Outsiders continue to sneak into Bhangar villages

Despite assurance of the state government that no project will be undertaken against the "will of the people", visit of "outsiders" at villages in Bhangar still continues to build a "fresh" movement keeping the issue of setting up of power grid sub-station in front.

According to the recent reports of intelligence agencies, taking the opportunity of the absence of police in many villages in Bhangar senior functionary of CPIML (Red Star) Alik Chakraborty still visit the villages "almost every day". Chakraborty's name is in the FIR lodged by the state police on alleged charges of inciting violence in Bhangar over setting up of the power grid sub-station. Two persons were shot dead during the unrest.

The police arrested Sharmistha Chowdhury, a central committee member of the Naxalite outfit CPIML (Red Star) when she was heading towards a gathering of villagers in Bhangar on January 27. On the same day, the outfit's state secretary Pradip Singh Thakur and a member Shahnawaz Alam were picked up from near Sealdah Station.

The police are, however, yet to arrest 52-year-old Chakraborty who, according to the intelligence agencies, heads the team of around 22 members of the naxalite outfit to build up a "fresh movement" in Bhangar.

When other members of the team are getting mixed and working together with villagers to hold rallies and protest marches demanding proper probe into the death of the two persons in firing at Bhangar, Chakraborty's task is to hold close door meetings in someone's house in the villages to "instigate" more people so that the movement can be sustained for a longer period.

Since the policemen have access till the main thoroughfares in the area and villagers didn't allow police to enter their villages, the place has turned out to be a safe and secure hideout for Chakraborty. He turned a section of people into his sympathisers and the same people along with the other members of the naxalite outfit help him to enter and escape Bhangar.

In a bid to restore peace in Bhangar, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had directed senior police officers in a meeting to flush out "outsiders" from the villages as they had instigated villagers to protest against setting up of the power grid sub-station when it was almost a few steps away from completion. She had also directed that no one among the villagers should be inconvenienced while throwing out "the outsiders".

According to officers of intelligence agencies, the "slow, silent and steady" tactics taken up the outfit to gain faith of local people that Chakraborty is carrying out after arrests of Sharmistha and Pradip, may result in fresh troubles in the area.

The villagers organised the agitation under the banner of Jami, Jibika, Poribesh O Bastutantra Raksha Committee (committee to protect land, livelihood, environment and ecosystem). After suffering a lot with bandh-like situation in Bhangar for about a week since January 17 when a clash broke out between agitators and police, many people had decided to discontinue their movement. At present, Chakraborty and his team's main aim is to convince these people again to reorganise the movement.