By IANS
Kolkata : The West Bengal government Wednesday said paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) will remain deployed in restive Nandigram in West Bengal, where violence over the proposed land acquisition for a special economic zone (SEZ) has claimed 35 lives since January last year.
“We don’t want the CRPF to be withdrawn from Nandigram. As of now, the CRPF is there and it would be there in future also,” said Prasad Ranjan Roy, state home secretary.
The CRPF was deployed in Nandigram Nov 12 at the state government’s request in the wake of spiralling violence in the area.
He said it was not possible to comment on whether the stay of the paramilitary troopers would be extended. But the state government has taken the decision that the CPRF would remain in the area for sometime, Roy told reporters after a high-level meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee at state secretariat.
“The state government cannot take such a decision unilaterally. It has to consult with the centre before taking any such step,” Roy said, adding the deployment of the central force in Nandigram has helped in controlling the situation there.
Nadigram, located about 150 km from Kolkata in East Midnapore district, flared up in January over proposed land acquisition for SEZ, including a chemical hub in collaboration with Indonesia’s Salim group. The state government later scrapped the plan in the face of stiff resistance.
Thirty-five people have died officially in Nandigram violence since January with fresh bout of violence unleashed in November after the CPI-M cadres allegedly recaptured their lost bases in the area by launching a massive onslaught on the rival anti-land acquisition BUPC.