Claiming that human rights were violated during the police action on villagers at Loba in the Dubrajpur area of Birbhum district last week, Union Minister of State for Urban Development Deepa Dasmunsi said on Monday that the villagers should approach the West Bengal Human Rights Commission on the issue.
“I have urged the villagers to prepare a report on the entire incident and approach the State Human Rights Commission on the issue,” Ms. Dasmunsi, a senior leader of the Congress from the State told The Hindu over telephone after visiting Loba during the day.
“At Singur and Nandigram, farmers were against giving up their land but in the Dubrajpur area, most of the farmers are willing to. The only thing they want is a discussion, but what we see is a repetition of incidents that happened in the past,” she said
“Why is Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee allowing another Singur and Nandigram to happen,” Ms. Dasmunsi questioned.
The demand of the Congress for an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was justified as it is necessary to find out who was behind the police action, she said.
A huge contingent of the district police tried to recover earth-moving equipment from Loba on November 6 and had to face resistance from villagers. Six villagers and 27 police personnel were injured in the clashes. The villagers claimed that police had opened fire on them but the State government denied it.
Raising questions about the land policy of the State government, Ms. Dasmunsi said that if no land was acquired, all development in the State would come to a halt.
“If land cannot be acquired for hospitals, for industry, for widening of roads in the State how will hospitals, industries, educational institutions come up and roads be constructed? It can’t happen in the sky,” she said.
