INDIA: Alleged killing of Nandigram villagers protesting against land acquisition by the state during a crash with CPI-M workers

Dear friends,

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from its partner organization MASUM in West Bengal regarding the alleged deaths during a protest in Nandigram, East Midnapore district, West Bengal against the state government’s plan to acquire land for a Special Economic Zone(SEZ). According to the first fact-finding report done by MASUM, at least seven villagers were reportedly killed and at least 20 persons injured since 7 January 2007 to-date in the continuing violence in Nandigram. A 14-year-old boy, namely Biswajit Maity, was among those killed. The report alleges that state officials and the police have used excessive and unnecessary force and may be responsible for casualties among the protesters. The incident followed attacks on peaceful peasants who were protesting against the forced acquisition of their land for an automobile project at Singur in the Hooghly district, West Bengal on 2 December 2006 (See further: UA-393-2006).

CASE DETAILS:

Tension has been brewing in Nangiram block of Haldia- the site of a SEZ to be set up by the Indonesia-based Salim group- since 3 January 2007 when sporadic clashes between the police and villagers were reportedly sparked off by the leak of an order dated December 28 in which the Chief Executive Officer of the Haldia Development Authority lists the mouzas (small villages) to be acquired for a SEZ.

After that, through the night and into the early hours of 7 January 2007, clashes took place between workers of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), the ruling party of the West Bengal state and villagers, backed by the Krishi Jami Raksha (Save Farmland) Committee, which is also behind the protests against the acquisition of farmland in Singur. According to local newspaper reports, at least 6 people were killed and 20 others injured during the clashes but, according to unofficial estimates the death toll could be higher. Some victims bore bullet injuries while others were either beaten or stabbed to death.

Despite serious tension in the area and villagers opposition against state government’s industrial project, Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee reportedly said there would be no slowing down efforts to put industrialization on fast track.

While West Bengal Transport Minister Subhas Chakraborty claimed on January 8 that nine out of the eleven persons killed in the violence at Nandigram were CPI-M workers and blamed the opposition Trinamool Congress and Congress for inciting the villagers by misleading them over the issue of land acquisition, MASUM’s fact-finding team collected vital information and a different version of the story from the villagers, whom they interviewed on January 7. The fact-finding team met victims at Nandigram Block Primary Health Centre, medicos, police officials, eye witnesses, government officials, political party leaders and panchayat members.

According to MASUM’s fact-finding report, they received information from the eyewitnesses that at least 7 villagers were killed by gunfire starting from midnight and continuing until the morning of January 7. The identities of those killed, as alleged by the people but not yet verified are: Bharat Mondal, Biswajit Maity, Anukul Patra, Sankar Samanta, Sheikh Salim, Saud Ali, Kanai Bar, Sheikh Jahangir and Sujit Das.

As mentioned earlier, the fact-finding team also collected a different version of the incident from the people than that of the state government.

According to the villagers, during a joint meeting in the evening of 6 January 2007, local Trinamool Congress leaders informed the Superintendent of Police of East Midnapore district, Mr. Ashoke Datta and the Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) of Midnapore range, N. Rameshbabu of a possible attack organized and conspired by the private paramilitary group of the ruling CPI-M. The leaders also informed the two police officers that this paramilitary group would come through the bridge between Khejuri and Sonachuri as CPI-M workers camped there, allegedly to mobilize the miscreants from outside to attack the villagers in order to establish an SEZ at Nandigram. However, the said police officers failed to take this matter seriously.

Also several eye witnesses allegedly told the fact-finding team that at the time of incident, the bridge between Khejuri and Sonachuri was guarded by the police and they made way for the miscreants, led by the CPI-M, to organize the attacks on the villagers. The villagers further alleged that the entire operation of killing villagers was organized by the Member of Parliament from the Haldia Constituency, Mr. Lakshman Seth who was camping at Khejuri on 6 January 2007 and left before the attack began. It is also alleged that the police remained mute spectators, not marching into the strife torn villagers despite the violence.

The fact-finding team also met injured victims and their relatives at the Nandigram Primary Health Centre (PHC). They are Mr. Nokul Mondal (Photo 1) of Gangra village and Mr. Nishikanta Burman (Photo 2) of 7 no. Jalpai, who received bullet injuries at abdomen and chest respectively. Among those killed was a 14-year-old boy named Biswajit Maity, who was brought dead to the NAndigram PHC by a cycle rickshaw van (Photo 3).

The police have confirmed with the fact-finding team that six deaths occurred but no case for murder was initiated till 5:00pm on 7 January 2007. The duty officers of Nandigram police station told the fact-finding team that case number 5/07 dated 7.01.2007 under section of 147/148/149 of Indian Penal Code, has been started suo moto. The dead bodies found were sent for post mortem examination but, strangely, no unnatural death cases were registered and there was no report of conducting inquest of dead bodies until 5:00pm on 7 January 2007. There has also been an allegation that illegal procedures have been adopted to destroy evidence and come up with a new story from the side of the government administration.

The fact-finding team further reported that the administration has completely broken down in the area. The team observed that there was no administrative presence and that the police failed to uphold the law; the entire area has been left open for misadventure. The team also reported that arms and ammunition are supplied in the area without restraint. The team also received a report from the local people that the police, the Rapid Action force (RAF) and men organized by the ruling CPI-M have been terrorizing the villagers.

Based on the information, the fact-finding team lodged a complaint with the District Magistrate of East Midnapore, Anil Agarwal, I.A.S., who was present at Nandigram police station, at about 4:00pm on 7 January 2007 but he did not acknowledge the receipt of the complaint.

Most of the roads leading to Nandigram and Dinabandhupur area were blocked by villagers who are apprehensive that their plots are about to be acquired for the SEZ.  They have dug up pathways, and damaged culverts in order to prevent the police and the armed forces of ruling parties from entering. No outsiders were allowed to enter Nandigram, Dinabdhupur and Sonachura. Therefore it was not possible to verify all the complaints and allegations collected by the fact-finding team.

Meanwhile, on January 8, the state-wide strike was called by the opposition parties in protest against the violence in Nandigram, with 350 arrested for trying to enforce the shutdown. Senior Congress leader and former city Mayor Subrata Mukherjee, was arrested in the Gariahat area in south Kolkata while leading a procession in support of the strike.

On January 9, the police began moving into villages to set up camps at four places – Hazra Kata, Tekhali Bazar, Basulichak and Bhangabera bridge. There have also been reports of farmers carrying out attacks on local CPI-M offices in the area, forcing them to flee elsewhere.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION:

Since 3 January 2007, Nandigram has witnessed protests by local farmers after they came to know about a notification issued by authorities at the neighbouring Haldia port identifying their lands as sites to be acquired for the new chemical production project. This notification has since been withdrawn by the West Bengal government which has stated it would “exercise caution” while going ahead with the project.

The project reportedly requires at least 4,000 hectares of land for setting up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) which would be jointly developed as a chemical hub by the state-owned Industrial Development Corporation and the Indonesia-based Salem group of companies. Another SEZ promoted by the same group is also reportedly planned in the Haldia area.

The protests at Nandigram followed unrest in Singur (West Bengal) in December 2006, when opposition parties and a number of farmers threatened with displacement by a state government move to acquire farm land for a Tata Motors’ automobile manufacturing project prompted demonstrations.

However, Singur’s 997-acre acquisition was nothing compared with what the government plans at Haldia. The area involved here is 14,500 acres and the plans are the establishing of an SEZ including a mega chemicals and petrochemicals hub, and a shipyard.

The West Bengal state government plans to set up at least six other major industrial projects, including SEZs, in the state, necessitating the acquisition of at least 10,000 hectares of land. In a bid to boost national economic growth, India has been promoting SEZs across the country. The policy of acquiring land for such industrial projects has sparked protests from local communities fearing land displacement and threats to their sustainable livelihood.

To learn more about the matter relating to Singur, please refer to our previous appeals:

UA-393-2006: INDIA: Police violently assaulted peaceful peasants in West Bengal
UP-224-2006: INDIA: Journalists and protesters criticizing the brutal attack on Singur village protesters are severely injured by the police
UP-231-2006: INDIA: Alleged rape and killing of a girl increase tensions in Singur

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