Even as the Trinamool Congress government is trying to cope with protests over land agitation in South 24 Paraganas’ Bhangar, a fresh trouble erupted in West Bengal’s Birbhum district over the proposed State University.
Residents, who claimed to have lost land for the project, damaged parts of the boundary wall of the proposed Biswa Bangla University on Monday and chased away some of the construction workers. Earlier in the month, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced setting up the university close to the Visva Bharati Santiniketan.
“Some of the local farmers damaged a section of the boundary wall. No one has been arrested so far,” said additional superintendent of police Subimal Paul. A large contingent of police has been deployed at the spot.
According to the residents, nearly 200 acres of land was acquired by the then Left Front government for setting up an industrial hub in 2003. “But it tried to set up a housing estate on the plot, against which the local farmers organised a protest,” a local farmer Hasimudin Khan said.
Locals further claimed that the agitation gathered momentum when the then Opposition party in the State, Trinamool Congress, took over the agitation in 2009. “The TMC leaders then promised that only industry will be set up on the acquired land and more compensation and jobs will be given to the affected farmers if the party came to power. But now the same party is betraying the farmers. We only want industry to be set up on the land . Otherwise the State government should return our land,” said Mr. Khan.
Denying the allegation, the TMC district president Anubrata Mondal said: “The CPI(M) has paid some of the locals to disrupt the project. But their plan has failed as work has already resumed.” But the CPI(M) district leadership has denied the allegation.
Meanwhile, those protesting police action at Bhangar took out a rally in the city.
