Farmers and Marxists at loggerheads

By Subir Bhaumik
BBC News, Calcutta

When West Bengal police opened fire on Wednesday against protesters in Nandigram it was not the first case of such strong action during the 30 years of Communist rule in West Bengal.

At least 14 peasants have died in the firings in Nandigram and more than 70 were wounded.

However, this is the first time that the Communist state government has ordered such massive police action against poor farmers - the backbone of its own political support base in the state, the very people who benefited from the government's land reforms and decentralisation of power.

"In a way, Nandigram may prove to be a fatal stab in their own back for the Marxists ," says analyst Ranabir Sammadar.

He says Chief Minister Buddhadev Bhattacharya's "top-down" approach is responsible for the present crisis after the Nandigram deaths.

"Normally the Marxists use their party machinery, trained cadres would fan out to communicate the government's programme, even cajole in some cases, but this time , it was totally top-down. Officials drew up plans and the villagers were told one fine morning your land is being taken away ," said Mr Sammadar.

The chief minister himself admitted that the land acquisition plans at Nandigram were flawed.

'Lawlessness'

"I admit we made mistakes, so if the people of Nandigram are not convinced about the benefits of the chemical hub, we will not force it on them, we will take the project elsewhere in the state," he told reporters recently.

So why did the same chief minister authorise such a huge mobilisation of riot policemen at Nandigram within a week of promising to take the chemical hub project elsewhere?

"Nandigram had descended into lawlessness. The police did not go there to acquire land , they went there to restore administrative control," said Mr Bhattacharya in his statement tabled at the state assembly.

Observers say the real push for the fierce police action at Nandigram came from the local level Marxist leadership.

"If the people of Nandigram are not convinced about the benefits of the chemical hub, we will not force it on them " - Buddhadev Bhattacharya

The ferocity of the peasant protests at Nandigram since January had forced nearly 3,000 Marxist supporters to flee the area .

"This cannot go on, our boys must be able to go home," said Laxman Seth, the local Marxist parliament member.

It was the Haldia Development Authority controlled by Mr Seth which had issued the land acquisition notices at Nandigram for the special economic zone that was to contain a hub for chemical outlets run by Indonesia's Salim group.

'Red terror'

In Left-ruled West Bengal, there have been brief occasions when the Marxist political machine has been overwhelmed by the opposition parties.

"The Marxists have always retaliated in great strength to take control of an area slipping out of their hands. The lost ground was regained by red terror backed by a pliant administration," says political analyst Sabyasachi Basu Roy Choudhury.

But he said the party leadership and the armed supporters always took the lead in regaining such lost enclaves - as in the Panskura-Kespur-Garbeta region during the 2001 state assembly elections.

"In Nandigram, the party had lost complete support and all within a year of the land takeover question. So they forced the police to take the lead," said Mr Choudhury.
And the police it is alleged, equipped with automatic, let go whenever they ran into resistance from the peasants at Nandigram, who had killed five Marxist supporters and a police officer during the violence in January.

"There was a complete lack of fire control and professionalism. This is a clear case of massive overkill," said a former senior police official BB Nandi.

Politics

Communist Party of India had a strong presence in the area. It not only holds Nandigram constituency but also neighbouring Patashpur, Panskura (West) and Tamluk

The controversy over Nandigram issue was raised by the opposition parties MAHAJOT (Great alliance). People of Nandigram joined hands against forceful land acquisition. TMC, Congress, Jamiyate Ulema e hind joined hand to establish Bhumi Uchched Protirodh Committee, BUPC (Committee against land acquisition). The aim of BUPC is to save their livelihood & shelter from the hands of land encroachers.

On 14th March 2007, policemen and Communist party hoodlums [2] in disguise of khaki clad cops in slippers tried to enter Nandigram with massive arms and ammunitions. The people of Nandigram from all walks of life under the umbrella of Bhumi Uchched Protirodh Committee tried to protect their homes from the incursion. The Communist Party employed police and their accompanying hoodlums used their firepower at the people of Nandigram, killing at least 14 people and injuring several others.[3] They also raped several women. At least 2 people were reported missing since then. Many corpses were smuggled outside the area by CPI(M) cadres. Nearly all the victims of police firing had bullets lodged in their upper torsos, thus proving that the police violated standard operating procedure and aimed at their targets’ heads and chests. Some victims had bullet entry wounds on their backs, thus proving that they were shot while they were fleeing the cops. Even Jyoti Basu, former Chief Minister of West Bengal, pointed out these facts at a Left Front meeting as also before the press following a meeting with Mamata Banerjee. The Asian Human Rights Commission had condemned the killings. The violent incident has led to considerable criticism of Communists in India and abroad.[4]

CBI was called for investigating the incidence by Kolkata High Court. 10 CPIM hoodlums were caught red handed with arms used in the massacre by the investigating CBI officers from a brick factory close to Nandigram border.

TMC MLA Subhendu Adhikari, TMC leader Abu Taher, Abu Sufian, and in Kolkata, TMC MP Miss Mamata Banerjee and others are leading the movement from the front against this forceful farmland acquisition.

The events in Nandigram, starting from the January 3 incident have been the subject of a heated controversy. The Communist Party of India-Marxist [CPI(M)] is accused on the grounds that it is taking an anti-peasant stance in favour of big companies. It is accused of using the police for this purpose. CPI(M) is also using gun-men in this purpose.
The March 14 incident, when the police and armed CPI(M) cadres entered Nandigram and firing took place, have led to protests in West Bengal and in other parts of the country. At the national level, the Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies have focussed on this incident. Parliament was disrupted for five successive days. The BJP and the Trinamul Congress have demanded the imposition of Article 356 in West Bengal. Some other opposition groups have demanded the removal of Chief Minister Buddhabeb Bhattacharya.

The Nandigram events came in the background of the opposition launched against the Singur automobile project. The Central Committee of the CPI-M had met in Kolkata between January 2 and 4. It discussed the Singur project and endorsed the stand of the West Bengal CPI-M and the Left Front government in going ahead with the Tata car project in spite of the protests from the local farmers of Singur. The West Bengal CPI-M leadership had also informed that no land acquisition would be taken up in Nandigram if the people are opposed to it.

But the CPI(M) leaders proved that they are no better than Hitler in terms of dictatorship. The ruling party of West Bengal ordered the police, along with CPI(M)cadres armed with bombs and pipe guns, to enter Nandigram and teach the protesting farmers a lesson. Bullets were fired and bombs were hurled at the innocent, unarmed villagers including children and women. Many dead bodies were smuggled outside to destroy evidence of mass killing.

The Left Front Government wanted to buy time and slowly hush up the matter. So the Chief Minister and the CPI(M) wanted a Judicial probe. But the Kolkata High Court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry on the March 14 incident.

The incident of March 14 incurred the disapproval of the people in West Bengal.The reactions against the brutality of the armed CPI(M) cadres in the rest of the country also reflect the same disapproval. Such reactions proved that the general public of India have the courage to protest against political terrorism. NGOs came forward to help the victims of the March 14 incident. Famous personalities from various quarters also came forward to protest the mis-deeds of CPI(M). Protest rallies led by NGO-worker Medha Patekar received immense public support.

But the March 14 incident was neither the first nor the last of such bloodbaths organised by the CPI(M).

On November 10, 2007 thousands of CPI(M) cadres entered Nandigram and fired mercilessly on two unarmed procession of the villagers led by Bhoomi Uchched Protirodh Committee leaders. The police remained silent spectators. The Print and Electronic Media were not allowed to enter the area from the previous week.

Two most notorious murderers, Sukur Ali and Tapan Ghose, who are CPI(M) leaders, here led the gang of goons to feast on the blood of the Nandigram villagers. Those two are accused in a most brutal murder case in Chhoto Angaria, where CPI(M) cadres killed their political opponents. Police arrested them when they tried to flee the area after kidnapping three injured villagers.

According to government sources, only 2 persons were killed in the incident of November 10. But the actual count of dead and injured people is difficult to obtain because many dead bodies were smuggled to other areas by CPI(M) members in a reckless attempt to erase the evidence of mass killing.

The Governor of West Bengal, Shri. Gopal Krishna Gandhi, had expressed his deep concern over the "Lawless situation" in Nandigram only a day before. The CPI(M) leaders Shri Biman Bose, Shri Jyoti Bose and others opposed the Governor's move towards establishing a peaceful environment. They started to malign the Governor to create political pressure.

A few days earlier, CPI(M) leader Mrs. Brinda karat had publicly threatened the opposition by saying that CPI(M) would administer "Dumdum daoyaii" (which means - brutal mass-killing) to those people who oppose the decisions of the CPI(M) about land acquisition.

All these threats turned into action on November 10, as CPI(M) organised a mass killing again in Nandigram. Once again the public roared against such brutality of the ruling party. Shri Kshiti Goswami, a prominent RSP leader and a minister of the Left Front government, protested against this incident and threatened to resign. Ms. Mamata Banerjee, the chief TMC leader, resigned from her post of Member of Parliament (MP).

The issue of land acquisition and industrialisation in West Bengal is being viewed by different quarters according to their own political and ideological predilections. While the TMC-led opposition parties demand that the Government should establish a peaceful environment for industrialisation, the ruling party CPI(M) does not seem to be interested in the idea of peaceful co-existence of agriculture and industries.

Nandigram

For the recent controversy over the proposed chemical hub of the Salim Group under the SEZ policy which led to the massacre of at least 14 villagers, see Nandigram SEZ controversy

Nandigram is a rural area in Purba Medinipur district of the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located around 150 km from Kolkata, on the south bank of the Haldi River, opposite the industrial city of Haldia. The area falls under Haldia Development Authority.[1]

Recently, Nandigram has witnessed protests against the setting up of an SEZ, leading to clashes between protesters and police which have left a number of people dead and accusations of police brutality and Communist Party of India (Marxist), or CPI(M), insurgency from same side. Police and CPI(M) cadres allegedly killed 14 of the protesters on March 14, 2007. Later, 10 people with ammunition, mobile phones with phone numbers of local CPI(M) leaders and CPI(M) party flags were arrested at a nearby brick kiln in Khejuri.

Here is an interesting report which shows CPIM is run and supported by goons.

http://home.comcast.net/~raman_akhila/files/apdr_nandigram_1.htm

The CPI(M) of West Bengal accepted responsibility for the killings but several days later and is now in the midst of a controversy for letting such an atrocity go unquestioned.