By IANS,
Kolkata : Nandigram in West Bengal continued to witness clashes ahead of the local body polls as an activist of the ruling Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) was Monday shot at during a scuffle with a group protesting land acquisition.
East Midnapore district police superintendent Satyashankar Panda told IANS: “CPI-M supporters had taken out a rally Monday afternoon to campaign for the state panchayat polls starting May 11. Suddenly, some members of the Bhumi Uchched Pratirodh Committee attacked them. In the clash CPI-M activist Sheikh Javed was hit by a bullet. He has been admitted at the nearby Kamardaha Hospital.”
On the other hand, eight police camps were withdrawn from Blocks I and II of Nandigram Monday evening.
“The personnel from these camps will be deployed for the panchayat polls across the state. But we have not withdrawn police pickets from the five tension-prone zones, namely Bhangabera, Jelingham, Maheshpur, Garchakraberia and Daudpur,” said Panda.
The total number of voters at the two blocks in Nandigram is about 1,76,000.
The panchayat elections in West Bengal will be held on May 11, 14 and 18. Counting would be taken up on May 21.
Nandigram witnessed frequent eruptions of large-scale violence last year as ruling party cadres clashed with the group opposing farmland acquisition for industry.