Assaulted Nano engineer leaves with wife, kid: ‘Never lived in such fear’

Khatua, who has been working with Shapoorji Palonji at the Tata Motors Nano factory site since 2007 has left his rented accommodation for his home in Mahisadal in Midnapore.

On July 29, Khatua, 35, was beaten up with iron rods by a band of armed youths who entered the plant site. He was trying to film them on his cellphone when they assaulted him with a 16-mm iron rod. One of his testicles sustained serious injuries and he spent 10 days in a Kolkata hospital before resuming duty.

Eight arrests were made in the Khatua case but police said all but two have been released on bail. In two other specific cases of assault and intimidation of staff at the plant site, no one has been arrested.

For the past one month, Khatua’s daughter has stopped going to her nursery school. Her mother Srabonti says she keeps herself and the child confined at home. Khatua says that he does not know how long he will be able to live in Singur given the “intimidating atmosphere” he faces every day.

Citing security reasons, he declined to be photographed. “My child cannot go to school, who will be responsible if something happens to her? I have never lived with such fear before,” Khatua told The Sunday Express. “I cannot take such a risk any more. I have decided to go back to my home.”

“It is my husband’s job that has forced us to stay here but after what happened we are scared,” said his wife. “There are people enquiring about us all the time. What if they target him again? Every time he leaves for work, I am worried until he is back.”

“I still can’t use my left arm properly. The wounds in my ear and testicles are yet to heal fully,” said Khatua, who has worked as an engineer for 13 years in several firms, including the Mitsubishi plant in Haldia, Bhushan steel plant in Orissa and an oil refinery in Assam.

“But I have never encountered such an atmosphere of violence and fear elsewhere,” he said. “Everyday, they threaten us to leave the plant. Local youths come and steal building material in open daylight. The police is a mute witness. Even after the assault, the police have not given me or my family any protection or a sense of security.”

Meanwhile, about 2200 policemen have been deployed to control any “untoward incident” tomorrow. Banerjee has said that the “indefinite blockade” will continue until 400 acres are returned.

At a Left Front meeting today, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee said that the Tatas had reason to worry but there was no question of returning any land. The government was said to be working on a “package” and he said he was hoping that the “second round of talks with the Trinamool Congress would be successful.”

Since February 4, 2007, when the boundary wall was erected, there have been several cases of violence and arson. These include three specific cases of armed assault on staff and workers, 15 cases of theft and pilferage of building material, 12 major cases when armed people have breached and damaged the factory wall, set fire at places and exploded bombs. But the police admit they can’t do much.

“There have been about 50 cases, big and small, but we are only a handful of officers at the police station who are responsible for investigation. We are making the arrests but most of them are out on bail,” said Priyabarat Bakshi, officer-in-charge of Singur police station.