By IANS
Kolkata : Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee Monday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the alleged firing on her convoy in Nandigram Sunday.
Reacting angrily to the comments of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leaders that she was faking a firing on her car, Banerjee said: “Let the CBI probe the matter to find out the truth. There was firing from a house on us and the bullet was of .303, which is used by the cops.”
“The CPI-M is saying that the cartridge case would not be found on the spot where the bullet hit but if you go there you would find thousands of cartridge cases strewn, perhaps. It is not for us to prove that,” she fumed.
In a press conference, CPI-M state secretary Biman Bose said Banerjee’s allegation was baseless and “utter lie.”
Banerjee’s convoy allegedly came under fire at Gokulnagar in trouble-torn Nandigram area around 4 p.m. Sunday.
“Since the bullets belong to the cops, the question is who fired at us? Was it the police then or the CPI-M men who are armed by the policemen?” asked Banerjee.
Fresh violence erupted and five people were killed in Nandigram area since Saturday as activists of the CPI-M and the Bhumi Uchched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC), a group which was formed to oppose land acquisition for industrial projects, clashed again in a turf war in the area.
Although the government scrapped a proposed industrial complex in Nandigram following villagers’ stiff opposition to the takeover of their land, the area continues to witness sporadic violence in the run-up to panchayat (local executive) election next year.