LF lodges complaint with CM against police atrocities
Statesman News Service
MALDA, 21 JAN: Five persons sustained bullet injuries when police opened fire to quell a mob at Harishchandrapur block II in Malda in the early hours today.
Three of the injured were admitted in Malda district hospital and the condition of one Sariful Islam is critical. A bullet struck him in the small of the back. The villagers also injured the SDPO, Harishchandrapur Mr NN Bhutia in an attack. Mr Bhutia was admitted to the Malda district hospital and had to under go a CT scan.
The SP, Malda Mr Bhuban Mandal, said that police had to fire six rounds in self-defence. Ten police personnel were injured in the mob attack.
Protesting against the police firing agitators backed by the CPI-M led Left Front attacked the Harishchandrapur police station in the afternoon while the Malda SP Mr Bhuban Mandal and civil administration officials were holding a meeting with the LF leaders in the police station to control the situation at Mashaldah.
The police had to lathicharge to disperse the mob. The Left leadership expressed frustration with the police for firing at the villagers who, according to them, were organising a movement in favour of pisciculture in the wetlands that are being usurped for illegal cultivation of hazelnut. Following a suggestion from the police, the civil administration has decided to impose Section 144 Cr PC on the Mashaldah wetland to control the situation.
Trouble broke out last night following a police raid to stop a conflict between the residents of two villages Talgachhi and Kamalbari on the right of Hazelnut cultivation in a wetland under Mashalda in Harishchandrapur police station.
Rejecting the police allegation, the critically injured Sariful Islam’s mother Mrs Taslima Bibi today said: “The policemen who raided our village last night were in an inebriated condition. They deliberately fired at he residents”.
Frequent rows over the right to water bodies for hazelnut cultivation were causing concern in the administration since last year. It is learnt that wetlands leased out for fishery development to local co-operatives and fishermen were being illegally sublet to traders for hazelnut cultivation ignoring the cooperative members.
The wetland in question had been leased out to the Bhaluka Fisheries Cooperative Society in Harrishchandrapur II. Being a member of the society on Mr Basir Ahmed, brother of the Congress led Harishchandrapur –II panchayat samiti sabhapati Mr Kashem had allegedly started hazelnut cultivation in the wetland.
In October 2009 the SDO Chanchal Mr Subho Mukherjee had to hold meeting on the issue and urged the political leaders not to cultivate hazelnut in the wetlands belonging to the cooperative societies.
It is learnt that a section of businessmen has grabbed some government wetlands in Harishchandrapur for hazelnut cultivation depriving the common people who used those wetlands for multiple purposes. The growing resentment developed into a clash last night. (END)
LF lodges complaint with CM against police atrocities
MALDA, 22 JAN: The CPI-M backed LF leaders in Harishchandrapur today lodged a complaint with the chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in protest against police atrocities over common people here.
The decision was taken against police firing at Kamlabari village in Harishchandrapur block II and the incident when police lathi-charged on villagers in front of the police station yesterday where five persons were critically injured.
Trouble broke out since Wednesday night following a police raid to stop conflict between villagers mostly fishermen and hazelnut cultivators who work on the local wetlands. The CPI-M district leadership asked the party members to fax a complaint to the chief minister and other top officials including the state home department, district magistrate and the superintendent of police.
A CPI-M district committee member, Mr Jamil Firdous, who is also a former Malda Zilla Parishad officer bearer, alleged that the additional SP Mr Kalyan Mukherjee, even slapped and abused him on the day of the incident.
Yesterday’s meeting between the LF political leaders and Malda SP concluded when the leaders demanded an apology from Mr Mukherjee.
Fresh trouble again broke out when Mr Mukherjee refused to apologise. Police had to lathi-charge and lobbed teargas in front of the police station as a section of villagers wee hurling crude bombs. The Malda SP, Mr Bhuban Mandal said that he had informed the agitators that he additional SP would apologise but the leaders demanded for a public apology, where they were staging their agitation.
According to him 16 persons were arrested yesterday and were taken to court.
“Political leaders do not know law but always try to take an upper hand in every such agitation. The situation is now under control” Mr Mandal said.
Though the CPI-M and LF leaders planned to stage another demonstration in front of the police station on 24 January, the Mala SP requested them to postpone their plans till after 26 January, keeping a minimum distance of at least 1.5 km from the police station.
More than seven acres of wetland (called Kati-danra Mangura Bil) was leased out for fishery development to the local co-operative and a section of members belonging to the Congress again sublet the wetlands to hazelnut traders illegally, ignoring other members.
A section of people are interested to cultivate hazelnuts as it is a profitable business because many traders from Kolkata and outside the state come to buy hazelnuts for export or manufacture fast food and baby food.
Recently hazelnut has been polarized for high protein without fat and cholesterol. A trader investing Rs 3000 per bigha wetland can earn Rs 8,000 to 10,000 as net profit in the current market. SNS
LF lodges complaint with CM against police atrocities
MALDA, 22 JAN: The CPI-M backed LF leaders in Harishchandrapur today lodged a complaint with the chief minister Mr Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in protest against police atrocities over common people here.
The decision was taken against police firing at Kamlabari village in Harishchandrapur block II and the incident when police lathi-charged on villagers in front of the police station yesterday where five persons were critically injured.
Trouble broke out since Wednesday night following a police raid to stop conflict between villagers mostly fishermen and hazelnut cultivators who work on the local wetlands. The CPI-M district leadership asked the party members to fax a complaint to the chief minister and other top officials including the state home department, district magistrate and the superintendent of police.
A CPI-M district committee member, Mr Jamil Firdous, who is also a former Malda Zilla Parishad officer bearer, alleged that the additional SP Mr Kalyan Mukherjee, even slapped and abused him on the day of the incident.
Yesterday’s meeting between the LF political leaders and Malda SP concluded when the leaders demanded an apology from Mr Mukherjee.
Fresh trouble again broke out when Mr Mukherjee refused to apologise. Police had to lathi-charge and lobbed teargas in front of the police station as a section of villagers wee hurling crude bombs. The Malda SP, Mr Bhuban Mandal said that he had informed the agitators that he additional SP would apologise but the leaders demanded for a public apology, where they were staging their agitation.
According to him 16 persons were arrested yesterday and were taken to court.
“Political leaders do not know law but always try to take an upper hand in every such agitation. The situation is now under control” Mr Mandal said.
Though the CPI-M and LF leaders planned to stage another demonstration in front of the police station on 24 January, the Mala SP requested them to postpone their plans till after 26 January, keeping a minimum distance of at least 1.5 km from the police station.
More than seven acres of wetland (called Kati-danra Mangura Bil) was leased out for fishery development to the local co-operative and a section of members belonging to the Congress again sublet the wetlands to hazelnut traders illegally, ignoring other members.
A section of people are interested to cultivate hazelnuts as it is a profitable business because many traders from Kolkata and outside the state come to buy hazelnuts for export or manufacture fast food and baby food.
Recently hazelnut has been polarized for high protein without fat and cholesterol. A trader investing Rs 3000 per bigha wetland can earn Rs 8,000 to 10,000 as net profit in the current market. SNS
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