A determined Mamata

A determined Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee is repeatedly trying to enter Nandigram despite blockades put up by CPI(M) cadres at different points.

After her convoy was stopped last night (November 10) and then at Kelomal near Kolaghat in East Midnapore district today, Mamata got onto a motobike and proceeded towards Tamluk hospital on the way to Nandigaram. She took a round about way through Panskura instead of the normal route of NH41 while proceeding to the village.

Agencies reported that CPI(M) cadres had obstructed her convoy at Kelomal, between Panskura and Tamluk.

But Banerjee was escorted by a party supporter in a two-wheeler towards a hospital in Tamluk where the injured in the violent clashes yesterday, were admitted.

A day after two people were killed in clashes in Nandigram, an uneasy clam prevailed in Nandigram today even as Banerjee left for the strife-torn village.

Roads wore a deserted look as Marxist supporters were seen gathering at certain locations in the village. The Bhumi Uchhed Pratirodh Committe activists too assembled before a hospital where most of the injured were being treated.

Meanwhile, IGP (Law and Order), Raj Kanoji told PTI in Kolkata that one battalion of CRPF had arrived today and the jawans would soon be deployed in Nandigram. The outbreak of fresh violence forced the Centre last night to announce dispatch of 1,000 additional CRPF personnel for Nandigram, earlier sought by the state government.

Police forces were today deployed in front of the police station to prevent attacks on them similar to those carried out by BUPC activists yesterday forcing the police to fire teargas at them.

In protest against yesterday's violence, Trinamool Congress has called for an indefinite 'halt Bengal' strike from tomorrow, while Congress, SUCI and CPI(ML-Lib) called a 24 hour shutdown on Monday and a similar one by BJP for 48 hours.

The RSP, the ruling Left Front partner, which has announced its protest against CPI(M) role in Nandigram and with one of its minister Khsiti Goswami expressing his desire to resign from the ministry, is to meet in Kolkata on November 13 to decide its future course of action.

WB artists fight for Nandigram

West Bengal's artists and intellectuals have kicked up a storm over Nandigram. They want to know what the Left Front government is doing to restore normalcy in the region.

''The way they are treating people they are just fascists we just every moment we are thinking that they should resign from the government. That is the ultimate. We are just approaching common people to just stand for this,'' said Subha Prasanya, PainterAs the people of this state wait for the government to take some effective measures in Nandigram to restore peace and normalcy on the ground, protests are growing.

Here, intellectual theatre and film personalities are the latest to join the pressure group for the government to find a way out of the situation there.The protesters at Nandan, the venue for the 13th Kolkata Film Festival, were treated roughly.Close to 100 artists, writers and poets were picked up and bundled into police vans and taken to the central lock up in the police headquarters at Lalbazar.

There were no women police to deal with the women protesters. The police action was roundly condemned.''Today in West Bengal if you are not supporting the Left you will be called biased. This is like dictarorship.

Where is the moral superiority of the Left? Farmers are being tortured by the Left. It is horrifying,'' said Aparna Sen, FilmmakerThe protests are set to become bigger.

On Wednesday, a big rally will be taken out from College Square to condemn the government's handling of Nandigram.