Police firing claims 12 lives in Nandigram;Opp bandh on Mar16

Nandigram, Mar 14(UNI) At least 12 people, were killed and 50 injured when police opened fire to disperse violent villagers in a major flare-up in the embattled Nandigram in East Midnapore district today.

Terming it as a ''great massacre'', the Trinamool Congress-led Krishi Jami Raksha Committee called a 12-hour statewide bandh on March 16 to demand resignation of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. While the Congress and the BJP gave separate bandh calls on the same day, the SUCI decided to observe a bandh tomorrow in protest against the incident.

District Magistrate Anup Agarwal told UNI police had to open fire when villagers attacked them with bombs and stones while additional forces were entering the area. He said four of those killed had so far been identified.

However,the toll could be much higher as a UNI correspondent found 13 more people, claimed to be dead by the local people, lying on roads in different villages of the area.

The villagers claimed that they did not allow police to take away the bodies.

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