Stating that the issue that led to unrest in Bhangar was not land acquisition but spreading of misinformation among villagers, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said: "The project to set up power grid substation will be implemented only if local people want it. Nothing will be done against their will."
While giving a reply after discussions of the Governor's speech, Banerjee took a dig at the Opposition saying that the latter had sent people to Bhangar. "Firearms were stockpiled.
You all must know that the acquisition of land had taken place in 2012-13 and there was no problem with the acquisition as it was done after proper negotiation. Most probably only 11 people had not taken the compensation and apart from that, there was no problem as such, she said adding: "The problem that led to the unrest was the spreading of canard and misinforming the local people. Twenty four towers to lay wires to supply power were also been set. Only four towers are yet to be set up."
"The state government is in no way involved in the entire process in Bhangar to set up the power grid sub-station. It was directly dealt by the Central government's Power Grid Corporation. Thus, it is actually not a matter of land acquisition. We all know that how the people of the area were fed with unscientific information about passing of the wires which need to be laid to supply power," she said adding that firearms were stockpiled in Bhangar when the administration was busy conducting Ganga Sagar Mela. She criticised the Left Front and Congress saying:
"Who will take the responsibility if you all go there and create unnecessary problems?" She said that there was trouble in Ausgram. The inspector-in-charge of the local police station has been transferred. There was also a small trouble at Dhulagarh in Howrah. BJP had tried to give it a communal colour. But there too, the district's superintendent of the police and inspector-in-charge of the police station were transferred.
Meanwhile, Calcutta High Court has sought report on the progress of investigation in connection with the firing incident at Bhangar in South 24-Parganas in which two persons were killed after suffering bullet injuries during the unrest. The Court directed the police to submit a report in this connection and to appear before the court within the next seven days. The justice has also sought the case dairy of the incident.
The Calcutta High Court has also wanted to know the ballistic report of the bullets and the post-mortem report. The matter will be placed before the court in the next hearing which would take place after four weeks. Police earlier claimed that they did not fire at Bhangar.