Nandigram continued to remain on the boil with fresh incidents of violence on Sunday.
Showing no signs of any improvement in the situation, exchange of fire and hurling of bombs took place at Garchakraberia, Bhutarmor and Jadubarichawk early in the morning. The police, however, reached the spots only around mid-day. One person, Hasina Bibi, was admitted to the Nandigram hospital with bullet injuries.
Angry villagers held protests before the police, criticising them for failing to provide protection. Superintendent of Police of East Midnapore S S Panda, however, said the police were able to intervene at the “right time” and the situation was now under control.
Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) blamed the CPM workers for the violence and said that they were attacked from the Khejuri side. Abu Taher, Trinamool Congress leader and saha-sabhapati of Nandigram Panchayat Samity, alleged that the CPM was trying to dominate the area with bullets.
On Saturday, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had called an all-party meeting to tackle the ongoing violence in the area and had rejected the proposal of deploying CRPF in Nandigram.
In a related development Shankar Mondal, son of local CPM worker Niranjan Mondal who was killed on August 6, said he had not lodged any FIR with the Nandigram police. Neither has he or his family blamed the Trinamool workers for his father’s death, he told the media.
The FIR, according to which the investigation is currently being conducted, says Trinamool leaders Sisir Adhikari and Suvendu Adhikary along with 51 others were involved in the killing of Niranjan Mondal.
Embarrassed with this latest development, the local CPM leaders alleged that the Mondol family has been threatened by Trinamool to make the statement.
CPM district committee member Asoke Guria said that the Mondal family has been consistently facing threats from the Trinamool camp. The Trinamool leaders, however, denied the allegation.
The superintendent of police, meanwhile, said the Mondals did not inform them that the FIR was fake. “If they did so, police will take proper steps,” Panda added.