KOLKATA: At least 15 people were killed and several injured after villagers clashed with the police in Nandigram on Wednesday.

The violence took place after the West Bengal government send in a fresh contingent of 5,000 policemen into the interiors of the village to restore law and order situation and initiate repair work of the dug up roads.

Nandigram has been in the boil for some time now after the government’s decision to set up a chemical factory in the village. Innumerable protests have rocked the state coupled with acrimony from the Trinamool Congress against the acquisition of land for the proposed Salim project. Wednesday’s pitched battle between the police and locals ensued after the police contingent tried to make inroads into the village to step up security against the anti-SEZ protests. 

Slamming the move by the state government, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee has called for a 12-hour bandh on Friday. The bandh has been supported by the Congress and minor opposition parties like the SUCI.

The move to send in the force was mainly aimed at curbing the Land Eviction Resistance Committee that has been spearheading the fight against the land acquisition process in Nandigram since January, said the committee members. The contingent, in three groups, approached Sonachura village through Chanditala, another through Berabhanga and the third through Garchakraberia.

The operation was led by DIG (Midnapore) NR Babu and SP (Midnapore), Anil Srinivasan. Members of the Land Eviction Resistance Committee first set up human barricades and as the police dispersed the crowd by firing tear-gas shells, the activists attacked the police with bombs and firearms.

The police fired more than 60 rounds of bullets. This caused the death of many activists. Though according to government figures around 50 people have been injured, the toll may even rise fear sources.

While West Bengal CM Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee remained tight-lipped on the issue, CPI(M) state secretary and state Left Front chairman Biman Bose said the police action was inevitable in order to maintain law and order.