Author: Rajib Chatterjee
Publication: The Statesman
Date: November 16, 2007
URL: http://www.thestatesman.net/page.arcview.php?date=2007-11-16&usrsess=2413795801312&clid=1&id=203839
Pay money, if you want to stay in your home
or face the consequences. This is the dictum of the CPI-M cadres in Nandigram
who have now started imposing fine on Bhumi Ucched Protirodh Committee supporters
(BUPC) instead of driving them out of their villages. Those who failed to
pay were forced to leave their homes.
Sheikh Mosu, a resident of Osmanchowk village,
was instructed to pay Rs 10,000 as fine for supporting the BUPC. He was driven
out of his villages after Mosu, who works as a daily wage earner, expressed
his helplessness. "Now I'm staying in the relief camp. They (CPI-M men)
have threatened to kill me if I dared to enter the village. They told me that
fine must be paid, otherwise I wouldn't be allowed to stay home," said
Mosu. "Mr Prajapati Jana, a resident of Garchakraberia, is in trouble.
CPI-M cadres allegedly ordered him to pay Rs 10,000 to stay home or face the
consequences. He has been running from pillar to post to collect the money,"
said Sheikh Sufiyan, a BUPC member.
The condition of Mr Lakshman Maity, a resident
of Subanichowk, is somewhat the same. He was ordered to pay Rs 30,000 to stay
home. The offence of Mr Jana and Mr Maity is that they supported the BUPC's
movement, said Mr Sufiyan.
Mr Sriram Chandra Mondal, a resident of Sonachura,
came to the relief camp today. "Local CPI-M men drove me out of my house
on 11 November as I failed to pay a fine of Rs 30,000. I came to the relief
camp after persuasion failed."
Many others like Mr Mondal and Mosu had to
leave their homes after they failed to pay up. They are so scared that they
didn't even go to police. "The matter has been brought to the notice
of policemen, but they remained silent," said Mr Sufiyan. The BUPC leader
said Mr Manas Maiti and Mr Bhaja Maity, two residents of Daudpore, who had
returned to their homes this morning came back to the relief camp in the evening.
"They were beaten up after they expressed their inability to pay Rs 30,000'',
said Mr Sufiyan.
