People's Democracy

Trinamul Congress Terrorises Villagers At Nandigram

B Prasant

ARMED hooligans of the strong-arm brigade of the Trinamul Congress ran riot at the Gokulnagar village at Nandigram in Midnapore east. For two consecutive days on February 17 and 18, they put to the torch 22 hutments and kutcha houses of the villagers, targeting CPI(M) workers in particular.

The attack started in right earnest from early in morning of February 17 when armed hooligans shouting slogans against the CPI(M) and the Left Front government entered the Gokulnagar village, catching the villagers by surprise. They torched dwelling places after ransacking them and drove out the residents away from the village itself at gunpoint. Several CPI(M) workers were shot at and several others kidnapped, beaten up and then left for dead.

The basic intent of the attackers was to frighten and browbeat the villagers from moving away from the CPI(M). That the Trinamul Congress ‘save agricultural land’ movement was a sham was proven again by the fact that the proposed chemical hub at Nandigram is miles away from the Gokulnagar village. The Trinamul Congress goons also attempted to cut up road communications before the villagers got together and chased them away. There is palpable tension in the Gokulnagar village and its adjoining areas at the time of writing this report. (BP)