Six killed in Nandigram protests

Six persons were killed and 25 injured at Nandigram in West Bengal's East Midnapore district today in violence over the acquisition of land for a special economic zone.

The deaths occurred in clashes between activists of the ruling CPI(M) and the Bhumi Uchhed Birudhi Committee (Land Eviction Resistance Committee) comprising the Trinamool Congress, SUCI, Jamaat-e-Ulema Hind and a Naxalite faction.

Trinamool Congress has called a 12-hour West Bengal bandh tomorrow to protest "police excesses". Other opposition parties including Congress and SUCI have also called a 24- hour bandh tomorrow to protest the same incident.

The opposition leader at the assembly, Partho Chatterjee said the bandh was called to protest police excesses against the villagers, who do not want to give their land for the proposed SEZ of Indonesia based Salim group. He also alleged that armed CPI (M) cadres accompanied the police during the violence.

"All those killed in police firing were our supporters," Chatterjee said. West Bengal Pradesh Congress general secretary Pradip Bhattacharya strongly condemned the killing of the villagers.