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Nandigram in West Bengal has emerged as the lightning rod for criticism of the government’s economic policies. While previous clashes here over the proposed Special Economic Zone (SEZ) have killed at least seven people including a policeman, the events of March 14 put a halt to the West Bengal government’s industrialisation bid and has forced a re-think at the national level.

On March 14, violent clashes erupted in Nandigram when thousands of villagers and farmers attacked police and CPM supporters who tried to enter and occupy land earmarked for an industrial park, including a chemical industry, to be set up with the help of an Indonesian conglomerate. The police fired on a crowd, killing over 14 people and injuring 45.

Stung by what has been termed as the worst discredit in its 30 years of rule, and smarting under sharp criticism by its allies, the West Bengal government announced that it was putting on hold all proposals for setting up Special Economic Zones (SEZs). State budget minister Asim Dasgupta said the government would return to the SEZ issue only after a “socially balanced decision is taken at the national level”. More than 230 SEZ proposals across India are currently on hold.

Major industrial projects in the neighbouring state of Orissa too have been stalled by protesting farmers unwilling to give up their land. Among them is a high-profile $ 12 billion plant by South Korean steelmaker POSCO Co Ltd, which would be India’s largest foreign investment.

Meanwhile, the Calcutta High Court, acting on a petition filed by the Association for the Protection of Democratic Rights, and Medha Patkar of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, has ordered a CBI inquiry into the firing. Chief Justice S S Nijjar said that prima facie they were satisfied that the action of the police department was wholly unconstitutional and could not be justified under any provision of the law. Such use of force, he said, can only be accepted in case of insurgency.

Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi, a grandson of the Mahatma, said: “It’s a time of great pain. There is no denying the fact that one has to graduate from agriculture to industry, but one has to ensure that the road to transformation is a happy one.”

Trouble first erupted in Nandigram on January 7 when news of the proposed industrial park broke. A hastily formed Bhumi Ucched Pratirodh (Land Acquisition Resistance Committee), backed by Mamata Bannerjee’s Trinamool Congress, began to organise protests that sparked a conflict between supporters of the government and CPM cadres.

CPM cadres were chased out of villages, road blocks set up and trenches dug. A bridge was destroyed and Nandigram became a no-go area for the administration. CPM activists have blamed Maoist guerrillas for inciting violence. Various Naxalite groups have come together to oppose the move to acquire land.

Source: Info Change More