police raid

ï¿½Semi-fascistï¿½ raids by police at Singur on innocent women and children

Sankar Kumar Ray

Published on December 03, 2006

Around 5000 police cops and Rapid Action Force combatants unleashed ï¿½semi-fascist terrorï¿½ on innocent inhabitants mostly women, children and old people in four villages in and around Singur assembly constituency, alleged Becharam Manna, convener, Singur Krishak Sangram Committee which opposes the automobile plant that the Tata Motors will be setting up there. The four villages are Beraberi, Sinher Bheri, Bajer bheri and Joymolla. Adult members of those households fled their home apprehending police raids.

TV cameramen and journalists were not allowed to enter the villages. However, a local TV channel, Kolkata TV, sneaked in secretly and telecast police atrocities - how police force was rushing into the villages, firing tear gas shells inside the villages without provocation, beating up women and boys. Burning tear gas shells set fire to harvested grains at more than one spots inside those villages. Local MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharya, belonging to the main opposition party, All India Trinamool Congress told that the police entered houses without warrant and began indiscriminately beating women and children. ï¿½ Ten of us were beaten and arrested. Four had to be rushed to the Imambara district Hospital and two of them are in serious conditions.ï¿½

Some 1500 villagers, mostly with lathis gathered to oppose fencing of agricultural plots (measuring 997 acres) that were acquired by the district magistrate of Hooghly for onward transfer to the West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Ltd prior to leasing them out to the Tatas. As a result, there were clashes and scuffles. The sub-divisional police officer Supratim Sarkar said that acid bulbs were hurled at the police and some were attacked by arrows. Villagers did not confirm what the police said.

According to Star Ananda channel, villagers refused to let their reporters and camera men meet tortured villagers. Their grouse was that TV channels were repeatedly telecasting the bedlam at the West Bengal State Assembly but blacking out atrocities, let loose by the police. They were allowed on condition telecasting todayï¿½s role of the police who were accompanied by CPI(M) cadres, seemingly outsiders.

West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, a CPI(M) polit bureau member, told the media, ï¿½ Nothing has happened at Singurï¿½.

Naba Dutta, general secretary, Nagarik Mancha, a voluntary social action forum in defense of workers, affected by industrial sickness and occupational hazards, said, ï¿½ The accusation of semi-fascist terror by the ruling party, CPI(M) against the Congress government in the state between 1972-77 has boomeranged. But this is nothing new during the Left Front regime. The entire region, earmarked for the automobile project, is fertile where more than one crop are cultivated.ï¿½

Kolkata, 2 Dec 2006

Sankar Kumar Ray is a senior journalist based in Kolkata, India.