Nandigram On Boil Again
Saugar Sengupta Kolkata
The fierce turf war between the CPI(M) and the Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) in the run-up to the crucial panchayat elections saw a woman being beaten, stripped and chased almost a km by CPI(M) activists on Monday, a replay of the shameful Guwahati incident last year. West Bengal PCC president PR Dasmunsi, meanwhile, has sought postponement of the May 11 elections in Nandigram in view of the continuing violence.
On Tuesday, two more BUPC women claimed to have met a similar fate for refusing to support the CPI(M). Minati Das, Kshama Das and Sandhya Das (all names changed) of Simulkundu village also alleged that the Nandigram police refused to lodge a complaint in this regard. But according to PTI, the State Government has ordered a CID probe into the incident.
The women alleged that hordes of CPI(M) cadre, led by local leader Mamata Das, were trying to force their menfolk into joining the CPI(M) processions. "When they refused, they were dragged out. When we protested, the CPI(M) cadre started beating and stripping us. We ran nearly a km with only tatters on us," they claimed.
A BUPC delegation later demanded immediate transfer of Nandigram officer in-charge Debashis Chakrabarty. However, East Midnapore SP S Panda said he had no information on the issue.
The CPI(M) denied the allegations, saying the party cadre were being framed to tarnish the Left Front's image and stall the election process.
CPI (M)'s East Midnapore district secretary AK Guria alleged that one of his comrades, Sheikh Javed, was shot at by the "rivals" which made the women flee in panic. "In the melee, some of them might have received injuries," he maintained. Meanwhile, a group of 25 BUPC candidates from Nandigram met the State Election Commissioner and asked him to provide adequate security for holding free and fair elections.
Meanwhile, PCC president PR Dasmunsi has written to Governor Gopal Krishna Gandhi, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, State Election Commissioner AK Gupta and the Union Home Secretary for postponing the May 11 panchayat elections in Nandigram in view of the violence there. He has warned that any move to "force" the election on people would deteriorate the situation.
With CPI(M) activists allegedly attacking BUPC workers for "daring" to contest the elections, the situation is worsening by the day. Earlier, in an apparent bid to woo Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee, the PCC president had requested the party supporters to vote for the firebrand leader's party at places where the Congress has not put up candidates.
Meanwhile, the State Government on Tuesday changed its proposal to remove police camps from Nandigram. State Home Secretary Ashok Mohan Chakrabarty said no police camp would be removed. The Government was thinking in terms of deploying paramilitary personnel in the two Midnapores to conduct the polls, he added. "While the Nandigram officer in-charge would not be removed, the Government has decided to depute the Haldia SDPO in Nandigram to oversee the law and order situation," Chakrabarty said.
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