A decade later, family members of Nandigram victims still seek justice
Standing in front of the white bust of her 17-year old son at Jalpai village, Aloka Das couldn’t control her tears. Since March 14, 2007, when the police opened fire on villagers resisting land acquisition, justice has eluded the 14 families each of whom lost a member.
But a decade later, Nandigram looked different for sure. The roads were metalled and without potholes. A hospital building freshly painted with blue and white containing a few hundred beds have replaced a rickety primary health centre. Drinking water is more readily available.
But the members of the families of those whom ruling Trinamool Congress describe as Nandigram martyrs, are still seething in anger. “The government gave some compensation. Kins of some of those killed in police firing got government jobs. But will my son return? What about those who ordered the police to open fire? What about those who planned it? We were told we have a government on our side, but justice still eludes us,” said Aloka floating in and out of sorrow and anger. Her son Gobindo Das fell to police bullets.
The CBI, which submitted the charge sheet in the case in January 2014, had sought permission from the Bengal government to prosecute police officers that has not been provided yet.
“The accused senior police personnel, IPS officers have only got promotions even after the regime changed,” said Abdul Dayen Khan, 68, who lost his son Imdadul in police firing.
Most of the families utilised ₹5 lakh they got as compensation to build pucca houses, and putting aside a few pennies as savings.
The ruling party leaders are on the defensive. “We hope Mamata Banerjee will see to it that the guilty are punished in the case. There is a lot of anguish among the people of Nandigram. However, we have ushered in development in the area,” said Sheikh Sufiyan, a prominent face in the land movement. But there is bitterness on other a few other fronts as well.
“We applied thrice for digital ration cards (biometric ones that are mandatory for getting provisions from PDS). They (TMC) said we will get it in due time. Our family did not get any job as promised. Now we have to run from pillar to post to even get a digital ration card,” said Kabita Mondol, sister-in-law of Pushpendu Mondal, a 17-year-old who, too, fell to the police bullets.
The anger is palpable and bursts forth readily. It does not seem to take into account the token that the ruling party leaders resort to by garlanding small busts of those killed by the police.