Citizens’ Research Collective on SEZ

Nandigram, May 11, 2008: It was neither the CPI-M nor the Trinamul Congress that grabbed headlines in trouble-torn Nandigram as it went to the polls today. Instead, it was a man who tried to restore peace so that the people of Nandigram could exercise their franchise freely.

Mr Alok Raj, DIG, CRPF, who dared to take on the might of CPI-M strongman and MP, Mr Lakshman Seth, and went about patrolling the area today even after a CPI-M supporter lodged an FIR against him alleging molestation, was threatened over the telephone by Mr Seth, in the course of a heated conversation that several media persons overheard.

The CPI-M goons started faltering soon after Mr Raj got down to his job last night. When Mr Raj went about patrolling even after an FIR was lodged against him this morning, an understandably rattled Mr Seth rang him on his cellphone and derided him for patrolling the area instead of staying put in his camp. “Why have you come out of the camp for patrolling? You should have stayed put in the camp. You are not on poll duty and how dare you exceed your brief? Why are you moving around without local police?” demanded an agitated Mr Seth of the CRPF DIG, as media persons accompanying Mr Raj overheard the conversation as the officer in uniform turned on his cell phone’s loudspeaker.

Mr Raj replied: “I have not come here to conduct an election. I have come here to restore law and order so that people can exercise their rights and I am travelling with state police during patrolling. I came out from my office at Khejury at 7 a.m. and reached Rajaramchawk. On the way, I visited Sonachura village. I am aware of my brief and I do not take orders from you, Mr Seth.”

Earlier, a woman supporter of the CPI-M, a resident of Mondolpara in Sonachura, lodged a complaint with Nandigram police against Mr Raj, accusing him of molesting her during a raid in her village last night. Mr Raj responded to the allegation saying: “I don’t care about false allegations. Let there be an independent inquiry. If I am guilty, I should be punished, but if I am not, shame on the person or the system who filed the FIR.”

Home secretary Mr AM Chakroborti said an inquiry would be held to ascertain whether the CRPF, which was deployed to oversee law and order situation, tried to supervise the conduct of elections while keeping the local administration in the dark. Mr Rakesh Gupta, IG (western range) would conduct the inquiry, he said.

Mr Raj later expressed his deep concern about an attack on the CRPF’s women force which was on duty at Garupara this morning. A group of villagers, allegedly with the tacit support of the O-C, Nandigram PS, Mr Debashis Chakraborty, hurled stones at them which left a woman CRPF personnel, Ms Dimple, injured. “It was a shocking incident. Certain elements are trying to prevent the CRPF from doing its job here. I will lodge a complaint against the police officer (the O-C) with the SP and my seniors,” Mr Raj said. The Nandigram O-C insisted, though, that he had been assaulted by CRPF jawans and not the other way round.

Describing the incident involving the O-C as “undesirable”, the home secretary said: “We need paramilitary forces to conduct polls in the next two phases and this complaint might affect coordination between the two forces.” Mr Chakraborti denied having received any “formal complaints” about molestations against either the DIG, CRPF or the O-C, Nandigram PS. “I did not get time to seek reports from the police station concerned. We will look into the matter with all seriousness once we receive complaints,” Mr Chakraborti said. Conceding that an MP could not “instruct” the CRPF, he said that it had to be ascertained whether Mr Seth was “instructing or reporting or requesting”.

Source: Source: Statesman News Service