Nandigram:
Horror Stories Emerge
Fact finding report of
the delegation deputed by the Calcutta High Court
23 March, 2007
Countercurrents.org
Report of the team who went to Nandigram in the district of Purba
Medinipore in terms of the order of the Hon’ble High Court dated
15.03.2007 passed by the Hon’ble Division Bench comprised of Mr.
S.S. Nijjar, Chief Justice and the Hon’ble Justice Pinaki Chandra
Ghosh in a writ petition filed by the Association for Protection of
Democratic Rights and Paschim Banga Khet Majdoor Samity.
1. That soon after getting
a plain copy of the order of the Hon’ble High Court a team consisting
of the following persons proceeded towards Nandigram from the High Court.
i) Sri Amit Dyuti Kumar,
representing the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights;
ii) Sri Prasad Roychowdhury,
Secretary, Association for Protection of Democratic Rights;
iii) Dr. (Mrs.) Subabrata
Bhadra, Association for Protection of Democratic Rights;
iv) Sri Raghu, Association
for Protection of Democratic Rights;
v) Smt. Anurada Talwar, representing
Paschim Banga Kheth Majdoor Samity;
vi) Sri Jeeban, - do –
vii) Ms. Panchali Roy - do
–
viii) Sri Sandeep -do-
ix) Sri Chiro -do-
x) Sri Pramod -do-
xi) Sri Gangyly,
xii) Sri Sadhan Roychowdhury,
representing Manabidhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM);
12. Sri Subrata Roy, representing
Manabidhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM);
13. Sri Arjun Das , representing
MASUM
xv) Bibek Tripathy, Advocate,
High Court , Calcutta
2) At about 8 PM on 15.03.2007
a team went to the office of the District Magistrate, Purba Medinipore
where Mr. Anup Agarwal, District Magistrate, Purba Medinipore was present.
The team expressed their strong will and desire to go to Nandigram and
sought for security escort or necessary police protection to enable
the team to proceed for Nandigram immediately.
3) The District Magistrate,
Purba Medinipore, however, flatly refused to entertain any such request
for rendering police protection to the team on various counts or grounds
saying that the District Magistrate, Purba Medinipore is not a party
in the writ petition and that the said District Magistrate, Purba Medinipore
has no legal or moral obligation to entertain any of the requests on
the subject. Then the District Magistrate, Purba Medinipore advised
the members of the team not to go to Nandigram on the ground that seeing
the members of the team the people of Nandigram may be charged thereby
there will be apprehension of breach of law and order.
4) All persuasions made by
the team for allowing the members of the team to go to Nandigram failed.
5) At about 8.30 PM the team
went to the office of the Superintendent of Police, Purba Medinipore
but in the said office of the Superintendent of Police, Purba Medinipore
no one was present. The night guard also could not provide the team
with any information as to where the Superintendent of Police, Purba
Medinipore will be available or telephone number either of the office
or residence of the Superintendent of Police, Purba Medinipore. Mrs.
Anurada Talwar from her own sources after making several calls could
get mobile phone number of the Superintendent of Police, Purba Medinipore
and tried for several occasions to talk to the said Superintendent of
Police, Purba Medinipore but the said Superintendent of Police, Purba
Medinipore did not pick up the telephone on any occasion.
6) Then the team proceeded
for Tamluk Sub-Divisional Hospital. The team could get the following
informations from the hospital -
i) All together 36 persons
both male and female were admitted with bullet injuries, head injuries
and different types of other severe injuries. Four police personnel
were also admitted in the hospital but in the said hospital record there
is no mention as to the nature of injury allegedly suffered by such
police personnel. From records it could be ascertained that few patients
have been referred to the PG hospital and 4 police personnel have been
referred to Nilratan Sarkar Medical College and Hospital. The members
of the team then were allowed by the hospital authorities to talk to
the patients and a few numbers od the tem entered into the ward where
the victims of the incident narrated the entire episode as to how and
in what manner such persons were subjected to indiscriminate, reckless
firing committed by both police personnel and the goons of the rulling
political party.
ii) Then the team could ascertain
that several bodies have been brought dead in the hospital and such
bodies have been kept in the morgue. Some bodies have been claimed by
the relatives but there were still some bodies which were not claimed
by the members of family of the deceased victims. In the Sub-Divisional
hospital the team could find that a CBI team headed by Sri B.B. Misra,
Joint Director of CBI, already arrived there to conduct investigation
in terms of the order of the Hon’ble High Court. Then the team
at about 00.30 AM left the Tamluk Sub-Divisional Hospital and then stayed
at Tamluk at night. In the morning on 16.03.2007 the team preceded for
Chandipur Police Station.At about 8.00 AM the team could reach the Chandipur
Police Station where the team could meet Mr. Kalyan Banerjee, Additional
Superintendent of Police in Charge, Purba Medinipore. The said Additional
Superintendent of Police in Charge in a diplomatic way told the team
that being a police official the said Additional Superintendent of Police
in Charge should not say that the team should not go to Nandigram in
violation to the Constitutional guarantee but the said Additional Superintendent
of Police in Charge advised the team not to go to Nandigram in the same
and similar tune and version of the District Magistrate, Purba Medinipore.
The said Additional Superintendent of Police did not receive the copy
of the order of the Hon”ble High Court on the alleged ground that
the said Additional Superintendent of Police is not a party to the writ
petition. The team told the Additional Superintendent of Police that
the team will convey the decision of the team after sometimes and accordingly
after about 45 minutes the team intimated the said Additional Superintendent
of Police in Charge that the team has taken a decision to go to Nandigram.
After communicating the decision of the team to go for Nandigram at
about 10 AM the team started for Nandigram and could reach at Nandigram
Hospital at about 10.45 AM.
iii) In the hospital at Nandigram
which is a Primary Health Centre the team could ascertain that all together
69 persons (male, female and children) have been admitted in the said
hospital. Several cases of bullet injuries and various other injuries
due to blasting of tear gas shell and hand made bombs have been recorded
in the record. A few cases of rape by the police personnel and other
persons have also been reported by the victims to the hospital.
iv) The team could find that
the hospital do not have any facility for rendering treatment to the
victims. The members of the victim family were waiting outside the hospital
are all trauma stricken. A deep sense of frustration was prevailing
in the entire hospital compound at Nandigram. The patients have not
been provided with food and minimum medicines which they require. There
is no ambulance in the hospital and one ambulance provided by some NGO
is not functioning properly. The Block Medical Officer of Health admitted
that thre is an acute problem for transportation of the victims to Tamluk
due to shortage of ambuance and vehicles.
7) At about 2.30 PM the team
proceeded for Sonachura which place is situated at about 20 Kms. from
Nandigram Hospital. On their way to Sonachura the team could find thousands
of persons were sitting on the road or assembling jointly in some areas.Upon
seeing the team reaching the area all the villagers started narrating
their story as to how and in what manner the poor villagers have been
subjected to torture by the police and the murderers of the ruling political
party. The nature of allegations made by the villagers is as follows:
i) On 14.03.2007 the villagers
assembled near Bhangabera which is a bridge connecting Nandigram and
Khejuri. At Bhangabera. the villagers of both the communities were offering
prayers to God and the gathering for offering prayers to the God were
comprising of women and children mostly. All on a sudden the police
personnel without any notice to the villagers proceeded towards the
the villagers offering prayers and without any notice started indiscriminate
firing of rubber bullets, killing bullets and tear gas. Several persons
were killed at the spot by such indiscriminate police firing. Just after
opening of the fire of the police upon the gathering the villagers were
trying to escape to a secured place and such villagers were surrounded
by the murderers of the local political party who were also in uniform
but sandle in their feet and fully armed with local made arms and ammunitions.
Children were murdered indiscriminately; bodies have been thrown to
nearby Chuniburi river. The children of Primary Schools at least 8 in
numbers have been killed by the murderers and then all those children
were buried in a particular place near Bhangabera area.
The police and hooligans
then ransacked the huts of the villagers, indiscriminately fired the
residential huts of the villagers and captured upto the village Sonachura
and the adjoining villages. The team could find that a good number of
persons who have received various kinds of injuries including bullet
injuries not less than 100 in numbers, receiving such bullet injuries
are in their respective huts in their village. Such persons could not
dare to go to hospital because of threats perpetrated by police and
the murderers of the political party. A good number of women have complained
that they have been raped, sexually abused and molested by police personnel
and the murderers of the political party. The team could ascertain a
good number of persons not less than 60 in numbers still remain untraced.
The exact figure as to the particulars of the untraced persons could
not be ascertained because villagers of some villages could not return
to their home so as to ascertain as to how many members of persons are
remaining untraced. The team could ascertain that the CBI team reached
Bangabhera for the purpose of investigation. The team could not ascertain
the exact numbers of victims of killing, rape, injured and untraced.
ii) The team returned to
Nandigram Hospital at about 8.00 PM to start for Kolkata.
This brief report is supported by the statements made by the victims
recorded by the members of the team personally and also the video clippings
and footage.
8) Observation of the team
from the trend of statements made by the victims of the incident and
the villagers in general.
i) The people of Nandigram
have been subjected to torture by the police and the political hooligans
in a concerted way;
ii) The villagers, the police
have started operation at the first instance for mass killing and the
job has been completed by the murderers of the political parties. The
peaceful movement of the people of Nandigram to oppose acquisition of
land and/or for establishing Special Economic Zone by the State Government
under the approved scheme of the Central Government has been sought
to be broken and/or demolished by the ruling political party in aid
and abatement of the police and the local administration.
iii) A good number of persons
have been killed in the action. The exact number of the dead persons,
untraced persons, victims of rape and the persons who have been severely
injured could not yet been finalized because the villagers of Adhikari
Para, Sonachura and the adjoining villages could not return to their
respective huts as yet.
iv) The administration have
shown their total callousness in securing minimum force for providing
medical assistance and for building up confidence upon the people of
Nandigram.
vi) The indefinite attitude
of the District Magistrate, Purba Medinipore, Superintendent of Police,
Purba Medinipore and the other functionaries of the Purba Medinipore
administration clearly suggest that those officials have had their definite
knowledge and participation in the whole operation of causing indiscriminate
firing upon the people of Nandigram.
vii) There is no presence
of administration at Nandigram either through the District Magistrate,
Purba Medinipore, Superintendent of Police, Purba Medinipore or the
other administrative persons.
viii) The dignatories indicated
in the order of the Hon’ble High Court to the best of the information
received by the team include Mr. Lakhman Seth, the Member of Parliament
who is personally responsible for the incident of this mass killing.
Informations have collected by the team to the effect that Lakhman Seth
deployed professional murderers to commit murders of the villagers at
Nandigram and that police started the operation but the rest of the
operation has been conducted by the professional murderers engaged and
deputed by Lakhman Seth, M.P. and the functionaries of Haldia Development
authority and the local CPIM murderers at Haldia.
ix) CBI team conducting investigation
may not be successful in unearthing each and every incident of murder,
kidnapping, rape and other various kinds of offences in its meticulous
details because that CBI team do not have sufficient and adequate expert
officials of the CBI and the team constituted by CBI is a skeleton team
and is too inadequate to conduct investigation over the incident at
Nandigram occurred on 14.03.2007.
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