KOLKATA: The West Bengal administration will continue with its efforts to hold all-party meetings to facilitate the restoration of peace in the strife-torn Nandigram area of Purbo-Medinipur district despite major Opposition parties boycotting Tuesday's talks, Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy said here on Wednesday.

"We definitely have to repeatedly keep trying for peace," Mr. Roy said. "The situation will not return to normal in a day," he added.

Tuesday's meeting was the first to be called by the local administration after the police firing and violence, which resulted in the deaths of 14 persons on March 14. The Opposition parties have said that they will not attend any all-party meeting till those responsible for the violence and firing are arrested.

So far there has been no evidence of sexual assault on any woman by police personnel at Nandigram on the day of the violence as alleged in certain quarters, Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb said.

Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has alleged that many women were sexually assaulted in the Nandigram violence and several continue to remain untraced.

The State Human Rights Commission had earlier sought a report from the State Government regarding the allegation following which an inquiry had been directed. It is still continuing.

Both the executive inquiry and the investigations by the Criminal Investigation Department into the Nandigram violence were being delayed because of the present situation there, Mr. Deb said.

Doctors who treated those injured in the firing and also conducted post-mortem on the victims deposed at a hearing by the Divisional Commissioner.

Large parts of Nandigram remain inaccessible with roads dug up and bridges broken by activists of Trinamool Congress-led Bhoomi Ucched Pratirodh Committee. There were, however, no reports of any fresh attempt to snap road links, Mr. Roy said.

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