We heard of firing after it was over: Bengal govt

West Bengal Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy today said that Kolkata had been kept in the dark about the escalation of tension at Nandigram on March 14

West Bengal Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy today said that Kolkata had been kept in the dark about the escalation of tension at Nandigram on March 14, with the decision to open fire on the crowd taken by senior police officials on the spot without making any attempt to contact him.

Even Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, who is in-charge of the police department, reportedly got to know about the firing and the deaths half an hour after everything was over. “No one contacted me from the spot before the police opened fire,” said Home Secretary Prasad Ranjan Roy.

Sources in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat said Bhattacharjee came to know about the firing at 11.15 am. The news of the deaths reached him later.

Story continues below this ad

The District Magistrate of East Midnapore district, Arun Agarwal, was called to Writers’ Buildings today to give his version of the events.

After the meeting with the DM, the Home Secretary said the administration had already issued a notice stating that there would be no acquisition of land for industries in Nandigram.

“The March 14 trouble happened at two locations,” Roy said. “At one, the order to open fire was given by a senior police officer. At another, the order was given by an executive magistrate.”

On March 14, the government had sent a strong police contingent to Nandigram after a two-and-a-half-month stalemate during which the local people, opposing the government’s plans to acquire 10,000 acres to build a Special Economic Zone, had forced out the administration and police.

Story continues below this ad

By around 10 am, thousands of people had gathered at two points, facing the police across a canal. Around 10.30 am, as the mob turned violent, the police opened fire. Initially the police fired rubber bullets, but they proved insufficient to control the crowd. Heavier casualties followed when the special force accompanying the regular force opened fire from rapid-fire sophisticated weapons, senior police sources said. Sources in the Chief Minister’s Secretariat said that it would be 45 minutes later —- 11.45 am —- that Buddhadeb would come to know about the firing. The news of the deaths reached him later.The government also confirmed reports that the police had acted in connivance with the CPI(M) cadres. The Home Secretary said: “We have also received complaints about the connivance between the CPI(M) and police. We will take action against the officials concerned if the reports are found true.”

Meanwhile, the government has ordered an executive inquiry into the police firing. The CBI, which was ordered into Nandigram by the

High Court, has already begun its investigations.

EAM Jaishankar and US Secretary of State Rubio hold bilateral discussions in New York

India2 hr ago

Indian Foreign Minister Jaishankar and US Senator Rubio met in New York to discuss the 25% tariff on Indian oil imposed by Trump. This was their first in-person meeting since the Quad Foreign Ministers' Meeting. India and the US also began talks for a trade agreement, with positive discussions during a recent visit by US trade officials to India.

View all shorts

Live Blog