Police came a day after multiple road blocks in Bhangar were lifted after the Trinamool's said so.
Bhangar, West Bengal:
For the first time since January 17, when violence at Bhangar in West Bengal killed two people and forced police to flee in the face of public wrath, a massive police contingent marched into the area with helmets, jackets, lathis and teargas.
"A war zone," is what CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty called it. "Police were there to smash peasants' protest at Bhangar." State's police chief SK Purakayasta disagreed. "The government won't do anything the people of Bhangar don't want. They were misled. Now normalcy is returning," said Mr Purakayasta.
Why the muscle flexing? Does the state see a Maoist threat? Yesterday, a village road was dug up, exactly like at Nandigram in 2007, where Maoists had operated freely.
Today, a member of the ultra-left CPI(ML) Red Star, Sharmishtha Chakrabarty, was arrested.
Sabyasachi Dutta, Trinamool MLA who held a peace march yesterday, says, "Some people who don't like our government and our development were creating trouble."
Police came a day after multiple road blocks in the area were lifted after the Trinamool's said so. "Mukul Roy said the government has decided, no power grid. So please clear the roads," said Trinamool worker Sheikh Mustafa.
Some locals welcomed the removal of roadblocks and arrival of the police, but not all. Golam Mustafa of Machibhanga village said, "Trinamool people cleared the roads but we wanted the government to meet our demands before removing them."
Villagers want written assurance about the power grid shutdown, release of all villagers arrest and compensation to the families of the two men killed.
One victim's father, however, does not want the government's compensation.
Sukur Ali Khan, father of Mafizul Alam shot dead on 17 January, went to the Calcutta High Court today to demand a CBI probe.
"The chief minister cannot shut me up by giving me two lakh rupees. Let the court decide. Also, the police say they did not open fire. Then who killed my son," he said.
Questions like these will haunt Bhangar for some time.
"A war zone," is what CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty called it. "Police were there to smash peasants' protest at Bhangar." State's police chief SK Purakayasta disagreed. "The government won't do anything the people of Bhangar don't want. They were misled. Now normalcy is returning," said Mr Purakayasta.
Why the muscle flexing? Does the state see a Maoist threat? Yesterday, a village road was dug up, exactly like at Nandigram in 2007, where Maoists had operated freely.
Today, a member of the ultra-left CPI(ML) Red Star, Sharmishtha Chakrabarty, was arrested.
Sabyasachi Dutta, Trinamool MLA who held a peace march yesterday, says, "Some people who don't like our government and our development were creating trouble."
Police came a day after multiple road blocks in the area were lifted after the Trinamool's said so. "Mukul Roy said the government has decided, no power grid. So please clear the roads," said Trinamool worker Sheikh Mustafa.
Some locals welcomed the removal of roadblocks and arrival of the police, but not all. Golam Mustafa of Machibhanga village said, "Trinamool people cleared the roads but we wanted the government to meet our demands before removing them."
Villagers want written assurance about the power grid shutdown, release of all villagers arrest and compensation to the families of the two men killed.
One victim's father, however, does not want the government's compensation.
Sukur Ali Khan, father of Mafizul Alam shot dead on 17 January, went to the Calcutta High Court today to demand a CBI probe.
"The chief minister cannot shut me up by giving me two lakh rupees. Let the court decide. Also, the police say they did not open fire. Then who killed my son," he said.
Questions like these will haunt Bhangar for some time.
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