jami Raksha Committee while four persons had been arrested in connection with the violence.

Sub-Divisional Police Officer Kalyan Mukherjee told UNI that the incident occurred when 150 members of Krishi Jami Raksha Committee gathered at Bajemelia village, breaking prohibitory orders under Section 144 Cr PC, and went on a rampage at Bajemelia village in the morning.

''They uprooted about 80 fencing posts around the fenced off area across Bajemelia and Beraberi villages and also tore off some cement bags which were lying there to be used for piling work in the project site,'' he said.

The policemen, camping nearby, first chased and lathicharged the agitators and before firing 14 rounds of teargas shells to disperse the mob.

''However, no arrests have so far been made in this connection,'' Mr Mukherjee said.

The administration reimposed the prohibitory orders in Singur on February 4 following the violence over an agitational programme of the Krishi Jami Raksha Committee, including the Trinamool Congress, Naxalites and SUCI.

Protestors belonging to Krishi Jami Raksha Committee made similar attacks on the past three successive days taking the police by surprise even as work for erecting boundary wall and construction of internal roadways continued inside the fenced off area.

Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has announced that she would defy the prohibitory orders and go ahead with her 'Singur chalo' programme on February 10 as a mark of protest against police 'atrocities' and the state government's 'adamant' attitude in pushing through the small car project.

Meanwhile, Jaiat-E-Ulema-I-Hind, which recently joined the anti- land acquisition stir, held a meeting beside the Durgapur Expressway, ten km off Singur today after beind denied entry to Singur.

A huge police force was deployed in the area to pre-empt any untoward incident.

UNI