KOLKATA: By brokering a peace deal with the Jomi Jibika Poribesh o Bastutantra Raksha Samiti, the West Bengal government scored a strategic win by not only ending a two-year agitation at Bhangar but also denying the Opposition a chance to attack the Trinamool Congress in 2019.
It is another story that Bhangar agitators are claiming victory after the government truncated the power grid there to a sub-station, reduced transmission wires from 16 to four and announced a `12 crore package to land losers and families of two protestors killed in the police firing in January last year.
The Trinamool is relieved that the agitation ended peacefully. “With BJP president Amit Shah frequenting the state and attacking Didi, and CPI-M and Congress unifying in 2017 over the Bhangar agitation, ending this stir was very important to deny the Opposition an attacking point,” a TMC leader says.
Preparations for the peace deal began before the panchayat elections in May. While CM Mamata Banerjee signaled peace by ordering arrest of TMC strongman Arabul Islam before polls, victory of five of the nine agitation committee candidates in Polerait II gram panchayat polls gave an official seal to the agitators’ strength.
The government gained the upper hand after it arrested the agitation’s face Alik Chakraborty in May. Medical treatment and bail of the agitation leader paved way for the peace deal. “We tracked the movements of a doctor visiting Chakraborty at his hideout. Before he was being taken to Bhubaneswar, we got to know that he had a new phone and tracked it which led to his arrest,” a senior police officer said.
Agitators were brought to the negotiating table after Chakraborty was allowed to meet agitation leaders Mirza Hassan, Ali Mohammad, Sajarul Islam and Mosharraf Hossain. Pressure was also created on them to broker a peace deal or else Chakraborty would be prosecuted. Some 70 cases, including those under the UAPA, had been pressed against him.
“This is Bhangar agitation’s victory. Due to our agitation, the government has scaled down the power grid to a sub-station. We also succeeded to ensure a `12 crore package,” Hassan says. Back at Bhangar, not all the agitators are happy with the peace deal. “Everyone has to agree what the committee has decided,” says Mostakin Mollah, brother of Alamgir Mollah who was killed in the police firing in 2017, after receiving `8 lakh from the government. “Will one feel good if someone gives `10 after slapping someone?” Siddique Mollah of Machibhanga asks.
Alik’s arrest put Mamata ahead
The government gained the upper hand after it arrested the agitation’s face Alik Chakraborty in May. Medical treatment and bail of the agitation leader paved way for the peace deal. The police arrested him just before he was being taken to Odisha.