Other States - West Bengal   

Was this spilling of blood not avoidable?

Governor's anguish over Nandigram

Gopalkrishna Gandhi

KOLKATA: Expressing anguish at the turn of events in Nandigram on Wednesday, West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi hoped that the State Government would ensure that such incidents would not repeat.

His statement read:

"The news of deaths by police firing in Nandigram this morning has filled me with a sense of cold horror. We will soon know more details of the sequence of events that led to this tragedy. But the point uppermost in my mind is not `who started it,' `who provoked it' or whether there were agent-provocateurs behind it. Investigations will reveal that. The thought in my mind — and of all sensitive people now is — `Was this spilling of human blood not avoidable? What is the public purpose served by the use of force that we have witnessed today?'

"Force against anti-national elements, terrorists, extremists, insurgents, is one thing. The receiving end of the force used today does not belong to that order.

"What I advised Government over the last two days, as I received inputs of rising tension in Nandigram, Government knows. It is not my intention to enter into blame-fixing. But I cannot be so casual to the Oath I have taken as to restrict my reaction to a pious expression of anguish and outrage. I trust the Government will not only go into the whys and wherefores of this tragic occurrence but will also ensure that it leaves no room for a repetition of the kind of trauma witnessed today.

"I leave it to the conscience of officials responsible to atone for the event in the manner they deem fit. But I also expect the Government to do what it thinks is necessary to mitigate the effects of this bitter March 14, and to do it visibly and fast."

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Was this spilling of blood not avoidable?

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu