CPM shadow on 6 Nandigram deaths

Sukanta Goswamy and Joydeep Thakur
The Statesman, January 8

NANDIGRAM, Jan. 7: Terror struck at Nandigram as armed men allegedly backed by CPI-M cadres hurled bombs and gunned down at least six persons, including a teenager, and injured several at Bhangabhera last night. Locals set the CPI-M camp at Baratala in Khejuri and the house of a local CPI-M leader, Mr Debangshu Sasmal, ablaze.

The Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh Committee, formed yesterday, observed a 24-hour bandh in Nandigram today. Police and administration officials still seemed to prefer inaction as most of them kept themselves confined to Nandigram police station with not a single officer visiting the scene of carnage. Currently, nearly 500 armed policemen are camping at the police station. Mr Arun Gupta, IG (Western Range) pleaded inaccessibility citing dug-up roads and said the presence of policemen in Nandigram would only add fuel to the fire.

Eyewitnesses said CPI(M)-backed miscreants started throwing bombs at Bhangabhera from a position near Talpati bridge around 11 p.m. yesterday. The bombing resumed, this time accompanied by reports of “automatic firearms” in Khejuri, on the other bank of Talpati canal, around 5 a.m today. The villagers retaliated by hurling back pebbles and brickbats before temporarily retreating.

Around 7.30 a.m, when 10,000-odd locals put up a show of strength, the armed men fled leaving six dead, five missing and several injured persons in their wake, eyewitnesses said. The bombs were detonated in a spot between Nandigram and Khejuri blocks. Talpati canal separates the two blocks. According to first-hand reports, the armed men mutilated two bodies and smashed their heads. One of the bodies belong to Sheikh Salim.

Mr Sabuj Pradhan, a resident said: “The CPI(M)-backed goons who killed our neighbours are professional criminals. Look at the way they had attempted to wipe out the evidence.” Around 10 a.m. villagers carried the bodies of Biswajit Maity (15) and Bharat Mondol (20) to Nandigram block hospital for post mortem. The body of Sheikh Salim was brought in at 4 p.m.

Shankar Samanta, a CPI-M member of Sonachura gram panchayat who recently joined the farmers’ movement, Bhudeb Mondol and Anukul Patra are the three other persons who died in the attacks. Mr Nakul Mondol and Mr Nishikanta Barman were seriously injured and have been moved to SSKM Hospital. Police brass in Nandigram said they had no clue to today’s attacks which left six dead.

“We generally manage to information of such political attacks beforehand, but this time, we didn’t even catch a whiff,” an officer said. Police will try entering Sonachura village tomorrow morning after reinforcements from Kolkata and Durgapur arrive.

A high-ranking officer said on conditions of anonymity that the police expected villagers to offer little resistance while conceding that fears of “a violent resistance from armed villagers had kept police out so far”.

“Our informers and ‘contacts’ have managed to pacify the villagers over the past few days. We have been lying low so far because we generally depend on political parties to appropriately influence the people. But this time, influence has been wielded disregarding political and religious considerations,” he said.

Director-general of police (Midnapore range) Mr NR Babu echoed Mr Arun Gupta when he pleaded inaccessibility. “Armed villagers are patrolling the fringes and we feared violence in case police try to move in,” he said.

Police and paramilitary teams are currently patrolling the borders of Nandigram villages. The DIG, the IG (western range) and the East Midnapore SP met at 9 p.m. to chalk out plans for tomorrow.

Mr Gupta said additional 300 paramilitary personnel from Durgapur and Kolkata were expected tonight. Police and paramilitary personnel from five districts are currently camping in Nandigram.