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Nandigram incident widely condemned

Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR: A day after violence broke out at Nandigram in West Bengal, social activists here on Thursday said the "State-sponsored terror" dwarfed last year's police firing in Orissa's Kalinga Nagar.

Condemning the CPI(M)-led Government's decision to send huge police force to Nandigram, activists said the State Government attempted to subdue the peasants' resistance against forcible acquisition of land for Special Economic Zone of Salim Group of Indonesia.

"It's premeditated"

At the meeting attended by progressive Left and Socialist groups, participants said: "The victimised villagers of Nandigram are carrying forward the struggle being waged in different parts of the country by Indian peasants against forcible displacement drawing inspiration from the heroic tribals in Kalinga Nagar." Convenor of Loka Pakshya Rajendra Sarangi said: "West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's open threat of police action against Nandigram farmers a few days ago at a Kolkata rally and large-scale police mobilisation confirm that the March 14 mayhem is a premeditated crime against peasantry."

"First, the nation is given an impression that the clash is between supporters and opponents of the industry. But, the way the police force acted is deplorable. The attack on poor villagers is more barbaric than the police firing at Kalinga Nagar in which 13 tribals were killed," Prafulla Samantara, president of Lakshakti Abhijan, said. The organisation demanded immediate withdrawal of all SEZ projects coming up on agricultural lands.

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