Singur quiet, fencing on schedule

The day after violence, Singur appeared quiet. Perhaps deceptively so.

The day after violence, Singur appeared quiet. Perhaps deceptively so. The fencing of land for Tata’s small car project proceeded quietly under the eyes of police and Rapid Action Force contingents. No guns should enter the area, the Chief Minister had instructed the DGP again today, and the police and security forces patrolled the streets of Joymollah, Beraberi, Khaserbheri and Purbapara villages with tear gas launchers. But if the work was peaceful, the villagers were anything but.

Allegations and counter allegations flew thick and fast, with one family even claiming that their home was ransacked by Trinamool Congress cadres because they were the first to give up land to the state government.

Kartik Das, a village panchayat member, whose house was targeted, was not around. But Nabakumar Das, his relative, who resides in the same village, said: “No one listened to us. We have given our land to the state government and yesterday they ransacked our house out of anger after the clash took place. We are under threat, but no one is listening.”

Others talked of the police violence.

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“I have no news of my brother, who was beaten up and taken away by police yesterday. They also beat up a 9-yr-old girl and my aged mother. Most of the men in our village have gone into hiding. Our leaders are now nowhere in the scene. Whom shall I go to?” asked Maya Mondol of Khaserberi, who a resident of Jhapandanga, but has been staying in Singur for the past few days. Her brother Sanjay Dhara (22), received injuries in the clash yesterday and was taken away by police.

An eerie silence prevailed on the roads. Broken doors and roofs, shattered bricks spread around kuccha roads in the villages, gave silent proof of yesterday’s clash.

The areas to be fenced, meanwhile, were a beehive of activity. Fencing had resumed in the villages of Monsatolla, Khaserbhari and Beraberi, where the state government had pressed into service a workforce of 1,000 and mechanised earth removers. “We completed a further two kilometres of fencing and are hopeful that with this pace, we will complete the work in three to four days. We have employed local men and women in the fence laying programme,” said Vinod Kumar, District Magistrate of Hooghly. Work started at around 10 am under heavy police protection. Yesterday, a four-km stretch had been completed.

Among those arrested yesterday, the police have identified four persons from Kolkata. “The 48 people arrested were produced in Chandannagar court and remanded to judicial custody till December 8,” said Arun Kumar Gupta, IG South Bengal.

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Trinamool Congress chief, Mamata Banerjee, who had made another abortive attempt to enter Singur in the wee hours, was ultimately escorted back home by the police.

‘Lift Section 144, or else…’

KOLKATA: Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee on Sunday gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the state government, saying if Section 144 was not lifted from Singur, it will have severe consequences. The Trinamool leader also announced that she would sit for an indefinite hunger strike from Monday. “I have requested Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil to intervene in the matter and sack the West Bengal government immediately. Unless the Union government does something, I will not break my fast,” said Banerjee. The party will meet Monday to decide whether it will lend support to SUCI’s 24-hr bandh call on Tuesday.