Police pull-out begins at Nandigram, Sonachura: Home Secretary

Kolkata, Mar 20 (UNI) The West Bengal government today started pulling out its armed police force battalion from Nandigram and adjoining Sonachura areas in East Midnapore district in phases in order to instil confidence among the locals.

State Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy told reporters here that already two major police camps in Sonachura and Bhangaberia villages had been dismantled and the force posted there were asked to return.

The remaining forces in Nandigram and other nearby villages, including Khejuri, would also be pulled out within the next 48 hours with a view to instilling faith of the local people in the state administration, the Home Secretary said.

Asked about the possibility of any CID or any other administrative inquiry incident to find the reason for police firing at Nandigram on March 14, Mr Roy said an executive level inquary by a Deputy Magistrate had already been ordered which would start its work from Monday and submit report within the next 45 days.

To another query, the Home Secretary denied conflicting reports on the number of people, who had filed missing diary following the Nandigram incident, and said, '' In fact till today none has filed any missing diary in the local police station, while about 2,000 people have remained untraced so far. '' He said most of the 151 people, who sustained injuries during the day and were admitted to various health centres and hospitals, had been released.

UNI