Police firing claims 12 lives in Nandigram

Nandigram, Mar 14: At least 12 people, were killed and 50 injuredwhen police opened fire to disperse violent villagers in a majorflare-up in the embattled Nandigram in East Midnapore district today.

Terming it as a ''great massacre'', the Trinamool Congress-ledKrishi Jami Raksha Committee called a 12-hour statewide bandh on March16 to demand resignation of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee.While the Congress and the BJP gave separate bandh calls on the sameday, the SUCI decided to observe a bandh tomorrow in protest againstthe incident.

District Magistrate Anup Agarwal told UNI police had to open firewhen villagers attacked them with bombs and stones while additionalforces were entering the area. He said four of those killed had so farbeen identified.

However,the toll could be much higher as a UNI correspondent found13 more people, claimed to be dead by the local people, lying on roadsin different villages of the area.

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

According to official sources, the incident took place when policetried to enter Nandigram villages in the morning to flush out''outsiders'' and illegal arms, allegedly stockpiled there sinceJanuary last when the area witnessed an orgy of violence over thegovernment's reported move to acquire land for a chemical hub.

Members of ''Bhoomi Uchched Protirodh Committee,'' a localplatform of opposition forces, gathered in strength resisting policefrom entering the area from three directions.

Putting up women and children in the front line, the mob allegedly threw bombs, fired shots and showered stones at police.

Altogether 14 policemen, including the Superintendent and Additional Superintendent of Police, were injured the sources said.

Police first burst tear gas cannisters in a vain attempt todisperse the mob before opening fire, the sources said. They, however,declined to specify how many rounds had been fired by the police.

The sources said about 3,000 policemen, including Rapid ActionForce and Combat Force personnel, had been mobilised in the area overthe past two days as preparations for moving inside the villages whichremaned inaccessible to outsiders for more than two months.

Bhoomi Uchched Protirodh Committee members, who had been opposingland acquisition, had dug up roads and destroyed bridges to prevententry of outsiders.

A large contingent of police, deployed on the fringes ofNandigram, had been kept outside the villages as part of anadministrative decision to allow time to die down the tension.

However, as the opposition Trinamool Congress refused toparticipate in the all-party meetings, convened several times by thelocal administration, the government decided a few days ago to takecontrol of the area.

Describing the incident as ''unfortunate'', Left Front ChairmanBiman Basu said he had called a meeting of the Front constituentstomorrow.

Blaming the opposition for the violence, Mr.Basu said Nandigramremained outside the rule of the land for two-and-a half months and astalemate was prevailing in the area.

''Nandigram is a part of West Bengal and the administration wantedto establish rule of the law in the area. But a stalemate continued forlong as the Trinamool Congress repeatedly refused to take part in allparty meetings to restore peace and prevented repair work to takeplace,'' he said.

Mr Basu alleged that Trinamool supporters kept under threat alarge number of villagers and forced them to join theanti-establishment force.

He said the mob, led by Bhoomi Uchched Protirodh Committee,indiscriminately hurled bombs and fired shots at police. They alsoburnt a police vehicle, he said.

The Left Front Chairman alleged that one of the members of theBhoomi Uchched Protirodh Committee died when a bomb he was about tothrow, burst in his hands.

Meanwhile, Pradesh Congress Working President Pradip Bhattacharjeesaid he had apprised party President Sonia Gandhi of the details of theincident.

UNI