Calcutta HC dismisses WB govt petitions on Nandigram

Kolkata, Nov 16 : The Calcutta High Court today dismissed all petitions filed by the Buddhadeb Bhattacharya Government in West Bengal in connection with the Nandigram violence on March 14.

The High Court asked the State Government to give compensation of five hundred thousand rupees to the families of those who were killed, two hundred thousand rupees to women who were raped or molested, and one hundred thousand rupees to those who were injured.

The court also rejected the plea of Advocate General Balai Roy, and directed the government to continue the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) inquiry into the matter.

Terming the March 14 killing in Nandigram as "totally unconstitutional", the high court stated that the incident could have been avoided had the police exercised self-restraint.

On November 15, the Bharatiya Janata Party said that it will move an Adjournment Motion over the issue in the Lok Sabha on Monday, and has cited the discussion of the 2002 Gujarat riots in the Parliament as an example of a 'State issue' being debated in the Parliament.

"Why can't Nandigram be discussed when Gujarat has been discussed several times, " party leader V K Malhotra had said.

Yesterday, intellectuals and eminent personalities led a march in Kolkata to protest the violence in Nandigram over acquisition of farmland for an industrial hub.

A six-member National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) team visited Nandigram to study the situation and suggest remedial measures.

Earlier, the NHRC issued a notice to the West Bengal Government directing it to submit a factual report on the conditions prevailing in Nandigram within 10 days.

The West Bengal Government had planned to set up a Special Economic Zone

(SEZ) for chemical industries in Nandigram, but had to abort the project as villagers refused to give their farmland for the project.

The row saw violent clashes between residents opposed to the project and the communist supporters as well as police.

At least six villagers were killed and dozens injured in Nandigram last week in clashes between rival groups led by Communists and a frontal organisation backed by Trinamool Congress party. (ANI)