People's Democracy

Is The Trinamul Planning Violence

At Nandigram Once Again?

B Prasant

In the wake of the recent visit of a clutch of second rung Kolkata-based Trinamul Congress leadership, accompanied by infamous criminals, complete with videographers in tow, at the marketplace of Sonachura where once the Maoists had had a free run, the villagers are again atremble with fear of a fresh carnage by armed goons. 

A Trinamul Congress MLA openly threatened the Sonachura kisans at a public place that they would be ‘taught a lesson and good’.  At the same time, increasing amounts of intransigence is put on display by the CRPF units posted at Nandigram.

During his visit to Nandigram, Shyamal Chakraborty, a central committee member of the CPI(M) noticed that the villagers were being subjected to three forms of coercion that often boiled over into torture and repression. 

First, the CRPF units have under guidance of local Trinamul Congress subalterns started to harass CPI(M) workers and supporters. 

Second, the CRPF on its own has started to lean a little too heavily on CPI(M) workers, including local and zonal-level leaderships. 

Third, encouraged and egged on by the CRPF, the goons of the Trinamul Congress are poised to attack Party workers in a big way; minor clashes have already taken place.

We give below a few representative examples of the kind of behaviour the CRPF units have started to develop vis-à-vis the CPI(M) workers and supporters.

EXAMPLES

The CRPF posted at Nandigram have been generally engaged in harassing, arresting, and beating up CPI(M) workers and supporters, with no consideration for the fact that a large number of the latter having returned home after eleven months are yet traumatised.  There have been instances where processions with the Red flags have been prohibited.  Indeed, in places, Red flags have been taken down and Trinamul Congress colours hoisted.  The CRPF men have also been found teasing women and passing lewd remarks. 

The CRPF was found harrying and threatening the workers and supporters of the CPI(M) at the instigation of the activists of the Trinamul Congress, especially Sitangsu Pani and Mahesh Pani of Akandapur, and two others of Maheshpur village.

On November 15, the CRPF entered the Khodambari local committee office and seized five pieces of fireworks of the kind easily available in the market. They took away the secretary of the local committee, Ramhari Patra who is a primary teacher, and released him only after one hour of intense grilling.

On November 16, the CRPF took in local committee member Monoranjan Pramanick and kept pressing down hard on him, seeking ‘information,’ and he was released, shell-shocked from the nightmare, after intervention by DIG, CRPF.

ARREST AND GRILLING

On the same day, Debal Das, a member of the Nandigram zonal committee was physically harassed while he was travelling with relief materials for the CPI(M) supporters evicted from their houses, and carried bunches of handbills of the state and district committees of the CPI(M).  He was released again at the intervention of the DIG, CRPF after he was made to write that he has no complaints against the CRPF.  Debal Das’ residence was raided later in the night by the CRPF, and not finding him, they beat up his two sons mercilessly with rifle butts.

On the same day, Pintu Giri, a CPI(M) sympathiser was apprehended by the CRPF while en route from Tekhali relief camp to Tekhali bazaar, and when zonal committee member, Pratap Sahu went to get his release, Pintu Giri was beaten up in his presence and again released only at the intervention of the DIG, CRPF.

On November 17, local committee member Rabindranath Giri was accosted by the CRPF who charged him of being a ‘gun man’, and asked about the whereabouts of his gun.  On production of documents, that he had been admitted to hospital, he was released.

When on the same day, primary teacher Subhas Hazra went to marketing, he was followed and harassed by CRPF men.

On November 17, again, Anup Karan was arrested and sent up for trial based on ‘old cases.’

On the same day, Santosh Kumar Hazra, branch secretary of Sainbari east, was beaten up by CRPF men at the provocation of Trinamul Congress workers. Prankrishna Maity was threatened by the CRPF and told that he would be taken away for the ‘crime’ of being a worker of the CPI(M).

Recently, a few villagers were on vigil on the Bhangaberia Bridge against possible Trinamul Congress’s sneak night attacks. The CRPF unit of the locality beat them up, took away a couple of cell phones, precious possessions of the poor villagers, and several villagers had to be hospitalised, hurt from hard shoves of the rifle butt.

One is witness to former Trinamul Congress gunmen and criminals like Sheikh Samad, Jhantu Maity, Zia-ul Shah and Mizan-ul Shah, and Shasanka Khatua acting as eyes and ears for the CRPF units, supplying information about CPI(M) workers, identifying them and egging them on to start a regime of repression.

A SHOW OF A ‘REFUGEE CAMP’

The Trinamul Congress in the meanwhile has put up a show piece of a ‘refugee camp’ at the Brajamohan Tiwari school, where they have forced 100-odd men to stay back to be put up before ‘dignitaries’ foreign and indigenous as ‘proof’ of CPI(M)’s atrocities.  A few corporate media had played up the number of men staying nights at the school.  Facts show a different story.

The ground reality is just under 150 men – there are no women or children – who reside in the school at night.  During the daylight hours, some more people, including women and children, are organised and made to attend the ‘refugee camp,’ with sumptuous meals served courtesy of foreign-funded NGOs, and this is when the TV cameras roll, and various ‘personalities,’ from both inside and outside of Bengal, come a-visiting, expressing their sympathy for the ‘homeless,’ and pronouncing judgement in the process on ‘CPI(M)’s atrocities.’ 

The latest foreign visitor ‘on tour,’ and duly accompanied by the regulation quota of Trinamul Congress leaders and Naxalites, with the inevitable media persons (but of course!) in tow, has been a former US official who came, saw, and pontificated on the ‘evils of the SEZ proposed by the Bengal government at Nandigram” (a complete travesty of truth, but would he care, before hurrying off to do good deeds elsewhere?)

Attempts, one is afraid, would continue to be made to destabilise Nandigram once again, but the people have risen against anarchy and the prospects of a peaceful, harmonious cluster of villages and urban centres called Nandigram, looks to be a reassuring reality.  Vigil shall continue, of course, whatever happens, as one long-suffering Nandigramite, Gita Rani Patra told us recently.