Tension grips Nandigram over school committee poll
Indo-Asian News Service
By IANS
Kolkata : Fresh tension gripped West Bengal’s Nandigram Saturday morning after activists of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) and its rival the Bhumi Uchched Pratirodh Committee (BUPC) clashed over a school committee election.
The incident took place a day after all the opposition political parties, including Trinamool Congress, Congress and Socialist Unity Centre of India (SUCI), observed the first anniversary of the March 14 police firing that left 14 people dead and over 100 injured a year ago.
There was a minor clash between BUPC and CPI-M members near Hazrakata area in Nandigram. Two people were injured and taken to Nandigram hospital.
The incident was caused over the Rajaramchak school committee election in Nandigram that is supposed to be held March 31. The CPI-M local leadership called a meeting to chalk out an election plan for the upcoming poll.
“After the meeting when the CPI-M members were returning home, they were reportedly attacked by a few BUPC activists on the way,” police said.
“Police have reached the spot and controlled the situation. We have also deployed adequate force there and set up police pickets in the area,” East Midnapore Superintendent of Police S.S. Panda told IANS.
Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee along with social activist Medha Patkar Friday visited Adhikaripara there to pay homage to all the 14 “land warriors” who were killed in the March 14 carnage last year.