Failure of Constitutional Machinery and Rule of Jungle in Nandigram
[Friends are requested to do likewise and also spread
the word.
Sukla]
To
The Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal,
West Bengal
Raj Bhavan
Kolakata
http://in.f86.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=governor@wb.nic.in&YY=6157&y5beta=yes&ymv=0&y5beta=yes&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b
Fax: 033-22002444/ 22001649
Sub: Failure of Constitutional Machinery and Rule of
Jungle in Nandigram
Sir,
At the very outset, as a conscientious citizen of
India, let me express my deepest appreciation of your
statement on Nandigram expressing your profound
disquiet over the state sponsored war launched by the
CPIM cadres on Nandigram and its hapless and
defenceless villagers.
As we all are aware soon after Ms Brinda Karat, a
Politburo member of the CPIM and a Rajya Sabha member
from West Bengal – thanks to the amended rule allowing
outsiders to get elected, called upon her party cadres
in a strikingly ugly and obscene delivery – the video
footage of which is available at least with the Star
Ananda TV channel, to unleash violent terror on
Nandigram from a public platform with the Chief
Minister of the state by her side, all hell broke
loose. Waves of armed gunmen started raiding Nandigram
from all the sides. Whatever unarmed and armed
resistance by the villagers proved too meagre under
the circumstances. The police conveniently looked the
other way. But then if any public call to arms by a
sitting MP of the ruling party is issued, and that too
in the presence of the Chief Minister of the state,
hardly anything else could have had been expected.
We also know how Nandigram was turned into a virtual
war zone since January 3 this year as a consequence of
a notification issued by the Haldia Development
Authority announcing its intention to acquire lands in
Nandigram for a chemical hub with the Indonesian Salim
group acting the main player. Then on March 14 a reign
of terror was unleashed on the villagers barricading
themselves on all sides so as to resist the state’s
predatory moves to appropriate them of their lands and
livelihoods by means of the armed might of the state
with active and open collaboration of the CPIM cadres
to subserve corporate interests in the name of
development through industrialisation. This act of
brutal bloodletting, which mercifully turned out to be
rather shortlived – thanks to the prompt intervention
of the Kolkata High Court immediately asking for a CBI
enquiry and thereby compelling the marauding forces a
hasty retreat, radically worsened the situation. Even
a much belated categorical assurance by the Chief
Minister as regards dropping of the current plan for
the chemical hub in Nandigram failed to assuage the
hurt feelings of the villagers in view of the stae
government’s dogged refusal to institute any credible
enquiry into the massive atrocities on march 14 and
provide relief, rehabilitation and reparation for the
victims of March 14 terror attack. Quite
unfortunately, the laudable attempts at reconciliation
by senior Left leaders like Jyoti Basu and then Ashok
Ghosh were actively sabotaged by the government and
the CPIM leadership. The wild and unsubstantiated
allegation of international conspiracy by Brinda Karat
in the interim only went to inflame passions still
further.
Ms. Brinda Karat’s open call to arms on November 4,
with the almost explicit blessings of the state’s
Chief Minister, apparently acted as the final trigger
for unleashing a massive avalanche of armed attack by
gangs of organised hoods, evidently meticulously
planned in advance grimly reminding us of the
state-sponsored massacre in Gujarat in February-March
2002.
As you yourself have clearly acknowledged, violence is
still continuing despite a so-called ceasefire. Huts
are still burning. Lives are still being lost. People
in thousands had to flee their homes. Human rights
workers, and even journalists, are not allowed entry
into the “war zone”, an eminently apt tem coined by no
less than the Home Secretary of the state.
Under the circumstances, you are earnestly urged to
carry out an on-the-spot survey of the mayhem under
way so as to bring it to an immediate end and arrange
rehabilitation for all those who have been rendered
homeless.
Hope given the grimness of the situation you would
readily comply.
Yours sincerely,
Sukla Sen
EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity)
Mumbai
( The copy of the representation made to the Governor of West Bengal is published for friends and viewers to act for solidarity)
_________________________________________________________
the word.
Sukla]
To
The Hon’ble Governor of West Bengal,
West Bengal
Raj Bhavan
Kolakata
http://in.f86.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=governor@wb.nic.in&YY=6157&y5beta=yes&ymv=0&y5beta=yes&order=down&sort=date&pos=0&view=a&head=b
Fax: 033-22002444/ 22001649
Sub: Failure of Constitutional Machinery and Rule of
Jungle in Nandigram
Sir,
At the very outset, as a conscientious citizen of
India, let me express my deepest appreciation of your
statement on Nandigram expressing your profound
disquiet over the state sponsored war launched by the
CPIM cadres on Nandigram and its hapless and
defenceless villagers.
As we all are aware soon after Ms Brinda Karat, a
Politburo member of the CPIM and a Rajya Sabha member
from West Bengal – thanks to the amended rule allowing
outsiders to get elected, called upon her party cadres
in a strikingly ugly and obscene delivery – the video
footage of which is available at least with the Star
Ananda TV channel, to unleash violent terror on
Nandigram from a public platform with the Chief
Minister of the state by her side, all hell broke
loose. Waves of armed gunmen started raiding Nandigram
from all the sides. Whatever unarmed and armed
resistance by the villagers proved too meagre under
the circumstances. The police conveniently looked the
other way. But then if any public call to arms by a
sitting MP of the ruling party is issued, and that too
in the presence of the Chief Minister of the state,
hardly anything else could have had been expected.
We also know how Nandigram was turned into a virtual
war zone since January 3 this year as a consequence of
a notification issued by the Haldia Development
Authority announcing its intention to acquire lands in
Nandigram for a chemical hub with the Indonesian Salim
group acting the main player. Then on March 14 a reign
of terror was unleashed on the villagers barricading
themselves on all sides so as to resist the state’s
predatory moves to appropriate them of their lands and
livelihoods by means of the armed might of the state
with active and open collaboration of the CPIM cadres
to subserve corporate interests in the name of
development through industrialisation. This act of
brutal bloodletting, which mercifully turned out to be
rather shortlived – thanks to the prompt intervention
of the Kolkata High Court immediately asking for a CBI
enquiry and thereby compelling the marauding forces a
hasty retreat, radically worsened the situation. Even
a much belated categorical assurance by the Chief
Minister as regards dropping of the current plan for
the chemical hub in Nandigram failed to assuage the
hurt feelings of the villagers in view of the stae
government’s dogged refusal to institute any credible
enquiry into the massive atrocities on march 14 and
provide relief, rehabilitation and reparation for the
victims of March 14 terror attack. Quite
unfortunately, the laudable attempts at reconciliation
by senior Left leaders like Jyoti Basu and then Ashok
Ghosh were actively sabotaged by the government and
the CPIM leadership. The wild and unsubstantiated
allegation of international conspiracy by Brinda Karat
in the interim only went to inflame passions still
further.
Ms. Brinda Karat’s open call to arms on November 4,
with the almost explicit blessings of the state’s
Chief Minister, apparently acted as the final trigger
for unleashing a massive avalanche of armed attack by
gangs of organised hoods, evidently meticulously
planned in advance grimly reminding us of the
state-sponsored massacre in Gujarat in February-March
2002.
As you yourself have clearly acknowledged, violence is
still continuing despite a so-called ceasefire. Huts
are still burning. Lives are still being lost. People
in thousands had to flee their homes. Human rights
workers, and even journalists, are not allowed entry
into the “war zone”, an eminently apt tem coined by no
less than the Home Secretary of the state.
Under the circumstances, you are earnestly urged to
carry out an on-the-spot survey of the mayhem under
way so as to bring it to an immediate end and arrange
rehabilitation for all those who have been rendered
homeless.
Hope given the grimness of the situation you would
readily comply.
Yours sincerely,
Sukla Sen
EKTA (Committee for Communal Amity)
Mumbai
( The copy of the representation made to the Governor of West Bengal is published for friends and viewers to act for solidarity)
_________________________________________________________
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