KOLKATA: A lower court on Tuesday remanded three accused, including CPM strongman Lakshman Seth, in the 2007 Nandigram violence in CID custody till March 23. The Haldia court remanded Seth, Amiya Sahu and Ashok Guria in three-day CID custody, though the investigative agency had sought a 10-day custody.
The CID had argued that the three accused were the ‘main conspirators’ of the Nandigram incidents and further interrogation of the trio could provide further leads in the case. In November 2007, six villagers were killed and seven others went missing after armed clashes took place in Nandigram in East Midnapore district.
In spite of the embarrassment to the party as other important leaders were behind bars, the CPM continued to term such arrests ‘political conspiracy’ of the ruling TMC government.
“Law will take its own course and we will provide all the necessary legal support...But this is once again an instance of political conspiracy,” said Leader of Opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra.
The party, however, faced criticism from within as party chief whip and known dissenter Abdul Rezzak Mollah questioned how leaders such as Seth had joined the CPM. “I don’t know how these leaders like Lakshman Seth have entered a Communist party. Leaders like them should have never been inducted in the party. They don’t deserve to be a member of a Communist party,” said CPM State Committee member Mollah.
Seth, a former MP from Tamluk, and his close aides and district committee leaders, Sahu and Guria, were arrested from a guesthouse in Mumbai on March 17.