Author: Express news service
Publication: The Indian Express
Date: March 15, 2008
URL: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/Intellectuals-launch-website-on-Nandigram/284765/
The Forum of Artistes, Cultural Activists
and Intellectuals has launched a website that documents its convention in
the backdrop of the land acquisition in Singur and Nandigram.
The Forum had offered a non-political platform
for citizens of Kolkata to protest against the anti-people policies of the
state government. The website www.14thmarch.com is a telling account of the
experiences of the Forum members in Nandigram and Singur and their perspective
on the government policies. The logo has been designed by artist Suvaprasanna
and the Forum is planning to start a guest column where eminent personalities
can voice their opinions. "It will help spread awareness about these
issues. But we will not limit the website to Singur and Nandigram. It will
contain information on programmes taken up by the Forum," said theatre
personality Bibhash Chakrabarty.
The "objective" reads: "the
West Bengal Government of late has been forcibly acquiring rich arable agricultural
green lands in the various parts of the state on the false pretext of industrialisation
and development. All of those people who have refused or rejected this heinous
scheme of the government, and have been raising their voices against this
undemocratic procedure of land acquisition, are being victimised by administrative
and police repression, brutalised by the cadres of the ruling party."
In the website, the Forum has accused the
government of proceeding in a "fascist-like manner to silence all voices
of dissent and conducting a shameless campaign of lies". Writer Mahasweta
Devi, actor Aparna Sen, theatre director Bratya Basu, academicians Amlan Dutta
and Santosh Bhattacharya are among the members of the Forum.