After visiting Nandigram Hospital, she went to Thekhali bridge bordering Khejuri and met the villagers.

“Nandigram will be heading towards civil war if the voters are not allowed to exercise their franchise in the panchayat polls,” Banerjee told mediapersons. She said that her party wants free and fair elections in Nandigram. “But everybody knows the ground reality. It is an attempt by CPM cadres and hired goons to terrorise the Trinamool supporters, forcing them to flee,” she added. She further alleged that the Nandigram police was following the instruction of Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. “As a result, they did not provide security to Trinamool supporters,” she said.

Banerjee urged her supporters to cast their votes and thereby oust the CPM from Nandigram. She returned to Tamluk in the evening and left for Kolkata.

East Midnapore SP S S Panda claimed that the overall situation in Nandigram was peaceful on Friday.

He added that IG (Rail) Amar Kanti Sarkar and SP (IB) Anupam Bandyopadhyay are in charge of maintaining law and order in Nandigram.