A team of doctors led by Director of Medical Services S. Dutta Chowdhury has visited the State-run hospital in Midnapore to assess the conditions of those being treated for injuries sustained in the firing at Netai village in Lalgarh area on January 7.
The doctors also talked to the Chief Medical Officer of the hospital, according to Chief Secretary Samar Ghosh.
The three-member team included Sukumar Maity and Somnath Das.
The team was formed by the State government earlier this week, following a directive from the Calcutta High Court to pay compensation to those who were killed and injured in the incident.
The court had ordered the payment of compensation within a week — at the rate of Rs. 2 lakh for kin of the dead, Rs.1 lakh for the seriously injured, and Rs.50,000 for those with lesser injuries.
The team will prepare a list according to these categories and submit it to the government.
“We are expecting the report by January 24,” Mr. Ghosh said.
CID probing fire
The firing on a massive crowd of about 2,000 people, who had gathered in front of a CPI(M) leader's house at Netai village to protest certain issues, is being investigated by the State's Criminal Investigation Department.
The principal Opposition party, the Trinamool Congress, has raised an accusatory finger at the CPI(M), alleging that an armed camp was being run from that place. While seven persons were killed on the spot, two died of injuries.
Some of the victims being treated at the State's referral hospital here.
Soon after the incident, Governor M. K. Narayanan summoned the Chief Secretary, the Home Secretary and the Director-General of Police to take stock of the situation.
First-hand version
On January 19, the Governor visited Netai to meet the villagers to get a first-hand version of the incident.
Home Secretary G. D. Gautama told reporters on Friday that the government was looking for land for setting up a police camp at Netai to give the villagers a sense of security.
Talks held
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee had held talks with the Union Home Minister and the Prime Minister earlier this week on various issues, including mounting political violence in poll-bound West Bengal.
