Singur turns battlefield again

On Sunday, her convoy, on way to yet another rally at Singur, was stopped for nearly an hour at Maitypara near Dankuni. The official car of Leader of Opposition Partha Chatterjee was vandalised.

The clashes left at least 20 people injured while a goods vehicle and a police jeep, five motorbikes and over 50 cycles were gutted.

The trouble began early in the morning.

In a bid to renew her agitation in support of her demand to return land to unwilling farmers, Banerjee had called for a rally in Singur. The Save Nano Committee had announced that they would not allow the Trinamool leader to enter Singur. Roadblocks were set up at Ratanpur on National Highway 2 8212;about 5 kilometres from the site of the Tata8217;s erstwhile small car factory.

The Trinamool supporters also began to gather at the same spot. A huge police contingent was present there, but they remained silent spectators as nearly 4,000-strong Trinamool supporters first clashed with 200-odd Save Nano Committee supporters and then the police. The mob burnt two vehicles, over 50 cycles and five motorbikes. The police had to resort to lathichage and tear gas to bring the situation under control. Trinamool leaders claimed that over 20 supporters of the party were injured.

Banerjee had a tough time reaching Singur. Her convoy had to come to a stop at Maitypara after the CPM men deflated tyres of two trucks to block the road.

The official car of Chatterjee, meanwhile, was intercepted and vandalised at Ghanashyampur, about two kilometres ahead of Ratanpur. There too, the police had to use four rounds of tear gas shells to separate the clashing groups, said IG Law and Order Raj Kanojia said. Four of the injured had two each from the rival factions. Chatterjee alleged that he had been manhandled by CPM workers in presence of 200 senior police officers. The police, however, denied the allegation.

The Superintendent of Police, Hooghly, Rajiv Mishra, said eight policemen were seriously injured in Trinamool brickbatting over the day. An office of the suppliers of materials for the Nano project at Ratanpur was burnt.

The Trinamool rally was held at Khaserchak, where Banerjee called for a state-wide agitation against Sunday8217;s incidents. 8220;We have shown what we can do. We are not afraid of the CPM,8221; she announced. The protest will be held in Kolkata on Monday.