Nandigram carnage leaves cops shaken

Ajanta Chakraborty
[ 21 Mar, 2007 0044hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]

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KOLKATA: How does it feel to be party to a mass-murder masterminded by
politicians? Or — precisely — to be branded as "killers-in-uniform" by
just about everyone, including one's own family?

The questions weren't actually posed to three policemen TOI spoke to.
For, these men in khaki who had participated in what they described as
the "party-police combine carnage" on March 14, have been going through
a lot of self-questioning ever since their return from battlefield
Nandigram.

"It feels terrible looking at those TV footage — knowing that we were
involved in the bloodbath," one of the cops said as he recounted the
"joint operation" by the police and local CPM. "Four heads had got
together and schemed Operation Nandigram. They had outlined how the
police would begin dispersing the crowd first and how the hired
criminals would take over after that," claimed one of the three cops TOI
spoke to.

The "core team" comprised a CPM MP, a zilla parishad leader and two
senior IPS officials. "The IPS officers took their orders from the two
CPM leaders. We learnt about the gameplan later, but we hadn't the
slightest clue about it on the morning of March 14," claimed another
policeman. The 2,000-odd heavily-armed policemen who had assembled from
forces like the State Armed Police, Eastern Frontier Rifles, India
Reserve Battalion from South Bengal, North Bengal and Western zones
were, in fact, sketchily briefed (for barely 30 minutes) about Operation
Nandigram. "Very casually we were told to move into Adhikaripara-Tekhali
and Bhangaberia.

"As soon the crowd spotted us, missiles started flying from all
directions. Stones were pelted from all sides and bombs hurled from
treetops," said another policeman. "We retreated for a while and then
tried to control the crowd with rubber bullets and teargas. Nothing
worked, so we started firing," said the cop."As men, women and chil dren
ran for their lives, they were grabbed by CPM's hired goondas, a few
kiliometres from the firing spot. Some men and women were killed
instantly. "We also have information about women being raped. The goons
(in groups of six to eight) were hiding at strategic points so that they
could overpower the fleeing men and women," said one of the three cops.

He recounted in horror: "The women cried for help, but no one came
forward. Their menfolk retaliated, killing some of the criminals who
were later to be projected as missing CPM men." All the three cops
corroborated that "IG (western range) Arun Gupta verbally ordered the
firing. Yet, after the carnage, he started shouting: 'Who gave you the
authority to fire?' The constables told him 'the IG did', not knowing
that they were actually talking to the IG himself."
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/NEWS/India/Nandigram_carnage_leaves_cops_shaken/articleshow/1785684.cms