Thaindian News

Kolkata, Aug 12 (IANS) Fresh tension gripped Nandigram after at least 10 anti-acquisition Bhumi Uchched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) activists were injured Tuesday in an attack by the rival Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) cadres in West Bengal’s Nandigram region. “We have got reports of fresh violence at Khejury area near Nandigram. We’ve already sent a police force to the area to bring the situation under control,” said S.S. Panda, police superintendent of East Midnapore district.

He said an all-party meeting was also called Tuesday by the district police at Khejury police station and representatives from both warring groups - the CPI-M and Trinamool Congress-backed BUPC activists - attended the meeting.

“Both parties assured that they would stop any further violence in Nandigram and cooperate with the police,” Panda said, adding the all-party meeting was called on a request by East Midnapore zilla sabhadhipati Ranjit Mandal for restoring normalcy in the region.

The police said that four CPI-M supporters were also injured in the clash.

According to sources, a group of CPI-M cadres attacked a peaceful rally taken out by BUPC members in the troubled region and injured the villagers. One BUPC activist also received serious gunshot injury and was admitted to a hospital in Nandigram.

“At least 10 BUPC supporters were injured by the CPI-M men when they took out a rally, protesting fresh atrocity in Nandigram,” said Trinamool Congress leader Sisir Adhikari.

He said that the Trinamool Congress carried out a road blockade programmes across East Midnapore district, protesting the attack by CPI-M hooligans on BUPC supporters.

Trinamool Congress lawmakers staged a walk-out Tuesday from the West Bengal Assembly and demanded Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) deployment in Nandigram, about 150 km from here.

“We demand police action against firing by the CPI-M cadres. The police should also seize the fire arms from the CPI-M men and arrest them immediately,” said Partha Chattopadhyay, Trinamool Congress leader of the opposition.

He said Nandigram police station in-charge Debashis Chakraborty should also be transferred.

“We also demand a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into Niranjan Mondal’s murder case,” said Chattopadhyay.

Niranjan Mondal, a CPI-M leader, was shot dead Aug 6 at Rajaramchak area of Nandigram. The party blamed the Trinamool Congress backed anti-land acquisition group BUPC for the killing.

At least 40 people have been killed in Nandigram in East Midnapore district since January 2007 when the region erupted in protest over proposed land acquisition for a special economic zone (SEZ) in collaboration with Indonesia’s Salim group for developing a chemical hub.

Since then a turf battle between the CPI-M and the BUPC members has broken out repeatedly in the violence-hit region.