| The difference this time was that the police firing killed four activists of the Forward Bloc, a constituent of the state's ruling Left Front. Another 30-odd FB workers were injured, many severely. |
| In response, FB called a 24-hour West Bengal bandh on February 6 and received the support of the Opposition Trinamool Congress (TC), the Congress, the Leftist SUCI and several other parties. |
| FB was on a collision course with the CPI(M) since the Nandigram firing and had recently decided to fight the forthcoming panchayat polls alone, marking the first breach in Left unity in the state. |
| CPI(M) leaders like Binoy Konar and Shyamal Chakravorti came out with statements supporting the police action, while senior CPI(M) leader and State Transport Minister Subhas Chakravorti condemned the firing. |
| The police fired on FB supporters during their "law violation" programme at Dinhata in Coochbehar district. The cops put the death figure at four, while FB claimed five activists were killed in the firing. |
| FB activists clashed with the police in Coochbehar town too during the day. |
| All-India Forward Bloc general secretary Debabrata Biswas described the police firing as 'barbaric and unprovoked' and claimed the incident would have 'definite impact' on LF unity. |
| "I would expect Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to take appropriate action against erring police officials and Left Front Chairman Biman Bose to condemn the trigger happy policemen who sought to suppress a democratic movement," Biswas told agencies. |
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