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Tata Motor's car project at Singur, West Bengal on track (Part IX)

Five injured in police baton charge in Singur

At least five persons were injured when the police resorted to charge batons on the farmers, who, along with the Trinamul Congress activists were protesting against the acquisition of land allotted for a Tata Motors car project here on Saturday.

The protesters tried to thwart a fencing work on the 997 acres of land it has purportedly acquired to set up an automobile factory in Hooghly District.

Social activist Medha Patkar, who was going to join the protesters, was stopped and arrested by the police at Dankuni near Singur.

Some police personnel were also injured in the clash. According to Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) Raj Kanojia, the police were attacked with acid bombs and arrows.

At least 5,000 police and paramilitary forces have been deployed in Singur for the fencing of the 997-acre plot for the project.

Trinamul Congress has been at loggerheads with the Left Government in the State for its decision to acquire farmlands to set up a plant by TATA Motors.

Expressing their apologies to the common man for the inconveniences, the activists gathered at Singur, about 40 km north of Kolkata, requested its supporters to make the protest a success.

"We have instructed all our party workers throughout the state to come on the streets and start violating the law and obstructing road, transport, rail and everything. We don't have any resentment against the peace loving citizens, we are sorry. The citizens will be in a soup but only the government is responsible because they are doing such things which are not wanted from a government," said Madan Mitra, a leader of Trinamul Congress Party.

The party also had called a shut down on Friday in this regard.

The party had earlier called for a strike in October but the government had said it was undeterred and land for the 10 billion rupee (220 million dollar) car project would be handed over to the company soon.

Banerjee, who was forcibly stopped on her way to Singur for a rally on Thursday, asked her party MLAs to head for Singur.

Trinamool Congress workers set fire a guard's cabin of a local train, damaged vehicles and set up rail and road blocks across West Bengal.

Trains were also blocked on Sheoraphuli-Tarakeswar, Barasat-Hasnabad sections and at Singur and Diara stations. Police chased away Trinamool workers who pelted stones on buses at Haripal in Hooghly district.

In Kolkata, Trinamool supporters set blocked the Hazra Road, Rashbehari Avenue, Jadavpur and other areas. A partial bandh was organised in Asansol and Bardhman against the project.

Compiled by Sukla