Left in the Lurch

Worse, political apathy has come to prey on victims who have supported the ruling party for years and belong to an area that has been the traditional stronghold of the CPIM. Ironically, they switched camps in January this year for fear of losing their lands8212;and fell to bullets for opposing it. 8220;Most victims were CPI M supporters,8221; agrees Patap Sahu, CPIM8217;s Nandigram zonal committee member. 8220;These villages were traditionally the party stronghold and 90 per cent of the votes in each village were in our favour. Some of these people were misled as we failed to communicate properly.8221; The miscommunication proved rather expensive for the 14 families of Nandigram.

Sheikh Imdadul Islam 18

The youngest in the family, Islam was to appear for his higher secondary exams at the Nandigram BMT school.

The family owns five bighas of land at Jadubarichak, Kalicharanpur. Islam8217;s father, Sheikh Monirul Islam, retired as an employee of the Kolkata Port Trust.

Political allegiance: The family has supported the CPIM for years, with most members voting for the party in the previous panchayat polls and backing the Left Front candidate in the assembly polls.

Injury: Bullets in the stomach and right thigh.
Compensation: Nil.

Proloy Giri 21

A resident of Soudkhali, Sonachura, Giri had returned home 10 days previously after being away for two years in Delhi, where he worked as an embroidery artisan. His family owns four kottahs of land and has 11 members, including his 77-year-old father Sarbeshwar, mother Urmila, two brothers, Palash and Pankaj, and their wives and children.

Political allegiance: The family is a staunch supporter of the CPI, an LF constituent which won the previous assembly polls at Nandigram. Giri8217;s uncle, Jogeshwar Giri, is a CPI member and village up-pradhan.

Injury: Bullet wounds and deep cuts on the body.
Compensation: Nil.

Imdadul Khan 18

A resident of Jalpai, Kalicharanpur, Imdadul was an agricultural labourer and the only bread-winner for his nine-member family: a physically challenged father, Abdul Dayan Khan, a sick elder brother, Ismail Khan, mother Ayesha Bibi, the brother8217;s wife and children. The family owns only 2.5 bighas of land, so it wasn8217;t surprising that the villagers pooled in to perform the last rites for Khan.

Political allegiance: The family has been a CPIM supporter, voted for the party in the previous panchayat elections and rooted for the LF-nominated CPI candidate in the assembly polls.

Injury: Bullet in the abdomen, gashes with sharp weapons on the body.
Compensation: Nil.

Supriya Jana 35

A resident of Sonachura, Jana is survived by her husband, Sukumar, who works as an agricultural labourer, and a son, Soumya Kanti, who appeared for his madhyamik exam this year. The family owns seven kottahs of agricultural land and Jana supplemented the family income with a meagre Rs 1,000 per month by giving tuition to local children. On March 14, Jana was a part of the crowd near the Bhangabera bridge when the police opened fire.

Political allegiance: The family is an ardent supporter of the CPIM and has voted for the party in successive elections.

Injury: Bullet in the forehead.
Compensation: Nil.

Badal Mondol 45

A residents of Jalpai, Kalicharanpur, Badal was the only earning member in his family. He is survived by his wife Kabita, daughter Mallika, son Biswajit and an 85-year-old mother. While two other daughters are married, eight-year-old Biswajit, a class III student at the Jalpai primary school, is the only male member in the family now. The family has about two bighas of land.

Political allegiance: The family backed the CPIM and voted for its candidates in successive polls.

Injury: Bullet in the chest and deep cuts on the body.
Compensation: Nil.

Panchanan Das 47

A resident of Keshabpur, Das was the main earning member of a family of nine, including his wife, four boys, two girls, and his mother. The family owned no land and earned their living as agricultural labourers.

Political allegiance: The family traditionally voted for the CPIM and the party lead in every election in the village.

Injury: Bomb splinter wounds.
Compensation: Nil.

Rakhal Giri 24

A resident of Gangra, Sonachura, Giri worked as a daily wage worker in a brick kiln along with his father. One of the main earning members for his 11-member family which owns no land, Giri was planning to marry this year. According to Giri8217;s father, Pratap, and mother Pratima, the entire family had gone to protest and watched Giri die while they stood helplessly at a distance.

Political allegiance: The family supported the CPIM and voted for the party in the previous panchayat and assembly polls. Giri8217;s father was the only exception, who voted for the Congress.

Injury: Bomb splinter wound.
Compensation: Nil.

Ratan Das 32

A resident of Gangra village at Sonachura, Das was the only earning member in his family, which comprises his father Kanailal Das, mother Madhuri Bala, wife Tapasi and three children, Monimala Das, Sambhu 5 and Surojit 3. The family has only 1.5 bighas of land and Das worked as an agricultural labourer.

Political allegiance: The family joined the CPIM in 1968 and Das8217;s father has been an active member for 12 years. This, despite the fact that even in 1968, the family8217;s 35 decimal land was acquired by the government for the Jellinghum project at Nandigram, a central government enterprise to manufacture oil rigs. The family did not get the promised compensation or employment. Only now has Kanailal begun to feel that the party has betrayed them.

Injury: Bullet in the back, cut marks.
Compensation: Nil.

Gobindo Das 20

Das worked as a carpenter at a construction site in Jharkhand and was visiting home to see his ailing grandfather, Bidyadhar Das. His 19-member family owns two bighas of land at Jalpai, Kalicharanpur. Das was found of photography, had bought three cameras and shot at village weddings. His own wedding was scheduled a few months later, says his father Bhimcharan Das.

Political allegiance: The family claims to have settled in the area since the British rule and has been a diehard CPIM supporter, voting for the party in panchayat polls and for the LF-backed CPI candidate in the assembly polls.

Injury: Bullets in the chest and abdomen.
Compensation: Nil.

Basanti Kar 55

A resident of Kalicharanpur, Kar8217;s family owned three bighas of land and included her husband, Gorachand, two sons, Tapan and Tapas, and two daughters. One of her sons works as a contract labourer in Gujarat.

Political allegiance: Kar was an active CPIM supporter, as were the other members of the family.

Injury: A bullet in the chest and cut marks.
Compensation: Nil.

Pushpendu Mondol 26

One of the few educated youth at Gangra, Sonachura, Mondol was an art graduate from Khejuri College and a local football star. He was the sole bread-winner in a family of 16. He is survived by his father Pulin Bihari Mondol, mother Suvashini, three brothers and a sister. He had left home on March 14 only to look for his sister-in-law.

Political allegiance: The family is a prominent CPIM supporter and Mondol8217;s uncle was elected anchal pradhan of Sonachura.

Injury: Bullets in chest and right hand. Sharp cuts on the body.
Compensation: Nil.

Uttam Pal 21

Pal was a resident of Keshabpur and supplemented the family income with his Rs 600 per month by dealing in brooms. A school dropout, Pal was one of the three children of Rabindranath and Panbati. The seven-member family owns one bigha of land.

Political allegiance: The family is a CPIM supporter and has voted for the party in successive polls.

Injury: A bullet in the shoulder and a wound from a bomb splinter.
Compensation: Nil.