KOLKATA: Ten years after police firing on unarmed men in Nandigram protesting a proposed chemical hub claimed 14 lives, politics came a full circle for West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on January 17, when police allegedly killed Mofijul Khan and Alam Mollah during a protest against a proposed power grid at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district of Bengal.
Like the Left Front, the TMC government too smelt a ‘Maoist-influence’ in the protests and issued orders to nab any outsider attempting to create trouble but not ‘touch’ any local. The administration promised to stop the project, even though it is nearing its end. The Bhangar firing came as an embarrassment for the state government as it had promised to return land to people in Singur.
Though police claimed it had not fired, uniforms of West Bengal Police and Rapid Action Force were found in the area.
The Bhangar protests started four years ago when 42 bighas were acquired by TMC strongman Arabul Islam for the power grid. Though locals protested then, the ferocity increased after the formation of Jomi, Jibika, Poribesh o Bastutantra Surakhya Committee (committee for protection of land, livelihood, environment and ecology), a frontal group of Naxalite CPI(ML) Red Star.
While West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee president and Baharampur MP Adhir Ranjan Choudhury called the movement the ‘beginning of the end of Mamata politics’, CPM’s Sitaram Yechury said Bhangar would show direction to another ‘paribortan’ (change).